Jay MillAr at CPPC says,
It makes me nervous because publishing a “collection of poems” (you know, the kind in quotes) doesn’t give the media anything to talk about. But maybe this will mean people will read the poems and think about them rather than sound-biting the book to death before they get a chance to read it.
That feels like an astute point. While having a collection of poems revolving around one idea makes for convenience in the 5-10 word pitch to a press or reader, or mom, project books tend to go one of a few ways: they drag having overextended a simple idea or a couple good poems, or they read like lineated fiction wasting paper, or they work even if they feel overly constrained.
And if Berstein’s right and not just entertaining, it applies to more than just within the poem.
When buzz comes too soon, I’m bored of the name and the concept months before the book is on paper, let alone the month or few after that when it officially releases. It’s something of a pop-song-on-over-play-but-can’t-avoid-so-eventually-kinda-like but something is spoiled somehow.
But if the text doesn’t get to enough eyes early enough, then it will miss all the promo hoops of awards that could boost to more eyes. Unless the author or publisher is a relentless and effective promoter like Avon Extraordinaire.
It’s good to see a book where the writer still likes the work. There’s something strikingly uniform about readers who are sent on book tours is comments on them hating their book, grudgingly reading something and then perking up to sneak in a couple poems of new work.
Part of that can be chalked up to poets being resistant to being told what to do so automatically resenting there being an obvious right thing to do, like promote something that can give income at a relevant time, and part of it is poets realizing poems work on the page or with other poems but socially in a room slay in the less good sense, and being Canadian, habitually apologize for dragging out another downer, or worse, realize mid-reading that they’ve never vetted the poem or read it aloud before and realize it is a downer, despite having presumably intentionally consciously written, edited and published it. I find that lack of self-awareness frustratingly common.
It’s not about the poems, or the reading but the living and the priorities of what one calls poetry-worthy. No sense of humour allowed? Only profound allowed? No profound sentiment allowed? What sound bank is roped off?
But that is all off-point of the interview, which in itself is a good read. Don’t stop before you get to the vending machines. Not this one. You’ll see.