dumbfoundry

'The world of American poetry has been rocked by scandal over the past two years. It began in April 2004 when an anonymous website, www.Foetry.com, set itself up as the "American Poetry Watchdog" - a dog, as it turned out, with a nasty bite.

'To understand the impact of Foetry's j'accuse, one should look at how the poet's craft is plied in contemporary America. Commercial publishers don't publish the traditional slim volumes any more. They never made much money and a tax ruling in 1979, stopping "write-offs" for unsold inventory, means that they now inevitably lose money. Nor will the bookstore chains give precious shelf space to new poetry (it's the same with Waterstone's in this country). It doesn't sell.'

This entry was posted by Ivy on Tuesday, July 05, 2005 at 12:04 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.