Too bad some--perhaps any--people who write free verse poetry were not also personally requested to submit. I would have had far more faith in the "integrity of this event" if fully one-third of the workshops here were not so blatantly excluded. No dudgeon there but--it might be more accurate to say "because"--no surprise either.
Again, if there were a paucity of free verse submissions, I for one would be curious to understand the reason[s] why. For the three years I've been a member here, I've heard lots of talk about how it's such a shame that poetry doesn't "appeal" to the masses and how to reach out to those who actually might LIKE poetry if they were exposed to it. Similarly, I've heard repeatedly how formal/metrical poetry is given short shift, and that plenty of people might actually find it fun to play around with form and meter if only they would give it a chance. And, at the same time, I've heard plenty about the form wars and how, to quote an earlier posting on this thread which reiterates the theme, "[Erato] is one small metrical enclave in a world of free verse"--as if we were talking about "turf" that has to protected from some "enemy," rather than the apples and oranges of a particular form of art.
I can't see how such conflicts are ever going to be resolved by engaging in the same kind of self-reflexive bias one is complaining to be the victim of. But hey, what do I know...
On the up-side, it IS a good thing indeed to see a group of highlighted poems represented by some new faces, and Rhina's comments are as thought-provoking as ever.
[This message has been edited by nyctom (edited November 30, 2004).]
|