A report on the millions that Poetry magazine was gifted three years ago...
A little, predictably, depressing. Seems the way to go is defiantly
middlebrow. The president of the Poetry Foundation is John Barr, "a
published poet and former Wall St executive" - (there's a lot of these CEOs,
by the way, writing execrable fantasy novels - it seems like a weird
American phenomenon) -
''We believe that the golden age for any art happens when that art is
written for and derives its energy from the general audience of its time,"
said Barr in a recent telephone interview. ''And if and when an art form
becomes a more closeted and insular affair, it's going to lose some of that
energy."
Hmm. And this the magazine which made its name on Eliot, Stevens, Williams
et al? As I recall, they didn't exactly reach the "general audience" of
their time. But really the way to go is to contact those "poetry users"
(sounds like junkies really). Marketing, of course. Me, I just think they
should sling some of those dollars my way, or at least to poets...part of
the original idea of the bequest, it seems, but hijacked on the way by 21C
spin. Sigh.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/01/08/poets_inc?mode=PF
Best
A
Alison Croggon
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
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