Modern American Poetics: Where Are We? MWSC Campus

Yesterday's Panel Discussion With: Robert Bly, Poet who has published more than 40 books of poetry. essays and translations. Also known for co-founding American Writers Against the Vietnam War; Robert Stewart, editor of New Letters UMKC's international literary magazine and author of several poetry books; Michelle Boisseau, Author of No Private Life, Trembling Air, and Understory, which won the Samuel French Morse Prize; Ian Roberts, who earned his masters degree in creative writing and his doctorate in literature and literary theory from the University of Nebraska; and John Gilgun, who taught from 1972 -1999 at Western Missouri State College and author of numerous poetry books.


The panel discussed the impact of today's electronic age on poetry. John Gilgun noted that some 6 million poems are written and posted in online venues every day. Some, like John himself, will send poems daily to email lists. He has been sending to a list of about 30 people for some time now. He asks "How many poets really know their readership?" John likes the idea of community in poetry and writing. Knowing who your audience is and the internet provides a better way to facilitate this than the print media.

While John's view is interesting, I am inclined to wonder if in writing poetry it is as good to know your audience as it is selling a novel? Will knowing my audience cause an artificial barrier which I create to filter my message so as to be "politically correct?" If so, then my poetic message is tainted and less than pure.

Robert Bly did not seem impressed the with electronic venue as it related to poetry. After all, because 6 million poems are produced says nothing about their quality. I bemoaned that language in poetry has already gone downhill. We still produce pretty good poetry in America overall, he contends. Much better than contemporary British poetry. It believes the Russian, before the break up of the Soviet Union perhaps produced the best.

What is needed in our poetry today? According to blew, content that will shake you up. "Extraordinary poetry uses words that will wake you up," says Bly. He said we have too much "white bread" poetry produced in the country today. He believes part of this is due to the fact that the spoken word is declining. What to do about it? Bly urges people to read good works over and over as opposed to writing bad ones. He also was critical of a good many writer's workshops and academia for centering too much inward on their own material.

Michelle Boisseau echoed much of what blew said. The world is too much with us and we've lost something in the process. We've given our hearts away. As poets, she said our job was to "sharpen the language." She also emphasized reading. Learn a good poem that you can memorize and keep with you. That is a place to start.

I thought it interesting that there was such emotion on the panel for older established poets. Of course with all the discussion today's internet and it's function in the dissemination of poetry, I wondered the value of even a really great poem that is sent out in an e-mail list and what happens to those words three months from now or a year or two from now? Is any of this remembered?

The panel agreed that novels have taken a preeminent role over poetry in today's literature. They disagreed on the value of the electronic medium for changing that. Gilgus thought it was a positive force as exhibited by the number of people writing poetry online. Ian Roberts however, didn't seem to think it was driving people to read and experience poetry outside their own personal sphere of influence. I agree.

Bly was asked why there was not more encouragement from established poets today to upstart poets and people starting new literary magazines. He attributed it to the failure of most established poets to read outside their own venue. They simply don't look at new work near enough.

I liked three points Robert Stewart made about the art of poetry:

1. it exists to be authentic
2. it is about individuals
3. a poets role is to confront

The panel was overall a good one. If there was a weakness it was in the moderation. The moderator however was largely responsible for bringing these five insightful people together, so I have to give him credit.

I have some other things I'll likely share about Robert Bly... but that will be another blog.