Category: US poetry

Books/

More new reading material, and some happy happenings

Some classic internet-enabled moments this week.

Firstly, my post about having received a free copy of Poetry magazine was picked up by Steven Critelli who alerted Don Share, senior editor of that venerable publication, who promptly lived up to his name and tweeted it …

don share tweet

Then one of the other participants going to the Ty Newydd course in October (Zoe Fiander) found this blog and left an introductory note for me, which was very nice.

And finally, not really serendipitous but a treat all the same, when Inpress ran out of ‘How to pour madness into a teacup’ (by the excellent Abegail Morley) and couldn’t fulfil my order, they (and the publisher Cinnamon Press) offered me another book from their list, by way of an apology. So, I got Abegail’s book from elsewhere and am also the proud owner of A Handful of Water, a new collection by Rebecca Gethin. So plenty of new reading material to look forward to!

today's postbag

Speaking of new material, The Rialto has also just dropped through my letterbox.

So I’m hoping all this high quality poetry nutrition will pay off soon in the form of some decent poems of my own.

But for now I’ll leave you with an extract from William Logan’s poem The Nude that Stays Nude in Poetry magazine, consisting basically of a whole list of new ‘don’ts’ for poets – one of which is

Don’t think what you have to say is important. The way you say it is important. What you have to say is rubbish.

This itself is a line a poem, so one has to take it with an ironic postmodern pinch of salt. Or not. You decide!

Inspiration/

Unexpected bonus

Poetry Magazine (US)

Poetry Magazine (US)

In the post today came a copy of Poetry magazine, volume 202 number 1 – yes, it’s been going for over a hundred years – gawds! The reason it was an unexpected bonus is because I cannot remember where or when I ordered it. But here it is, and with such a heritage the first adjective that comes to mind is ‘august’, although that already seems way too stuffy.

I have to say it’s a thing of beauty – first of all, for a magazine to be even called something as simple as ‘Poetry’ is pretty impressive. Then there’s the lovely size – presumably an American shape – narrower than A5 but bigger than the average paperback, perfect-bound with a proper spine. Then the cool, clean fonts and layout – reminiscent of The Rialto, but the paper stock is creamier, slightly more retro. Am I sounding a bit fetishistic?? I haven’t even mentioned the contents yet.

To be fair, it’s only just arrived so I’ve only skimmed it lightly so far – but I can see there’s a section entitled ‘A few more don’ts’ with the subtitle Ezra Pound set forth his now-famous “A Few Don’ts by an Imagiste” in the March 1913 issue of Poetry. In commemoration we’ve asked a few writers to update Pound’s essay for our time.

Hello?? “In the 1913 issue of Poetry ….” Just how cool is that??? Anyway, can’t wait to read it. And I’ve already spotted and enjoyed poems by Eavan Boland and Jamaal May, so I have the feeling the whole magazine is going to be a bedtime treat for some while.

Mags & Blogs/

Exploring new territory, one poet at a time

Best American Poetry 2012

I’m a big fan of Dan Blank, founder of We Grow Media. Dan’s mission is to help writers build their online platform, not by blasting out marketing messages from twitter or facebook, but by growing your audience ‘one reader at a time.’

I was thinking of this maxim recently when I was contemplating American poetry. I’ve a copy of Best American Poetry 2012 thinking it might be a way in to understanding the US poetry scene and its publications. I was dismayed by much of the poetry and couldn’t easily connect with it; it felt very much like new territory. I also went online and started digging around writers’ programmes and residencies, following blogs. Actually I found it a bit overwhelming. There seem to be a gadzillion publications and poets. Even though I’ve lived in the US in the past I felt lost, like I needed a roadmap. I wondered if it was worth it. But I decided the way to do it might be one poet at a time.

So I randomly followed a link to a website and from there to the blog of Sydney Lea, the Poet Laureate of Vermont. I read a couple of his blog posts and really enjoyed them. I shall explore what I can of his stuff and who knows, maybe buy a book. Or maybe not, I don’t know. But I do know it will lead me to other poets, other blogs, and it will probably give me insights into the US poetry scene in a localised, grassroots kind of way. It’s a tangible, less scary way in, and one that wouldn’t have really been possible before the web.

Maybe I should instigate a kind of ‘poet twinning’ movement, in the interests of greater exchange and understanding between US and UK poets (at least, those interested in such a thing)? Or does it already exist?