World Class Poetry Blog

Introducing The Perfect Poem
21 May 2008, the poet @ 7:33 pm

A writer lives her dream through “Portals of Country Living.”

Meet the poet laureate of Poetic Asides, Sara Diane Doyle.

Billy Childish, 3 poetry books published in one month.

How to change the world with a poem.

Naomi Shihab Nye says “Losing Bedrock Farm” is the perfect poem.

A fight between the literati ensues:

I’m disturbed by the notion of lit mags as “a preserve for the elite.” For one thing, that seems like the last place finisher who says he never really wanted to win anyway. It’s easy to justify your lack of success by saying you have smaller ambitions, but that just sounds like an excuse for mediocrity to me. But even if you’re going to set small goals, why make that goal “a preserve for the elite”? A preserve is just this side of a zoo, if you ask me, and I’d rather not accept my cage quite yet, if it’s all right with you. I’d rather run wild a bit longer with the people who prefer not to think of themselves as “the elite.” That’s too sanctimonious, too self-satisfied for my tastes. Elitists tend to like things the way they are. I’d prefer writers who have the power to imagine the world better than it is and the determination to use their talents and sweat to get even an inch closer to that ideal.

I agree with Ted Genoways on both points: Journalism is suited to any medium willing to put in the hours and the sweat necessary to produce great reportage; and secondly, lit mags are not a “preserve for the elite”. Howard Junker is wrong. Lit mags should engage the culture, not look down their noses at it. And if you give a shit, read the rest of Genoways’ post.

As a former local newspaper editor, I’d have to agree with John Hewitt on the fate of newspapers.

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