[New-Poetry] CD Wright's body count

[John Jeffrey]

jforjames wrote: "The larger issue is Why is i a poet can't weigh into social and political issues? And who gets to say this poet has less cred than this one?"

For me, the issue isn't that poets can't weigh in on social and political issues, it's just that, usually, the poems are so numbingly weak.  Too often the poets rely on their belief that the issue and--more importantly (to them, at least)--their political take on the issue gives the poem its gravitas.  It doesn't.  An image can.  The writing can.  Insight can.  But a political point of view cannot.

John Jeffrey


--- On Mon, 6/30/08, jforjames at aol.com <jforjames at aol.com> wrote:
From: jforjames at aol.com <jforjames at aol.com>
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] CD Wright's body count
To: new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
Date: Monday, June 30, 2008, 9:39 PM

I apologize for the 'claque' bit. I'm a listserv type...and subbed to 4, so I'll

pass on your invitation..but,

a 'coffee table book'?...come on. When a serious artist/photographer

and poet collaborate, do you want them to produce the thing

in mimeo? I happened to hear Wright talk at length on _One Big

Self_ at this symposium on the collaboration of poets and artists

making books together...

http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/metaphor/Participants.html

If you want to call it, as a slight, an 'art book', I might disagree

but I'd see where you were coming from. 



She reads from the text here:

http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Wright.html

Let the cards play themselves, we say in poker.



The larger issue is Why is i a poet can't weigh into social and political

issues? And who gets to say this poet has less cred than this one?

Finnegan



-----Original Message-----

From: Rsgwynn1 at cs.com

To: new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu

Sent: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:34 pm

Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] CD Wright's body count





In a message dated 6/29/2008 7:17:31 PM Central Daylight Time, JforJames at aol.com writes: 




In a message dated 6/26/2008 12:03:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Rsgwynn1 at cs.com writes:




http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/ubbhtml/Forum15/HTML/000289.html 





I seems like the claque concurs. But I don't see the evidence that 'poetry of witness' is by nature flawed?

I think you are uncomfortable with socio-political poetry. Many are. But C.D. Wright, if nothing else, doesn't seem a casual observer recasting newsclippings into poetry. 

Finnegan





Eratosphere is an open forum, James, just like this one.  You're free to post your opinions there, as I am here.



Sam 


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