Poetry is Dead. Does Anybody Really Care?

“Anyone can write a bad poem. To appreciate a good one, though, takes knowledge and commitment. As a society, we lack this knowledge and commitment. People don’t possess the patience to read a poem 20 times before the sound and sense of it takes hold. They aren’t willing to let the words wash over them like a wave, demanding instead for the meaning to flow clearly and quickly. They want narrative-driven forms, stand-alone art that doesn’t require an understanding of the larger context.|I, too, want these things.” Bruce Wexler

—Poetry is Dead. Does Anybody Really Care?MSNBC/Newsweek)

A heartfelt elegy, but perhaps overstated. Due to the enthusiasm of several members of the UWEC English faculty and a larger number of students, the local scene in Eau Clare features visiting poets, poetry slams and more. Will the students continue their love for poetry after they graduate? One hopes so. Wexler’s essay is perhaps an agit-prop piece, inciting the faithful to rise up and take action. Don’t miss the reference to Frost in the closing lines.