[New-Poetry] from the Writer's Almanac

[TheOldMole]

Looks like I'm worthless again there. I don't know this story at all. 
But it sounds interesting.

Paul Krassner of The Realist once published an obituary for Lenny Bruce 
when Lenny was still alive. Then a couple of years later, when Paul 
wrote a piece for one of the 70s rock magazines -- Cheetah, I think -- 
they ran a little black-edged sidebar lamenting Paul's untimely death 
just before the article was published. Paul was not amused.

Judy Prince wrote:
> Dear Worthless Guy,
>
> Can you give me [thank you; me is Judy] details about this fascinating 
> leading statement in Wiki re William Baer?
>
> "He also received brief fame when his obituary was prematurely 
> published by the New York Times 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times> due to a hoax by his 
> students.
>
> 2009/5/3 TheOldMole <Opus40-01 at opus40.org <mailto:Opus40-01 at opus40.org>>
>
>     Speaking as the worthless guy, it makes no difference if the lines
>     don't get in the way of your appreciation of the poem, some
>     difference if they do.
>
>     I wonder, though -- are there any elements of craft that are worth
>     discussing, or is scansion the only worthless one?
>
>
>
>
>     Chris Lott wrote:
>
>         On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 9:16 AM, Judy Prince
>         <jbalizsprince at googlemail.com
>         <mailto:jbalizsprince at googlemail.com>> wrote:
>          
>
>             Hi, Chris,
>             I keep wondering why it's such a well hidden secret that
>             scansion depends
>             upon the scanner for the scanner's ear and eye and brain's
>             response
>             to/interpretation of the poet's words?
>                
>
>
>         It's not a secret. But it means that when person A posts a
>         poem and
>         person B says "it doesn't scan" then person B's response is rather
>         meaningless, no?
>
>          
>
>             Fiercesome battles have ensued about scansion and its supposed
>             only-one-way-of-reading authority.  Yes, of course I'm
>             OTTing about it here,
>             and do welcome hearing others' views.  It's just that so
>             few folk recognise
>             scansion's role as a wonderfully useful
>             *variously-applied* medium.
>                
>
>
>         I'm still looking for the wonderfully useful part, I guess. Maybe
>         lines 2 and 6 of Baer's poems scan to one or maybe they don't.
>         What
>         difference does it make?
>
>         c
>
>         _______________________________________________
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>         New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu <mailto:New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>
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>
>          
>
>
>     -- 
>     Tad Richards
>     Read my NY Writing Careers Examiner column today!
>     http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner
>
>     http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
>     http://opusforty.blogspot.com/
>
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>
>
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-- 
Tad Richards
Read my NY Writing Careers Examiner column today!
http://www.examiner.com/x-2862-NY-Writing-Careers-Examiner

http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
http://opusforty.blogspot.com/