The more poetry I read, the more convinced I am that Sturgeon's Revelation is Holy Writ.

Hmmm. On reading the Wikipedia article for it, I'm astonished to discover that Rudyard Kipling seems to have been an adherent of the more optimistic Pareto Principle. Heretic!

But we in Eratosphere are all in the top 10% it goes without saying.

In which the author reveals perhaps more than he intended about the state of poetry in America -- in, naturally, Poetry.

Also, here are a bevy of poets who answered the question, "What is American about American poetry?" in 1999 and 2010.

Best,

Ed

P.S. Here's part of what Tom Disch had to say on the subject: "Usually one can distinguish American poets from other poets by those cultural markers by which one can distinguish Americans from other peoples. But it's surely possible for any writer to write English "as if" one were English. When I lived a long while in London many of my poems took on a London tone, and to this day some readers and critics assume I am English on the basis of a few poems and mistaken assumptions as to what constitutes Americanness in poetry. Usually, lack of formal constraints and minimalist syntax." [Italics added.]

With all due deference to the estimable Mr. Disch, I'm not sure that's a completely "mistaken assumption," for "lack of formal constraints and minimalist syntax" seem par for the course in most of the more prominent journals here.

1. No (assuming you mean modern poetry), although I would add "or other poetry by members of Eratosphere".

2. Yes, but (with the above exception) only if it's more than 70 years old, and it rhymes and scans. And has capital letters at the start of each line.

I love all poetry, find it in all sorts of places, found a book of Masefield's collected works in a pub a week ago and read some of his sonnets while waiting for my friends to arrive. I love the poetry on YouTube, I love the poetry in everyday conversation, I love slang and the poetry of storytelling and jokes, I like the poetry in ads and notices, in TV shows and movies, songs and liturgy, chants and prayers. I love the poetry of toddlers and babies, teenagers and criminals.
I like all forms of poetry and can't understand why anyone would limit themselves, it seems absurd to me, like not experiencing all the cuisines of the world or all the music, so with poetry, metrical, free verse, modern, old, what's the difference? as long as it's good.

Imagine finding Masefield's poems in a pub. You in Oz are very well read.

Thanks to all who responded to my Musing on Mastery question:

Who on earth is Marius Bewly?

Well said.

http://www.nybooks.com/contributors/marius-bewley/

Just heard of this person myself. Gotta love anyone named Marius.

I hope he has a relative named Beulah, and that I find her and marry her, so her name will be Beulah Bewley Baurle. We will have many children and praise Morgoth of Utumno on an island somewhere with sheep and rabbits.