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Václav Havel on Recent American Poetry: A Travesty
I was reading along in Václav Havel‘s historic essay “The Power of the Powerless” when I came to a passage that made my poetic antenna hum. I realized that Havel’s analysis of what he called “post-totalitarian” Czechoslovakia, published in October 1978, includes a pretty fair description of American poetry at this moment. I don’t by any stretch of the imagination mean to trivialize Havel’s essay, which galvanized the dissident community and ultimately helped to bring down the Czech regime. That said, I can’t resist.Read More
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The Openness of A. R. Ammons
Thanks to the link provided in Don Share’s post on Harriet, which discusses A. R. Ammons as “the great prosodic centrist of American poetry” (and no, Share isn’t using “centrist” in its usual sense), I found myself reading Stephen Burt’s incisive essay on Ammons, entitled “Naive Melody.” I would have preferred “native” to “naive” in describing Ammons, who in my estimation ranks among the greatest mid-20th century American poets. Of course, Burt uses the word in a special sense that does help define what sets Ammons apart.Read More
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Another Response to Christian Bök
Over on the Poetry Foundation’s blog, a fellow named Christian Bök—who bills himself as “an experimental writer,” although he also constructs “conceptual artworks” out of Rubik’s cubes and Legos— has posted the sixth (!) in a series of musings about so-called poetic machines, which he rhapsodizes about in terms that would make dear old Kurt Vonnegut spin in his grave. Here’s my comment on his latest…. ________ I’ve been alternately annoyed and amused by Bök’s past postings, but now I see that I’m meant to be only amused.Read More
Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2019, has published 20 collections of poems and edited or co-edited three poetry anthologies. He currently directs two master’s-level programs for University College at the University of Denver: Professional Creative Writing and Arts & Culture Management. Joe lives with his wife, Melody Madonna, in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. 
