Ken, I was being a little facetious. So many artists/poets outside academia
have dull(ing) day jobs.
I would argue, however, that poetry (as an imaginative making proposition)
is:
1. A great power (equivalent to and distinct from say that of a powerful
businessman.) And
2. In the way that poets need the financial resources created by business,
business interests often crave the imaginative resources of the poet. It's a
mutual jealousy (one played out more in the world of painting & sculpture)
where the business person clearly wants a piece of the imaginative pie.
My real point is that writers often do not realize the power of their gift
in relationship to the larger whole. That we go in 'hat in hand' to the
almighty business power, not knowing the value of what we have. Too often we
give it away for very cheap. (The envelopment and direction Poetry magazine
by huge money and dumbish business folks is sadly emblematic of poets
cow-towing and not flexing muscle).
Steve Jobs (Apple Computer), Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen and Lew Welch all
studied calligraphy (and by extension Zen) with Lloyd Reynolds at Reed
College. Jobs - for whatever one might think of the person - clearly built
Apple around Reynolds influence with a commitment to some artistic
principles and use. Much different than that of relatively tasteless, and
imagineless Microsoft. Oh well, this could be a much longer story. (Unlike
Jobs, Snyder, Whalen and Welch all went to explore the economic margins -
tho I would say Snyder has had a huge influence on ecological thought and
practice with great effect in the political realm).
It's just interesting to me when artists take "the gift" into practice
within the economic and political frame. Artists - such as Maya Lin of the
Vietnam Wall - are heroic in what they have been able to do in this realm
-often against huge odds, opposition, etc. None of this is ever easy.
Is it ever - whether or not an artist - for anyone?
Stephen V
http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
> Stephen Vincent wrote:
>
>> I am arguing that our skills (poetry) are transferable and can help butter
>> the bread (like create a salary). I mean why else is Ken Wolman - bless my
>> jealous soul - getting this great new job with a fantastic salary!
>> Definitely a stealth poet! Right Ken?\
>>
>>
> And the days dwindle down to a precious few.... No, today, Happy End.
>
> I don't know how great ANY job is anymore and the salary puts me back to
> where I was 11 years ago when I got my first New York investment bank
> job (it was back office, not Equities!). In other words I have been
> living a version of Bohica for several years now because even a crappy
> income was better than none.
>
> Call me Wallace Stevens. I should live so long. Call me Dana Gioia,
> former product manager for Lever Brothers. Shoot me. Don't call me
> Weldon Kees or Ambrose Bierce, I don't park illegally and you'll always
> know where to find me. Am I jealous? WTF, dude? I am jealous of the
> people with full-time academic gigs, artistic work that pays anything,
> people with a book or two and who get invited to read stuff at odd
> places. I was out of class when they taught How To Capitalize on One
> Success. After I won my one serious award in July '95 I thought I would
> be invited as a "Poets Among Us" (local boyz 'n' girlz made good) at the
> '96 Dodge Festival. How naive! How little I knew about connections
> back then and what one may have to do to get an invitation to a festival
> of that magnitude, regardless of merit. I try not to let my petty
> resentments rule me, but they are best acknowledged--living like Jude
> Fawley since 1990 can be irritating. As for Stealth Poets, I don't
> know what a "stealth poet" is. As far as I know, poetry is not an
> Anonymous program. "My name is Ken W. and I write poetry, sob-sob." I
> have never made a secret of why I work--to support my writing habit
> whether or not it "pays." A good friend was and remains the
> Acquisitions Librarian for Drew University. She raises and trains dogs
> and used to have a signature line "I'm only in it for the Kibble."
> Ginny and I are not friends for nothing.
>
> ken
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