Against National Poetry Month

Every story has (at least) two sides, doesn't it? Here's an essay by Charles Bernstein, published in 1999 called "Against National Poetry Month As Such." He argues that it promotes bland poetry.

Personally, I think he's overreacting. Even if you accept that National Poetry Month doesn't effectively support poetry, the idea that it actively hurts the genre is a stretch. In this essay, I think National Poetry Month is just a starting point for Bernstein, an excuse to criticize poetry that he doesn't like. What do you think?

--AB

Update to Murderer Identified in Poem

In an earlier post, I linked to the story about an anonymous poet who allegedly knows the identity of a local murderer and revealed as much in a poem he plastered on telephone poles around town. Police haven't been able to find or convince the poet to come forward with the murderer's identity, presumably because he's afraid of retribution. Read the latest update here.

Here's a writing exercise: Write a poem in which the speaker of your poem witnessed a murder but is afraid to reveal the identity of the killer.

--AB

More Poetry News

Click on the links to read the latest news about

1) Art Exhibit Dedicated to the Worst Scottish Poet Ever

2) New Film About Life of Dylan Thomas

3) Owner of Prescott Street Press Dies at 90

--AB

Those Wacky Canadians

Two Canadian poets face off in some sort of winner-takes-all poetry "battle," conceived and implemented by the local governments. It's Vancouver vs. Owen Sound in Round 1. Read about it here.

--AB

Poetry Foundation--At It Again

Some recent news from the Poetry Foundation: Joint readings featuring U.S. and British Poet Laureates. Read about it here.

The one in Washington, DC take place on May 10. Anyone want to go?

--AB

NaPoWriMo

Write a (draft of a) poem a day for the duration of National Poetry Month. All the cool kids are doing it. Learn more about it here.

--AB

Getting an MFA to Pay for Itself

In case you want to see what kind of writing gigs an MFA will get you, here are two wildly different magazine stories I’ve written recently. One is for my regular employer, and the other is a freelance column I do monthly.

On Tap: “Party Crasher: St. Patrick’s Day 2007”
Print Solutions: “Health Care Forms Undergo Revision"

P.S. If you’re having a party and live in the D.C. area, email me so I can crash it :)

--AB