As I'm here, a few comments on what David sent us...
>"The fact of edited publication remains crucial in the poetry
sector, to the extent that even performance poets, while acknowledging
the aurality of their work, aspire to this kind of validation.<"
I don't think this is altogether true - there are any number of
performance poets who, to my knowledge, don't give a monkeys about
appearing in print - and long may it stay that way.
And the same applies to a number of poets who appear to be solely on-
line based.
>" Poets active in the tertiary educational sector are required, to
be considered ‘research active’, to have publications"<
Now this is probably true, and just how awful is it? I've said it
before and I'll say it again - once the validation of poetry depends
not on the poetry itself but on the institutional position of the poet
then poetry is fucked, whatever sort of poetry it is.
>"Other forms of validation include awards and prizes (of which there
are hundreds, perhaps a dozen of which have a national profile), and
appointments in the academic or civic sector"<
Yuk! Yuk! Yuk!
Poetry is not a profession - it's an artform. Of course it has to deal
with institutions and professions to get itself known and published
and talked about - but it should itself remain as independent as
possible from those things and not let its context be dictated by them.
Tim A.
On 26 May 2011, at 14:55, David Lace wrote:
> Informative extract:
>
> “Yet the success of book publication is not to be measured solely by
> the statistic of copies sold. The relationship between poet and
> editor should ensure that the quality of the work produced is
> significantly better than it might have been had the work not been
> edited, that it is accurately and attractively produced, and that it
> appears with the imprimatur of a publishing house which is a species
> of ‘guarantor’, providing a ‘license’ authorising the poet. The fact
> of edited publication remains crucial in the poetry sector, to the
> extent that even performance poets, while acknowledging the aurality
> of their work, aspire to this kind of validation. Poets active in
> the tertiary educational sector are required, to be considered
> ‘research active’, to have publications, though hitherto the
> educational sector has not been as consistent in discriminating the
> quality and level of achievement in terms of poetry book publication
> as they are in terms of academic publications.
>
> Other forms of validation include awards and prizes (of which there
> are hundreds, perhaps a dozen of which have a national profile), and
> appointments in the academic or civic sector which entail a
> transparent selection process. Once established in these ways, poets
> will find they are more welcome on the reading circuit, receive fees
> and increase the sale of their publications many-fold at events.
> They are also in a stronger position to apply for academic and
> teaching posts and other jobs in the sector.”
>
> Pages 9-10
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------Original Message------
> From: Alec Newman
> Sender: British & Irish poets
> To: [log in to unmask]
> ReplyTo: British & Irish poets
> Subject: Arts Council report on Contemporary Poetry
> Sent: 24 May 2011 09:42
>
> Anyone who's not seen this might find it interesting. Comments on a
> postcard please.
>
>
>
>
>
> http://www.literaturedevelopment.co.uk/domains/nationalassociationforliteraturedevelopment.org.uk/local/media/audio/Poetry_mapping_DEFINITIVE.pdf
>
>
> Alec
>
>
> Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media
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