1. In Electronic Pies in the Poetry Skies, the author says a lot of – for lack of better word at this time- interesting things.

Statements to ponder

1- Mass culture is not the same as popular culture.

2. Freedom is never free.

3. Some disagreements are too extreme to be articulated politely.

What do these statements mean to you? How do you interpret them and why?

2. In Poetry Bailout Will Restore Confidence of Readers the author seems to refer to and poke fun of the economic bailouts that have occurred in recent US history. Is the author successful or is it “too soon”?

3. “The problem is not poetry but poems. The crisis has been precipitated by the escalation of poetry debt—poems that circulate in the market at an economic loss due to their difficulty, incompetence, or irrelevance.” – Let’s make this interesting and connect it with our conversation today about creative writing courses and “bad poetry”. Do you believe there are actual economic consequences for “bad poetry”?

4. What are your personal feelings about National Poetry Month? In his statement Against National Poetry Month: “But, unfortunately, promoting poetry as if it were an “easy listening” station just reinforces the idea that poetry is culturally irrelevant and has done a disservice not only to poetry deemed too controversial or difficult to promote but also to the poetry it puts forward in this way.” – This is a loaded statement. Is national poetry month actually doing a disservice to the field of poetry?

5. What is the “point” of him attaching this at the end? What is he trying to say- or prove?

“As an alternative to National Poetry Month, I propose that we have an International Anti-Poetry month. As part of the activities, all verse in public places will be covered over—from the Statue of Liberty to the friezes on many of our government buildings. Poetry will be removed from radio and TV (just as it is during the other eleven months of the year). Parents will be asked not to read Mother Goose and other rimes to their children but only … fiction. Religious institutions will have to forego reading verse passages from the liturgy and only prose translations of the Bible will recited, with hymns strictly banned. Ministers in the Black churches will be kindly requested to stop preaching. Cats will be closed for the month by order of the Anti-Poetry Commission. Poetry readings will be replaced by self-help lectures. Love letters will have to be written only in expository paragraphs. Baseball will have to start its spring training in May. No vocal music will be played on the radio or sung in the concert halls. Children will have to stop playing all slapping and counting and singing games and stick to board games and football. ”

6. In Recalculating, the author states: “Poetry should be silent, unread, invisible, inconceivable. The true poem can never be written or heard. “. Can poetry exist in this form?

7. How does the form of Recalculating compare to the rest Bernstein’s work? What is the purpose of the quotes he uses? How does the use of quotes change this poem?