in defense of poetry/blogging (again)


I'm taking a quick lunch break while Nicholas naps, and in-between household chores, I fire up the desktop and click thru a few fave blogs. it seems that Poetry magazine has published an essay by Peter Campion that trashes poet-bloggers. now, I've not read the essay, and I know nothing about Campion (only that he has one cool name) but I've read two defenses of the poet-bloggers. one by Matthew Thorburn as a letter to the editor here and a brilliant defense by Seth Abramson here. in fact, both poet-bloggers write eloquent defenses of what is a new medium.

but communications between poets is nothing new. writers have always used whatever medium at their disposal to communicate with our brothers/sisters in the art. what I dig about the Internet is that it breaks down the barriers of time and space so that I can communicate almost instantaneously with poets on the other side of the globe. that is a good thing. it is so obviously a good thing that perhaps it need not be pointed out.

and but so poetry has always needed defending, it would seem. I think of the French poet Rene Char whose texts were evidence to the necessity of poetry. and so it is with blogging too. it is not the technology perhaps but writers need every resource they can get in their solitary tasks of living/reading/writing.

so who cares what Campion thinks. may he get tenure wherever he may be. I can think of nothing worse. for those that writing/reading matters the most shall continue in their solitary labors and use the mails, emails, blogs and listservs (and what else might be thought up) for I do believe poets are all brothers/sisters no matter what age or generation we are from. it may not be a happy family but it is a family just the same. Catullus is my bro as is Sappho is my sis as you are too. so there.

I've got to get back to my chores. Nicholas will be up very soon and will want second lunch. I leave you with one of the best defenses of poetry I've read in some time by UK poet Martin Stannard on his blog here.

peace and poetry.