While Literary Laundry is a publication that reveres the written word and, I believe, values the age-old tradition of verse in all its forms, LL is also a hub of dynamic and continuous conversation about the state of literature today (as evidenced by the below blogs). When it comes to the tradition of poetry, we generally agree that it began in an oral form as with Homer's famous ancient greek epics, spoken before written, sounds sung to express emotion, to tell a story, to be remembered. Even the word "language" comes from the word for tongue. While people often say poetry comes from the heart, the soul, the mind, etc, it is also undeniably physical: the rhythms, rhymes, alliterations, meter or line breaks, the cadences in general. Maybe poetry is indeed born in the mouth. This brings me to my question...what has happened to the oral tradition today? Maybe our lack of attention to this aspect of poetry is the reason poetry seems to live behind the great shadows of popular music, film, even plays and novels. What happened to the times when musicians named themselves after poets, like Bob Dylan with Dylan Thomas?

Of course, today, maybe more than ever audio readings of poems are available because of technological advancements. Often when searching for poems, I come across the chance to click a link and hear a poem in the poet's voice...reading series abound at universities and community centers, and yet...for a medium that values voice the most, there's seems to be some sort of dilution in the way be people read. On the one hand spoken word poetry has taken off, and can be quite exhilarating, but it can also fall into its own monotony, not only with familiar rhythms but also with content. Lyric poets on the other hand seem to retreat into either deadpan breathiness or unnatural lilts that try to hard to jerk the audience awake as if pausing at strange points will somehow clarify the sense of an obscure stanza.

I just got back from a graduation trip/literary pilgrimage to London and Paris. Obviously, what we see when we visit a city for three days is probably less than reality but I realized it is important to consider what we mean when we talk about the state of literature today. Is it possible that while American poetry may be in more of a rusty age than a golden age, other countries are currently experiencing a golden literary/artistic age? I certainly don't think there is a Shakespeare thriving in London today or a Baudelaire in Paris but I did sense a greater appreciation for literature in both cities, especially Paris. And in London, I even stopped to speak to a poet in Tragalfar square who could recite all his poems by heart. I started to wonder if other countries, not in Europe necessarily, might indeed have a truly great author writing today? Of course, there is the question what is great, but that is a subject for a different post.

To respond very tangentially to Jonathan's post about whether it is possible to trivialize poetry by packaging it as "accessible" (which I think is only an uphill battle since all great poetry requires patience and attention to be accessible, the payoff being that poetry provides unique perspective on life, beauty, ideas, even the everyday) I do think that poetry needs to be made more accessible while remembering that it should help us access and approach our own lives and thoughts and feelings more profoundly. 

Without preaching to the choir, or the "poetry choir," I want to say that I think there are some people, some places, some publications (like Literary Laundry :) that respect the intellectual merit of poetry and the possibility to reach a wide range of audiences. One such physical place which I know has provided me respite and inspiration in New York City is the institution Poets House in Battery Park. The place has been around (in a different location) since 1985, founded by poet Stanley Kunitz and Elizabeth Kray. The current executive director is Lee Briccetti, a poet and lover of poetry, not to mention a passionate leader with a fierce intelligence. Their new location is a beautiful glass building with a large library, audio collection, exhibit space, outdoor theater space, and children's room. They hold an annual showcase of all published poetry in addition to numerous classes, programs, readings etc. that serve to bring together many different poets and aesthetics. Patrons range from published writers to critics, neighborhood children to renowned professors, foreign visitors, nationwide librarians, gardeners and painters. 

Here is a link to their website in case you are ever passing through nyc: http://www.poetshouse.org. Perfect area for picnics and watching the ferry crossing.