Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Could anyone be as fortunate as Emily Dickinson today?


http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/  (Click here if you love Emily)


The introduction in my copy of Barnes & Noble Classics “The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson” informs me that her poems were almost never found.  Quite by coincidence Emily’s sister found the poems in a box, gave them to someone who knew someone and 60 years later the rest was history.  Emily was descended from the mighty and renowned Lowell’s of Massachusetts.  You could almost say that to be published and revered was her destiny. 

However, her poetic majesty came about or almost didn’t come about under precarious circumstances.  Thankfully and especially to those of the 50’s and 60’s, mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmothers carried the weight of poetry and literatures consumption percentage and that they passed those contents (whether we wanted it or not, usually boys) on to us as best as we’d receive them.  Emily became the bar for which American literary feminism was measured for a while.

Enjoying Emily as I do I think about my own poems and about the poems of those poets that neither I nor the rest of the world know.  What if no one finds our poems in a box?  What if they don’t know someone who knows someone?  Or, a scenario that is more and more likely, we are not descended from a literary family? Do you see a dreadful yet real pattern forming here?  Are you sick of the questions? ;O/

It must have been a kinder time for poets.  Huh, yeah right!  When I think how much easier it is for poets and writers today with teaching, editing and writing copy or schlep work.  Not to mention the internet.  There are online communities for writers and poets where we can showcase our talents.  We can obtain Fantasy Fame via blogs, like this one.  Emily Dickinson wrote beautifully intense and emotionally electric poems.  She didn’t have the benefit of Twitter, Facebook, Fictionaut (which I love and support), Wordpress, etc, etc. yet somehow she managed to publish (albeit posthumously) and become royalty. 

So what do the rest of us do?  We don’t seem to be in too different a world when you boil it down.  It still comes down to knowing someone who knows someone if you want to get published.  Unless you are the rare can’t miss and I would really hate to apply that here.  So, let’s not, right?  I don’t know about you but most poets and writers aren’t the hor d’oeuvres and champagne type.  Personally I love a good soiree but I and those like me are an exception.  Outside of the MFA program if one is fortunate enough to get in where will we do our networking?  Online networking has a high degree of creepiness.  I have yet to hear of a poets and writers chamber of commerce and that would be ugly.  Poets and writers shouldn’t hand out business cards while chugging 2 buck chuck and cheese on a Ritz in a joint that’s going to collect half the membership dues for hosting.   

This got me thinking about the Slate article, MFA vs. NYC (http://www.slate.com/id/2275733/ ) and all that other stuff and it sort of depressed me. 

I know that in the end we need to find our own way to get published and share our art with the world.  But the pessimist in me keeps thinking, what if Emily’s sister, dear old inquisitive Lavinia, had thrown the box out?  (Shudder)


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Guess what? The President is American!

http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html
(This link should dispel the myth that someone not qualified to be President from a citizenship standpoint could ever become such. G dubya proved it doesn't take brains.)

Again! Again? Yep. This week U.S. President Barack Obama has had to endure more questions regarding his citizenship and whether or not he was born on US soil. This is starting to stink of something nobody wants to talk about, Racism. Let’s get a little list together of ‘incidents’ the President has had to contend with that Stink!

· South Carolina Rep Joe Wilson calls the President a liar as the President addresses Congress
(By the way, that’s the first time that’s ever happened to a sitting President. Wonder why?)

· Let’s not forget the “Obama’s a Muslim” conspiracy

· Sarah Palin: ‘nuff said (She called the President a terrorist and the First Lady a racist.)

· Geraldine Ferraro, Harry Reid, Glenn Beck and the king of ‘em all Rush Limbaugh (http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/top-10-racist-limbaugh-quotes/) have all made racist remarks about the President and or his wife (seriously you go after a dude’s wife?).

· And the ever present Birth Certificate Fiasco

It has been fun to ridicule the morons that perpetuate this bullshit. However, it’s starting to get scary now. Some of these people are getting elected. I read a great article somewhere about how the majority of people don’t vote and don’t participate in the electoral/political process. When these same people become frustrated with their economical situations and the conditions around them they are very likely to follow the voices of anger as opposed to dissension. Dissension tends to require some thought whereas anger, well, I think history has taught us that lesson hasn’t it? I’d like to get up on a podium somewhere and call all these people out by name and make some derogatory comments about them and then apologize half heartedly later. Just to see if we can tip the gossip balance to the side of justice. But the phony apologies given after the fact by these “people” have no effect nor would mine. The masses only remember the shock of the negative comments and the terrific job our sensationalist news media does to deliver it.

If you’re pissed about the less than respectful treatment our President gets write a letter, send a Tweet, post a status on Facebook, MySpace, whatever. Tap the person next to you on the shoulder and say “What the fuck? Do they actually think a non-citizen would be President?”

Let’s do SOMETHING people. Ok, I’m done.

Monday, December 27, 2010

He's THAT guy.

www.anisshivani.com/about

This gentleman can, not only tell you what sucks about the literary scene today, but also tell you why people don't read poetry anymore. Personally, I blame TS Eliot (love him as I do).

Granted, there's a lot more to do today for entertainment than just pick up a book. There's always the Real Housewives of Timbuktu to watch on TV or texting what amounts to a "War and Peace" sized message to your peeps about how that 'bitch' had on the same retro converses you did at Starbucks today. Seriously though, Art requires committment. Committment to creating it if you are an Artist and committment to appreciating it if you consider yourself an aficionado.

Mr Shivani is quite the Worldly Man. His explanations are clear and up to date. Peruse his website, read his detractors, and also read his supporters. Mr Shivani makes excellent points and there should be a school of criticism started around his criticism and observations about the status of Literature today.

Oh and this guy too, he's quite the observer. Mark McGurl: www.english.ucla.edu/faculty/mcgurl/pub.htm

Enjoy and discuss!

The Mood of the People: Welcome to the Blog, The Mood of the People

The Mood of the People: Welcome to the Blog, The Mood of the People: "The aim is to discuss politics and literature. Literature includes, of course, Poetry! I hope you find it at best compelling and at least ..."

Welcome to the Blog, The Mood of the People

The aim is to discuss politics and literature. Literature includes, of course, Poetry!

I hope you find it at best compelling and at least obnoxious enough to defame to your cronies.

Also, I hope I can muster enough creative juices to keep you people engaged/interested/nauseous.

Well, we'll see you in between the pages.

Roberto