POETRY IS NOT DEAD!

The article I read was about poetry. Not only did the author of the article, Gerry Lafemina, mention Inside Out explicitly, he echoed the sentiment expressed by myself and a few teachers in the Uncommon Core workshop lead by Jeff Cass in Ann Arbor about two weeks back. Poetry culture is changing, and simply by reading the fresh new voices included in poetry anthologies like Jeff Kass’s “Uncommon Core,” it is easy to see that the change revolves around its accessibility. No longer is writing poetry a stuffy practice, only appreciated by a highly educated select few, but rather it is, as the article title itself makes clear, becoming a widely appreciated art form, with a diverse collection of voices springing up in print, and in places where poetry is recited. The title of the article is; “American Poetry Enters Another ‘Golden Age,’ Thanks to a Burgeoning, Vibrant Scene.” Which as I said, surely drives home the point I’ve been getting at. What is a little ironic however, is that this article was published on Highbrow Magazine’s webpage. The graphic just above the title of the webpage is a refined looking gentleman sipping, or rather holding elegantly, what looks to be a martini glass…lets not forget the monocle he’s wearing. I suppose we can think of that caricature as being representative of who used to read or write poetry. Although I suppose that caricature may still represent a group of people who appreciate poetry, no longer can that image sum up its authorship and audience.

What’s also interesting is the criticism which the proliferation of poets phenomenon has received; did you like my use of alliteration? Ultimately though, poetry is for the community; in its nature it is for more than just the writer and the reader. Many poems are meant to be spoken, read aloud, and in that way they gain much of their effect. Other poems can be dissected in numerous ways to glean meaning, with the “archeological approach” endorsed by Jeff Kass, a reader can peel back the many layers of a poem, revealing deeper and deeper connections from the sensory experience which reading a poem undoubtably is, or can be. Some poems are written just to be read aloud and appreciated by an audience, much like a rock band writes their songs for the love of performing live. The words in such a poem are written down purely as music. It is not to be combed for meaning, but as music to be played by the human voice box, which in itself is as joyous an experience as excavating the profound musings about the world, which are often evident in poetry, even if a poem is not written in a formal structure like a pantoum, catalogue, or sonnet. Musicians can be poets and poets can be musicians.

I invite you to read more poetry and try writing some yourself, if you haven’t already done so. I find poetry is a wonderful way to access memories and parts of self long forgotten in the shadows just waiting to be uncovered. Those neglected selves are always calling for our attention, in the concrete sensory experiences which are abound in our daily lives. Even being able to access those experiences alone, I’m convinced…is poetry.

Use the link to the article to read more:

http://highbrowmagazine.com/1085-american-poetry-enters-another-golden-age-thanks-burgeoning-vibrant-scene