I heard Dickey read only once, rather late in his career. He read "Encounter in the Cage Country" and all of "Bronwen, The Traw, and the Shape-Shifter: A Poem in Four Parts," many copies of which were for sale and were quickly snapped up. There were lots of middle-aged women, mostly on the front rows. It was pretty clear whom he was pitching his wares to. My friend (another writer) and I were so disgusted by the shameless show that we skipped the party afterwards.
I do know that there was a lot more to Dickey than his public pose, and I do admire much of the early work. Still, I've never regretted passing up the chance to meet him.
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