Accidental Blogger

A public defender quits his practice and starts a consulting business for applicants to creative writing programs. A massively accomplished poet and blogger about all things literary and bibliographic picks up on this new direction and sees “a larger vision of poetry in American life.” He’s at once critical, skeptical, and admiring of the project and its leader. In the process, he gives an abbreviated history of creative writing in the academy from World War II.

At the end of the day, Ron Silliman (the poet) comes to no conclusions. He’s only poised to learn more about the consulting project and, as always, about the politics, economics, pedagogy, and poetics of poetry. One of his few committed remarks: “What we do know is this: writing is changing its social function in our society…” If by writing he means literature, I’m inclined to disagree, because literature has no function in society. It doesn’t do anything but sit there on the page and occupy shelves in libraries. That’s what makes it so compelling. What we do with it and the social function of that behavior is another question.

Read the comments to Ron’s post. His subject chimes in, at great length.