>on the contrary, it is _very_ effective in some ways. the poetry in
>question, "british poetry", (the lists, and nothing but the lists) as
>described by roddy and sean, _represents_ an enclave of "laureate
>culture" surrounded by "mediocrity". forcing it on non-laureate types
>would certainly make it propaganda, if it isn't already.
Gawdammit, we been rumbled. Yes, it has been decreed (and sealed with a
handshake of unspeakable complexity) that the next Laureateship (2009-19)
will be a two horse race between RcL and SO'B. All bets at this stage are
on the older poet, but smart money says that Lumsden might be hitting his
peak at that time, while O'Brien may be driven to distraction by teenage
kids and an unfinished libretto for A Dance to the Music of Time for the
Royal Opera House.
>what is paradoxical is that poets want to be _read_ but can't seem to
>manage it without excluding the vast majority of the potential audience.
>they become "professional" and "serious" and "excellent" and have to put
>distance between themselves and the "dreck" culture of "amateur", "naive",
>or "mediocre" poetries (and it would seem that these poetries are all
>too easy to recognise, conveniently enough!).
I'm intrigued by the first point here, but which 'poets' and what
'audience'? When I used the word 'dreck', I was referring to those poets
published by some of the bigger publishers who, in my opinion, are not of a
quality to warrant it and who wouldn't be if it weren't for the crutch of
subsidy. It takes an imaginative leap, or a good whack of seige mentality,
to interpret anything in our discussion as a slur on 'amateur' poets or
those who work in other areas of poetry.
>it may be that oup have realized that the age of validation by exclusion
>is drawing to a close. as more poetry appears online the strategy of
>exclusion is less effective because the excluded is being published too.
Interesting argument, but it seems to be re-roasting an old chestnut,
whereby poets whose work is not primarily aimed at mainstream book
publication (performance, sound, concrete, screen-based, collaborative
poetry - add others as need be) still insist on feeling 'excluded' by the
lists which publish a still wide variety of 'poetries'.
Roddy
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