May 1, 2003
Speaking of Poetry
The latest issue of Newsweek has opinion piece declaring that poetry is dead:
Poetry Is Dead. Does Anybody Really Care?
It is difficult to imagine a world without movies, plays, novels and music, but a world without poems doesn’t have to be imagined. I find it disturbing that no one I know has cracked open a book of poetry in decades and that I, who once spent countless hours reading contemporary poets like Lowell and Berryman, can no longer even name a living poet.
All this started to bother me when heiress Ruth Lilly made an unprecedented donation of $100 million to Poetry Magazine in November. An article published on the Poetry International Web site said critics and poets agreed that the gift "could change the face of American poetry."
Don’t these critics and poets realize that their art form is dead? Perhaps not. They probably also don’t realize that people like me helped kill it...
Well, I'm glad us hip-hoppers are not the only ones being told that we have gone extinct at least once a month. But this piece is pretty weak to me, for numerous reasons. For one thing I find it strange he devotes an entire piece to measuring poetry's place in the zeitgeist without any mention whatsoever of the spoken word/slam poetry scene, now slickly repackaged as "Def Poetry". Nor does he mention Hip-Hop at all. In fact, it does not appear that anything involving people of color has ever showed up on his radar.
Now, I myself have issues with categorizing hip-hop as a form of poetry (I'd define it as music that often has a poetic element, but not necessarily poetry..I'd probably better make a separate post about that later), and much of the spoken word scene is really more like performance art or stand-up comedy than actual poetry. So if he wanted to argue that Hip-Hop and slam poetry do not meet his poetic standards, that would be one thing. But for him to go through this entire piece without mentioning those movements at all...
Posted by jsmooth995 at May 1, 2003 1:09 PM
Even if we follow traditional poetry guidelines, how can he say he can't even name a living poet? Maya Angelou continues to hold her position in the public consciousness and several poets have been in the media's eye in the aftermath of 9-11.
But maybe it's as you note, Jay, he just doesn't consider people of color.
So frustrating...
Posted by: Jason at May 1, 2003 1:27 PM
What the hell is going on here?
Poetry Is Dead
Hip-hop Is Dead
What's next?
An article titled, "Jazz Is Dead, Does Anybody Be-bop Anymore?"
Geez. I'm just sick of this shit.
Posted by: Trent at May 1, 2003 3:03 PM
UGH....
As a poet, and a deep lover of poetry, I really found that article...umm...nauseating
"no one I know has cracked open a book of poetry in decades"
Decades?? Come on now, what is that shit? I think that in itself says alot about his ignorance as well as the ignorance of the people he surrounds himself with...no wonder this dude thinks poetry is "dead"
Thanks for the post
Posted by: Toni at May 1, 2003 4:21 PM
I wonder this person heard recent release by Saul William's "Not In My Name". That's excellent poetry right there! Also I don't know what this person's standard to qualify things as "poetry", but I really think this person should take a look around and se what's going down. I mean many differnt TV stations has been promoting poetry like HBO's Def Poetry or BET's Lyrics Cafe. This person also should realize that art form often mutate and change over the years. So "poetry" in this person's standard might have "died", but poetry itself is still prevalent in our society. Nothing is really "DEAD", unless you killed it inside your heart. Same with Hip Hop. Those who consider that being "DEAD", really killed Hip Hop within their hearts. Both poetry and Hip Hop is still alive and well in my hearts and views.
Posted by: DJ Musashi at May 1, 2003 4:39 PM
Just b/c something is not on someone's personal radar, does not make it dead. B/c it is not the "it" thing for them or b/c they feel it has been overplayed and tired...
Anyway, that's what media and critics do.
If I could count how many times (and collect money on that count) the death of hip-hop has been pronounced since Sugar Hill first hit the airwaves..I'd be blinging.
I suppose he hasn't watched Def Poetry or Lyric Cafe lately.
Posted by: lynne at May 1, 2003 8:25 PM
Just b/c something is not on someone's personal radar, does not make it dead. B/c it is not the "it" thing for them or b/c they feel it has been overplayed and tired...
Exactly.. this reminds me of an older teacher I used to work with, who always asked me "so how long do you think this rap thing is gonna be around? I remember when Calypso came out, everybody thought it would be around forever..."
I always wanted to scream at her "What the hell makes you think Calypso is not 'around' anymore? If it is no longer within your narrow line of American pop-culture vision, you assume it has ceased to exist?"
Posted by: Jay Smooth at May 1, 2003 9:56 PM
I suppose he hasn't watched Def Poetry or Lyric Cafe lately.
Perhaps he has and that's why he thinks poetry is dead.
And notice that y'all are talking about watching while the author the article was talking about *reading*. Maybe he has a point.
If poetry is dead, no wonder Laura Bush cancelled the appearance of poets at the White House. For ghouls to be hanging around would have uh.... been a little too appropriate.
Posted by: drapetomaniac at May 2, 2003 11:09 AM
poetry is life, life has reason it's a chance
to express your feelings about life in actuality
it's reality it changes gradually from my anatamy
it's a stradigy for people after me create's
a faculty for rapper's 'B'
Posted by: mike jackson at May 20, 2003 6:51 PM
Poetry will never die! For in the heart of every poet lies the rhythm and the rhyme of the time line of life.
Its flowing in the water, blowing in the wind. Through his soul, through the blood in his veins.
If peotry died we may as well condemn ourselves to death in silence, and at the hands of unexpressed violence by the insane. For there would be no words to describe the hell, torment, frustions, caos, joy, or happiness the non-poet feels. There would be no voice to sing.
Music would have no meaning, dance would be no outlet. Poetry sets the world free through emotions and creativity.
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