The Underlying Problem With Poetry Today

In our Spring 2012 issue, Willard Spiegelman contributed an essay, “Has Poetry Changed? The View From the Editor’s Desk”, which discusses how poetry has changed over the years. Poet Guy Gonzalez (who works in publishing by day), has written a thoughtful response. Here’s a little bit of what he says:

While formal poetry has never been my cup of tea, the vast majority of poetry — formal and free verse, written and oral — actually bores me to tears for the exact reasons Spiegelman notes. … In a world where a silly photo-sharing app that makes pictures look old is deemed worth $1B, surely there’s a $1M angle for poetry that speaks to a broader audience without dumbing it down or sacrificing metaphor for mediocrity?

Read his complete post in response to Spiegelman: “The Unbearable Stiffness of Formal Poetry and Writing for the Page.”