[John Whitworth]

I am thinking of inaugurating The Fat Poets Society, hon President Ben Jonson. Other poets include Sam Johnson, G.K. Chesterton and Philip Larkin. And me of course. Any other suggestions?

Apollinaire and Horace are in the foreign section.

[Michael Juster]

Donors are already planning to establish a chair--a large, overstuffed chair--in my honor, regrettably.

[Roger Slater]

It appears the name Fat Poets Society is already taken. Also here.

[John Whitworth]

Mountain Belly, then.

They are only Fat Women. I haven't included any for reasons of gallantry.

[Ann Drysdale]

Christina Rossetti would probably apply to join. In correspondence, she often referred to her appearance: "Still I am weak and less ornamental than society may justly demand" (1 Sept 1871) and "If only my figure would shrink somewhat! For a fat poetess is incongruous, especially when seated by the grave of buried hope" (26 July 1881).

[Michael Cantor]

Don't trust Juster. Like many poets, he's living on past glories, pretending to be fat. And beware of misdirection - I hear he's working out twice a day with an ex-Israeli commando, in order to prepare for the Lean Poets Pose-off during National Poetry Month.

There are fewer fat poets - fat, not a bit overweight (which is, of course, man's most attractive state) - than I had thought, or at least than I could think of. Perhaps we are a lean and hungry crowd. I thought of Whitman, but the images don't agree. And I was sure that Allen Ginsburg was tubby, but it turns out that he just had a plump name - he ranged from downright skinny (and it was the skinny Ginsburg who wrote Howl - does this become a factor?) to slightly overweight, but not fat.

[Gail White]

I believe Theodore Roethke was famously fat. Most of it was alcohol.

[Ed Shacklee]

I'm not sure if he qualifies, but didn't Amiri Baraka have a fictional alter ego called John Swell, perhaps in a prose piece, the "swell" at least in part referring to his belly?

Best,

Ed

[Maryann Corbett]

It's easy to nominate the fictional and the deceased. The living pose a problem.

I can call to mind a couple of good poets who definitely need the Big & Tall Men's catalog. But I think the tag of "Mountain Belly" is best applied by the poet to himself--especially when said poet is also an editor, and I might like to get into his journal some day

[Roger Slater]

Maryann, then maybe you should send him a box of chocolates?