I enjoyed reading this (being someone who spends much time in a bemused state about stuff like this), and loved how you went through it all page by page in a most entertainingly down-to-earth manner.
Mary Brown, thank you for your comment. I try to review poetry as honestly as possible in order to raise poetry to an art and not a game anyone can play. I write views for poets who do not have pretense, which, I know, does not gain me many friends. Very few people are writing poetry reviews which are not mere praising poetry parties. It seems sad that many people are not able to say what they really think or feel.
kudos for having the patience to read through all the poems in the first place - they look to be excruciating... I would be willing to bet that the poetry editor has some personal or professional connection with most if not all of the poets included. the alternative - that he sincerely believed these to be the *best* pieces of the *thousands* that will have been submitted - doesn't bear thinking about.
It isn't easy reading such poems, except for the Old Norse translation, which seems to be a straight and honest literary endeavor. Who knows how the poems are chosen--I think the main editor should say exactly why any poem is accepted. There are poetry assistants at the The Paris Review, but there does seem to be personal agendas and issues evident in the choices. I really like the poem attacking capitalism in a magazine taking $4,500 per one time one page ad money from capitalistic companies. They can't seem to keep their ideas in order.
I remember seeing in their AMA with Reddit that it’s extremely rare that they publish from slush—so yes, these are very likely to be solicited poems. How saw that this is what you found in the pages. Thank you for your honest criticism—it is exactly what poetry needs. 💜
I enjoyed reading this (being someone who spends much time in a bemused state about stuff like this), and loved how you went through it all page by page in a most entertainingly down-to-earth manner.
Mary Brown, thank you for your comment. I try to review poetry as honestly as possible in order to raise poetry to an art and not a game anyone can play. I write views for poets who do not have pretense, which, I know, does not gain me many friends. Very few people are writing poetry reviews which are not mere praising poetry parties. It seems sad that many people are not able to say what they really think or feel.
kudos for having the patience to read through all the poems in the first place - they look to be excruciating... I would be willing to bet that the poetry editor has some personal or professional connection with most if not all of the poets included. the alternative - that he sincerely believed these to be the *best* pieces of the *thousands* that will have been submitted - doesn't bear thinking about.
It isn't easy reading such poems, except for the Old Norse translation, which seems to be a straight and honest literary endeavor. Who knows how the poems are chosen--I think the main editor should say exactly why any poem is accepted. There are poetry assistants at the The Paris Review, but there does seem to be personal agendas and issues evident in the choices. I really like the poem attacking capitalism in a magazine taking $4,500 per one time one page ad money from capitalistic companies. They can't seem to keep their ideas in order.
I remember seeing in their AMA with Reddit that it’s extremely rare that they publish from slush—so yes, these are very likely to be solicited poems. How saw that this is what you found in the pages. Thank you for your honest criticism—it is exactly what poetry needs. 💜