About the editors

That sovereign of insufferables, Oscar Wilde has ensued with his opulence of twaddle and his penury of sense. He has mounted his hind legs and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck, to the capital edification of circumjacent fools and foolesses, fooling with their foolers.… continue reading...

Editor’s Note: Marcus Bales responded to the CPR’s recent series of articles on Richard Blanco’s Inaugural reading with this poem.

Identity Poetical by Marcus Bales

Identity Poet:
I am the very model of identity poetical,
My bio and my craftsmanship are blankly antithetical.… continue reading...

We have all heard the story of an aged Pablo Neruda at a poetry reading, turning down a request to perform a poem from the earlier days of his career, citing a failing memory. … continue reading...

(Here’s a salute to Creative Writing programs from our poets and critics, past and present, culled from various interviews and essays.)

“Abolish the M.F.A.! What a ringing slogan for a new Cato: Iowa delenda est!” – Donald Hall

“We are now at the point where writing programs are poisoning, and in turn we are being poisoned by, departments and institutions on which we have fastened them…” – R.… continue reading...

I have attended dozens of poetry readings. Virtually all of them were identical:

• The introductions made me think I was about to witness the second coming of John Donne.… continue reading...

The CPR editors recently received the following note from the Italian scholar Massimo Bacigalupo:

Dear Scholars of Ezra Pound and Modernism:
I thought you’d like to know that the house where Olga Rudge and Ezra Pound
lived in Sant’Ambrogio di Zoagli, above Rapallo, is for sale.

The Unspoken Rules of Book Reviewing: A Guide for Beginners

Rule 1: Only review a book if you can be impartial about it—that is, only review a book toward which you feel nothing.  … continue reading...

In a review copy of Norman Stock’s new collection, Pickled Dreams Naked (NYQ Books), we came across the first honest poem we’ve ever read about poetry readings.… continue reading...

The editors of the CPR wish to thank our readers for their comments, and letters, on the subject of “poetry readings.” Our very short and sarcastic list created a tiff among a number of “the touchy tribe” who seemed to take offense at the notion that all contemporary poetry readings are not wonderfully entertaining events.… continue reading...

Five Lessons from AWP: Or, Why We Hate Poetry Readings

1)      You should recite your poetry, not read it.

2)      If you can’t recite your poetry, then you can’t remember your poetry.… continue reading...