I admit it; I’ve been lurking a lot lately at others’ e-places. And Silliman’s post today on what poetry communities need has got me thinking more on supporting or promoting poetry. Some thoughts:
I do not believe poetry is experiencing a crisis.
I believe poetry should garner as much regard as other arts. I am well aware that poetry “does not sell,” or that people “do not buy poetry.” Though I do believe people do experience poetry very deeply, and whether they are able to articulate the experience is another thing. I believe with more poetic or poetry experiences, the ability to articulate response grows, maybe even hones itself. I believe we each find a critical language with which to articulate poetic experience, and I believe this honing of critical language is something that should be encouraged.
I am finding myself much more interested in the local, and the diversity or divergences within the local. I do not believe in the local being equated with smallness or with lack of ambition.
I am OK with poetry as a national scene being splintered or disunited. In fact, I believe it’s OK that I as a poet and as a reader may not have connections to poetry from other places (geographical, political, aesthetic, etc.). Still, I believe in expanding our own poetic worlds and finding intersections.
I am finding myself much more critical of external markers of career success in poetry, other people’s prescriptions for our own poetry careers. I am also finding myself much more critical of “community,” especially when these preset categories are imposed upon us. I am much more interested in actively finding or forging communities. This way, “community” actually holds meaning in non-abstract ways.
That said, tomorrow being my day off (Yes, I get Chinese New Year off), I am hitting two UC Berkeley readings of a couple of great poets: upon reading Arthur Sze, as upon hearing Nathaniel Mackey, I immediately thought to myself, “This poet knows something about poetics that I need to know.” I am still figuring out how to articulate what those somethings are.
Tags: Arthur Sze, Nathaniel Mackey, Ron Silliman
