Collins on Poetry

5 Responses to Collins on Poetry

1. the other steve says:

   January 29, 2008 at 10:01 am

   I find particularly resonant what Collins says about the anxiety of the next poem, or whether there will even be one.

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2. Steve Berry says:

   January 29, 2008 at 2:19 pm

   I thought that the interview was pleasantly level headed. I agree about the anxiety bit. I would be very interested to see what some of you think about his opinions of MFAs and workshops, as some of you are in those programs.

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3. Andrew N says:

   January 29, 2008 at 4:02 pm

   He’s fine when he’s in his box, writing breezy, wry, humorous poems with a mild eros toward poignancy at the end, a kind of “awww” moment well-suited for his reading during an NPR segment. I don’t mind him, at all really, but he annoys me when he steps out of his box and tries to make grand statements about poetry we’re supposed to take as fact, like, “All poetry is about death.” (Gee, I thought we were supposed to ignore interpretations, Mr. Collins?) I saw him read once and during the Q&A he told a questioner to just stop reading Modern poetry that was difficult, because poetry isn’t suppose to be difficult. It was weird.

   I agree, Steve, as well, his comments about “the next poem” seemed very true.

   As far as MFA’s go, I have one and I use it to bludgeon people who disagree with me, literally, I bludgeon them because the degree’s value as as a weapon far exceeds the financial return.

   I guess maybe there are too many MFA programs, but not nearly enough to compete with the military-industrial complex which should be of much greater concern to us perhaps. So there are a bunch of poets running around claiming to be certified poets (as opposed to certifiable, which seems to be the real stamp of success in the poetry world). So what. What’s gonna happen? Poetry storm? Poetry apocalypse? Mass poetry infections? Bad poems filling landfills? Is it now “uncool” because so many people are doing it? It was much better when it was an elite club? Maybe there is too much wasted paper but I think we should go after junk mail distributers first before we start discouraged the mass-production of poetry.

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4. dhad says:

   January 29, 2008 at 6:07 pm

   long live seriality!

   i’ve been writing these “letters” as part of my thesis, and one of the comforting things was knowing that there was a sort of story to hook into and keep writing. although, since each letter became gradually more and more like a poem, clustered around a central image or moment or emotional intensity, i was increasingly faced with “blank page syndrome” as the project progressed. (it’s probably wishful thinking to put this in past tense, as it’s not really finished.) it got to the point where I’d stretch the writing of a single letter over a week or more, so that I’d have that thread to hang on to.

   overall, i think, i would like to stave off the anxiety as long as possible, and that’s part of the reason i’m always looking for serial-based projects. part of the reason for THAT is it’s not just a matter of inventing a new poem; it’s inventing a new self to write the poem. it’s exhausting!

   as far as what he says about mfa’s, i don’t know. more depends on the temperament of the student and what he or she wants out of it than anything else. it’s not going to make you a poet, but it may provide the environment for you to make yourself one. perhaps — as more and more of these things spring up, and the degree itself is worth less and less (aside from as a bludgeoning tool), folks’ reasons for pursuing it become more and more in line with just finding that space and time, and not looking for some kind of job or certification.

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5. Steve Berry says:

   January 30, 2008 at 1:00 am

   Yeah, I’ve always felt like there’s a part of the MFA that’s been about… feeling verified as a poet. I’m sure that’s some reflection of myself and why I thought of getting one 7 or 8 years ago, and why I didn’t in the end, but it’s interesting to hear your takes on it.

   I agree– what’s wrong with more poets in the world, even if that means more bad poetry being made (and perhaps a bit more good poetry). I think the fear is that you get a lot of poetry that all follows the exact same rules and temperment, without really being allowed to simmer in the mind or the notebook long enough to really be ready for public viewing. Work shopping in groups (versus discussing a poem with a poet-friend whose editorial opinion you value and trust), whenever I’ve been involved in it, has always been a boring, useless process. However, reading in public (open mic style) has often been amazing useful– as overblown or indulgent or or marginally dishonest or boring stuff is glaring obvious when you have to make it come out of your own mouth. 😛

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