However, consider the sales of Christian Bok's comic EUNOIA. Audiences
want to laugh, perhaps just as much as to cry. If someone's work makes me
laugh until tears emerge, I rate them even higher. John Cage's work sold
quite well, even though he "was born with a sunny disposition".
I would be intrigued to learn of reports of actual cash received for the
publication of poetry. Let me start the ball rolling by mentioning the
awed responses to word of Tom Raworth receiving $190 from the Iowa Review
in the early seventies upon the appearance of 10 pages of his poetry.
Barry Alpert
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