Decline of Western Civilization

Today, however, there are at least ten thousand publishing poets working in the English language in & around North America. Unless all the MFA factories shut down at once, that number can be expected to double in the next decade. And there are more books of poetry published – roughly 4,000 a year. The 150 books I got to wade through for PSA was less than five percent of the ones I could have gotten (another way of looking at it would be that just submitting a book for an prize like the PSA Williams Award puts one up ahead over 95 percent of what is out there). These numbers too will grow. If you think it’s Babylon now, just imagine what it will be like in another ten years.

(by way of C. Dale Young)



I am by no means a poetry elitist. I believe in the proliferation of poetry. I also agree with Ron Silliman in his estimation that the high number of MFA programs is not the end of the world, and may be healthy on some levels. However, I also believe that we can, as a civilization, evaluate our place by the number of artists and (for the purposes of this short essay) poets we are willingly producing.

I see the proliferation of poets, and as a result, the high demand for MFA programs as a sign that we are in fact in sharp decline. Another sign of decline would no doubt be turning food into gasoline, but I am speaking of how we view ourselves. As Americans, we seem to have a sense of entitlement which has spilled over into the realm of aesthetics. Critics have long held a place in adjudicating art and it's place/function in our world. But now, we are finally to the point where a far greater number of young people (those entering college and graduate school) see their place and function tied to writing. Not necessarily literature, but writing.

Historic Precedence:

The Baby Boom Generation earned its distinction in many fields, but most notoriously in the arena of political activism/counter culture optimism. Those who preceded them, the World War Two generation, after suffering through the Great Depression, wanted to ensure their children never lacked for the things they wanted. This created a sense of entitlement, but more important, afforded Baby Boomers the luxury of rebellion. Not all Boomers rebelled, nor can all of their actions, successes, or failures be placed at the feet of their parents. However, the opportunity, the possibility, the breathing room, if you will, was a product of the previous generation, and it is that space which was filled with political and cultural optimism. While the success and/or failures of the Baby Boom Generation can be endlessly debated, no generation in the U.S. has rivaled them for the amount of radical opposition in which they ventured.


Art & Rebellion:

Every aesthetic system or movement in art is in part based upon the idea that the previous leaders of the art community were doing it all wrong. This is where art grows. This is where art goes in new directions. This is why we assign the label of 'movement.' Some art movements succeed and some fail miserably, but they all rebel in some way to what has come before. It's a natural fit as we know that each generation rebels in some way from the past, children go against the grain, forge their own language. Nothing new is revealed in saying these things, but I did want to highlight the relationship between art and generational structure in culture. What is of significant difference is the length of staying power that art seems to have. It seems that aesthetics have a longer hold in their own worlds. In part, this longer hold is because art and aesthetics seem to inform us as a people and culture rather than people influencing art. In fact, Art creates culture rather than merely influencing it.


Contemporary Confluence:

If the numbers of writers and MFA schools have sharply risen, it is because the previous generation (Baby Boomers and Yuppies) have provided the space for the younger generation to see the possibility to normalize what was once seen as outsider, or different. Do we all of a sudden have more people interested in writing and art? No. We have a greater sense of entitlement, which makes the prospect of living one's life as an artist more plausible.

What is unique is that culture and society has not changed as of yet to make allowances for this new perspective. The proliferation of writers is not supported by the job market. Still, this does not deter as many people as one might think. In the past, the poor prospects of supporting one's self and family had an impact on those who actually pursued writing as a career. Most in fact, followed the route of the likes of Steven King, who taught high school English while feverishly writing in his laundry room. No longer. Entitlement of this latest generation has given the green light for the increase of coursework and programs. Where there is a need, someone will fill it. Unfortunately, there already is a glut of writers who work as adjunct professors, ad writers, journalists, and food servers while waiting for an academic position to open up with great fanfare.

What is going to happen? If my observational experience as a high school teacher for the past decade is any indicator, we will soon be audience to the latest version of thousands of 'entitled' writers holding their collective breath until they are given their candy, or latest ipod, or whatever it is they feel entitled to for all of their hard work of attending two writing workshops per semester and teaching a section of freshman comp.

Conclusions and Assertions:

I am not saying that every MFA grad or candidate shouldn't be writing poetry, but a proliferation of programs does on some level connote a lowering of standards in order to capitalize on the boom of potential income a program can provide.

I also believe a majority of the students who have graduated in the recent past or who are entering grad school are very competent writers and lovely poets in their own rights. In fact, I am the first to admit that I question my own writing and the quality level of it far more than I even begin to doubt the writing from someone who has been through an MFA program. If anyone should be taken to task for poor writing, I should be at the head of the line.

The proliferation of artists by itself is not the sole hallmark of a decline in civilization, however, the sense of entitlement does raise some very important questions about why poetry has become so popular in recent years.

The proverbial holding of breath may in fact revitalize poetry rather than contribute to the decline of our civilization. I'm serious. It might be just what we need.

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Writing Prompt

Poets are shameless with their experiences: they exploit them.
---Friedrich Nietzsche



It starts with a word, or a song.
Maybe a phone call---something quirky
about your aunt or cousin who died
while walking his dog last summer.
You take the smallest fine thread
and begin to pull at it, waiting to see
what unravels, what is revealed.
Instead of allowing it to increase
your understanding of the world, you share
it with strangers, giving them
a front row seat to look at your wrists,
splayed open by the box cutter
you have been hiding beneath your bed
since you first knew the exact odor
of death, stale and gentle in those early hours.
You write it all down: The first kiss,
the first time you had sex, said "fuck"
in front of your mother, stabbed a friend
in the back. Sharing is all a part
of a writer's life you say so sleep will come
in the early hours of morning,but you know
it's a lie. You bleed on the floor
waiting for someone to stop, ask
if they can help you clean up.