What might have be meant was that RS acts as gatekeeper to the comments
part of his blog. E.g., I opened my blog to comments only after blogspot
made it possible to check out messages before they get posted. Not
that I
get many comments (RS's blog is Grand Central Station in that respect),
but there are folks out there that like to send spam to comments
sections
of blogs, and now that can be prevented with the click of a key.
Hal
On May 24, 2006, at 10:37 AM, Douglas Barbour wrote:
> I have to say that I just don't get this, David.
>
> For one thing, I can't feature Silliman & Lawrence as that alike.
> And even if the first does act as a kind of 'gatekeeper' in his
> blog, nobody has to use that gate (most of his readers probably
> agree with him about 1/8th to 1/4 to 1/3 the time). Lawrence, on
> the other hand, has participated in the conversation here, which
> ranges all over the poetic map, & doesn't seem to me to be doing
> any more 'gatekeeping' than any of the rest of us. We all sometimes
> make known our likes, recommend some writers & some books, but that
> is part of the point isn't it?
>
> Various scenes may suck, but does the whole? That covers a lot of
> ground. Part of the pleasure of this space, & why I keep coming to
> it, is that there are so many different people here to talk to,
> hear from, etc. Lawrence has been, to me, one of the ones who
> brings news from a particular area of international poetry, one
> I've often found exciting & engaging. Why not?
>
> Now it's true that Ron only posts news of his blog here, so really
> doesn't participate, but then each of us can either pay no
> attention, or go see what he's talking about now. Sometimes I do &
> learn about things that interest me, or not, & sometimes I don't.
> No problem, & certainly he isn't controlling any gate I pay
> attention to.
>
> Doug
> On 23-May-06, at 7:44 AM, David Bircumshaw wrote:
>
>> I think I should attempt to refine my statements, as much as I can,
>> refinement and the slums of Brummagem don't sit easy together: I
>> hate (this
>> doesn't sound refined) what people like Ron Silliman and Lawrence
>> seem to
>> stand for, notice that 'seem': it's an impression I get, I might
>> be totally
>> wrong, in which case I ask for their forgiveness. But that
>> impression I get
>> is of 'gatekeepers', managerial controllers, massagers of who's in
>> who's
>> out. I love the art of poetry, but the poetry scene sucks, the
>> disingenousness of people in it is breathtaking.
> Douglas Barbour
> 11655 - 72 Avenue NW
> Edmonton Ab T6G 0B9
> (780) 436 3320
> Latest book: Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
> http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
>
> The poet is ecstatic, having dreamt of this visit for weeks.
> He takes Erato’s face, dribbling and wild, between his hands
>
> and kisses her gently as if she were a runaway teenager.
>
> Diana Hartog
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