Challenges of Poetry Advocacy

[Lisa Simon]

The poetry salon at this year's festival of the book puts a spotlight on the innovative advocacy projects happening across Montana and seven advocates who have seen many projects through from start to finish.

1. Greg Pape and The Poet Laureate program
2. Sheryl Noethe and the Missoula Writing Collaborative
3. Lowell Jaeger and Many Voices Press
4. Rick Newby and Drumlummon Institute
5. Corby Skinner and "Writers Voice" and "Poetry on the Prairie" programs
6. Roger Dunsmore and the Bent Grass Poetry troupe
and
7. Tami Haaland and...well, multiple ambitious projects including the Montana Poetry Project, the Yellowstone Writers Collective, Stone's Throw literary journal, local theatre spoken word productions and a new program that works with prisoners.

Most of our participants hold faculty and separate positions, effectively placing their poetry activism in the category of "hobby." As I looked into each of these programs preparing for the salon, it's clear that each of our esteemed advocates had to fight through a lot of practical logistics and obstacles to get their programs off the ground. There were obstacles of support--both financial and institutional--of finding and cultivating an audience, of circulating their events as well as the challenges presented by each unique community and its geographic location.

So I pose the following question to them (and to others with advocacy projects in the pipeline): What is the biggest challenge in getting a poetry advocacy project off the ground?

[Tami Haaland]

In the Yellowstone Writers’ Collective, we face the usual challenges of limited or no funding and the sometimes sporadic results of an all-volunteer force. We established the Collective a couple of years ago, and with the generosity of local gallery owners, the Rimrock Land Foundation and Writer’s Voice, who have donated space and publicity, YWC has sponsored readings by local or traveling authors, open mic readings and some workshops. There has been heavy emphasis on poetry, but it’s an all-genre group, and we like mixing the genres at any given reading. We have an email list and tons of potential.

We try to send out announcements regularly and, if we plan far enough in advance, we get something in the newspaper or Lively Times. Even without a dedicated organizer, we seem to accomplish quite a bit. Initially we’ve hoped that people would get to know each other, form their own writing groups, and develop ideas.

[Lisa Simon]

Tami,

I'd like to hear how you (and Russell Rowland) went about starting Stone's Throw. I'm particularly interested in your choice to make it international and encourage submission of "brief accounts of daily life from around the world."

This type of advocacy, where one links outward, rather than just laterally and inward (for publicity), is unusual...but it seems to me very important for gaining and sustaining momentum for a project. What were your thoughts behind that choice?

lisa

[Tami Haaland]

Hi Lisa,

We started talking about Stone's Throw Magazine at a writers' gathering in December 2007. I was an editor for Alkali Flats, a literary magazine that folded some years ago, and I knew that earlier in his writing life, Russell read fiction at the Atlantic Monthly, and that he was fiction editor for The Smoking Poet. I asked if he was interested and he said yes.

Russell is a great motivator, simultaneously persistent and easy-going. Over the spring and summer, we gradually developed our plans. We asked Malia Burgess if she would help design the magazine. Malia is an MFA candidate at Pacific University and skillfully web savvy on top of being a great writer. You may have noticed that Danell Jones helped to edit our most recent issue, and we expect to invite other guest editors from time to time.

It was a natural decision for Stone's Throw to encourage international submissions, and we were interested in the "daily life" feature because it allowed writers and readers to know something about ordinary occurrences around the globe. It's not that we thought primarily in terms of promoting Montana Writing abroad, though that is one obvious result. It has more to do with how we think as editors. I specifically don't think of myself as a regionalist, though I do feel like place informs what I do. You’ll have to ask Russell how he sees himself.

Community rather than place has probably had the most significant effect on how we see Stone’s Throw. Montana is obviously one of our communities. But another community, for me, is the Bennington Writing Seminars, where I went to school and whose alumni are pretty cohesive. One of Russell's communities is the graduate school at Boston University--and there's quite a bit of overlap between Bennington and Boston in terms of faculty, which was a common bond between us as editors. Russell teaches through the NYU program, and I belong to the Women's Poetry Listserv, an international online community. It's here, for example, that I met Farideh Hassanzadeh from Iran, whose poem appears in Issue 2.

It has also dawned on me that during my research on Montana Poetry over the past few years, I spent time investigating The Frontier (published in Missoula) from issue 1 through the closing issues in the late 1930s. I loved the book reviews—Mary Brennan Clapp was particularly witty—and I loved the letters from people traveling abroad. Maybe this also influenced me to think in international terms.

Did I answer your question? Hope so. Thanks for causing this reflection.

Tami

[Corby Skinner]

Just keep sending me info and I am happy to get it out to our members! Wondering if you know of some poets that would like to join the Poets on the Prairie roster? It not a lot of money $110 a day for about 4 hours, plus travel. And mostly small schools, mostly younger kids. But I actually really like young kids, their creative juices are not so hormonally driven.

[Lisa Simon]

Corby,

Is the Poets on the Prairie just in eastern MT w/ eastern MT poets? How far is the outreach? Could your program extend over here in the more mountainous region?

lisa

[Sheryl Ann Noethe]

Hi Lisa,

When I founded the MWC (1994) I went to the director of curriculum for District 1 here in Missoula.
I described what I planned to do with writers in residence programming. She said, and I quote, "Parents don't care about their children finding their voices, they are more concerned with them being able to fill out a job application."

I responded, "Jobs at Walmart or a filling station? Literacy enhances their chances for a better living."

I promised her my students of poetry would indeed be able to fill out a job app. and she tentatively accepted the idea of MWC. So back then, the problem was overcoming the notion that art wasn't "useful" to culture or society. I think that argument has been thoroughly debunked.

Now, however, there is one major problem and that is money. Due to the attention paid to the importance of the arts in schools hesitant institutional support is much less a problem. The problem, going back unfortunately to money, is that most foundations and charities are responding to funding food and shelter. It's always thus with the arts--first to go in a pinch.

Right this minute, the MWC is facing the most dire of circumstances because the funding we count on has dried up or changed directions.

As far as geography and circulation, many poets are friends and have a community that brings us together, for readings and to connect with each other....because it's lonely here behind the keyboard.

--Sheryl

[Greg Pape]

Lisa,

I'm not sure this completely answers the question, but my biggest challenges in carrying out the poetry advocacy projects I envisioned the past two years have been freeing up time and finding funding. I served as Montana Poet Laureate from August 2007 to August 2009. It was a once in a lifetime honor. The position comes without funding from the legislature, but there is an expectation of service, as well as an opportunity to bring poetry to audiences throughout the state.

As Poet Laureate I was invited to book festivals and literary events, and I made it a point to say yes to all invitations if it was at all possible to do so. I was determined to serve whole-heartedly as an advocate for reading and writing, for the art and practice of poetry. Throughout my term as Poet Laureate I continued to teach and write full-time, as well as maintain departmental service duties. In hindsight a paid leave of absence would have been a great help. If there were funding for the Poet Laureate, an unpaid leave of absence would be a good idea.

The University was generous enough to provide me with travel funds during 2007-08, but without lead time to set up events around the state I wasn't able to take full advantage of the funds before they disappeared at the end of Spring 2008. Still, I managed to give over thirty readings and presentations in Montana and elsewhere. I know that a bill was introduced to provide the Poet Laureate with travel funds, but I'm not sure what came of it. Considering the size of our state, such a fund would be a great benefit.

Best,

Greg Pape

[Lowell Jaeger]

Dear Lisa ,

Generating an audience is always a challenge. Unless it's a three alarm fire or a car wreck, it's hard to get people to come see what's happening. I've hosted a poetry open mic in Kalispell, but finally let that idea fade because the only people who showed up were the people who wanted to read, and --sadly-- often readers would leave after their five minutes in the spotlight rather than stick around to hear the others. Is there a "general audience" for poetry? Who? Where? How do you get the word to these people? How do you lure them out of their homes to drive across town and sit down to hear poems?

I see nothing wrong with poets reading to poets. Maybe we are our audience. If so, we'd be doing each other a favor -- we'd be doing poetry a favor -- if we practice being a better audience. Yes, this means cheering for each other, buying each other's books, ambling down the road to hear each other read. It means paying attention to each other. And it means offering real criticism.

That said, I'll swim the opposite direction: In my work as a discussion leader for the Meaning of Service project, I've brought poems to groups of community service volunteers, many of whom -- at first -- felt they'd rather poke themselves in the eye with sharp sticks than sit down in the name of poetry. And I've witnessed how the right poem can move a reluctant audience into enthusiastic and thoughtful dialog.
How come? Could it be that the focus was on the poem, not the poet? Could it be the expectation that the audience engage with the poem rather than just sit, listen, applaud? You tell me. What's your thoughts?

[Zan Agzigian]

To respond to your last thought, Lowell...I don't think people want to go to a poetry reading to actively engage in the poetry...To most general audiences, just getting there is a chore--so when they get there, they don't want to engage or interact much with the "event" or performance...most times, they just want to watch and listen...In fact--I have found more people closing their eyes to listen during readings...So, frankly, they are not coming to see or view the poet---mostly hear them...and maybe buy a book and get it signed, too...(getting a book signed to you by a poet is a thrill for many...)

At our reading in Spokane, we had four people say this was their very first live poetry reading...and they were in their early 50's or so...We also had people say, "Vic--you made me cry..." Those were the two biggest things we walked away with...those interesting facts----Hope some of these tidbits of response help in some way...

[Rick Newby]

I find that two challenges are equally difficult in getting projects off the ground (& then sustaining them). These are funding (as mentioned by everyone below) and, related to funding, bringing together multiple collaborators to carry the project through. At Drumlummon Institute, we're constantly struggling to find the funds to publish our books and our journal. With the exception of our special Butte/Anaconda issue of DV (which drew support from multiple grantors, including Humanities Montana), our publishing ventures have been supported by donations from individuals and businesses. We're always operating on a shoestring (and mostly with volunteers). And with the downturn in the economy, fundraising have grown ever more difficult. While not a specifically poetry project (most of our efforts are not), our special Butte/Anaconda issue (which features the marvelous poems of Butte native/Anaconda resident Dennice Scanlon) has benefited from our collaboration with the Montana Preservation Alliance. We are always seeking collaborators to share expense and effort. Our publication of Thomas Savage's first novel, The Pass, is a joint venture with Riverbend Publishing, and our publication of Splendid on a Large Scale: The Writings of Hans Peter Koch, Montana Territory, 1869-1874, due out next spring, is a collaboration with publisher Bedrock Editions of Helena.

Another ongoing effort I'm involved with (as one of many planners) is the Helena Festival of the Book (www.helenabookfest.com), which just completed its eighth annual event. This project, while an all-literature event, always includes a great deal of poetic content, both in terms of our readers and workshop leaders, but also through our annual poetics lecture (which has focused over the years on individual poets (Paul Celan, Hugh McDiarmid, Charles Tomlinson, Frieda Fligelman) as well as broad themes ("Extravagance and Excess in the Contemporary Poem;" Robert Baker's “I learn by going where I have to go”: Initiatory Turnings in Poetry, Philosophy, and Religion" [see http://www.drumlummon.org/images/DV_vol2-no1-PDFs/DV_vol2-no1_baker...]; "Poetry, Panic and the Pan-ic Experience"; and issues in the translation of poetry).

That said, the festival might be seen as a model of collaboration in bringing high-quality literary programming to a relatively small community year after year. This success, I'd argue, is because of the tremendous collaboration of many different organizations and individuals. We are fortunate in that two of the organizations, the Myrna Loy Center for the Media & Performing Arts and the Holter Museum of Art, have been the central partners since the beginning of the fest. More recently, we've been blessed by increased support from the Montana Historical Society and Carroll College. And we have an incredible planning committee of talented and hard-working individuals that includes poets, fictioneers, editors, booksellers, librarians, and literary enthusiasts. Central to our focus on poetry are Melissa Kwasny (shortlisted this year for Montana's Poet Laureate position), Mandy Smoker, Bill Borneman, Krys Holmes, Ed Noonan, and Hilary Hoffman, poets all.

Despite this wonderful collaborative spirit, things have not always gone smoothly for the festival. We have had partners withdraw, sometimes amicably and sometimes not. And this raises the most important point, to my mind: the need, in complex collaborations like this, to make sure that all partners are engaged because the project meets some part of their institutional or personal goals. If one clique takes too much control (say, those unruly poets), some partners may find that they want to expend their energies elsewhere. We are not always good at this, but through some grace of the gods or the muses, things always seem to come around to a vibrant, engaging, joyous festival.

One last thing: With all these partners involved and so many ties to the community, our fundraising efforts have borne greater fruit each year. And, of course, our undying thanks to the Montana Center of the Book, a program of Humanities Montana, for its moral, artistic, and financial support year after year!

[Kim Anderson]

I just read a wonderful review of Jay Parini's Why Poetry Matters by Denis Donoghue (thank you Powells Review-a-Day. Again). Here's the link:

http://www.powells.com/blog/?header=Sub:%20The%20Powells%20Blog

Aside from the very real funding issues that all cultural institutions (including Humanities Montana) are facing, the interesting issue, to me, is poetry's marginalized place in our society. I think Lowell touches on something very important--a switch in emphasis in society in general to the performer/performance.

[Corby Skinner]

I thought Dana Gioia wrote Why Poetry Matters -- or maybe it was Can Poetry Mattter. Why? Can? Does? All good questions.