10 Years After, Poetry Still Matters

Ten years ago this fall, an executive who had managed the Jell-O account at General Foods published a collection of essays about American poetry. Its contents included a debunking of Robert Bly, a defense of Weldon Kees, an appreciation of Robinson Jeffers, and a clutch of short reviews. But one essay overshadowed all the others, and its opening paragraph was routinely quoted.

"American poetry now belongs to a subculture," argued Dana Gioia in Can Poetry Matter? Essays on Poetry and

Digital or Print Subscription

Already have an account? Log In Now.