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May 2010

The internet, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, websites, iPad, iPod, podcasts, digital video and who knows what else. What do they all mean for the poet qua poet? For Poetry? Is it still pretty much where the Gutenberg press left it? Is Poetry technology-proof? Below are the ten questions we are posing to a group of illustrious contemporary poets in our fearless ongoing quest to exploit other people’s wisdom in general and on this topic in particular. Read on!

1. Characterize your general attitude as a poet towards technology.

2. Do you use Facebook in your capacity as a poet? If so, how, and what are its upsides and downsides? If not, why not?

3. Do you use Twitter in your capacity as a poet? If so, how, and what are its upsides and downsides? If not, why not?

4. What other technologies – including blogs, websites and podcasts – do you employ in your capacity as a poet? Explain how, and the upsides and downsides of each. If none, explain why.

5. What do you dislike most about how other poets use technology?

6. What do you like most about how other poets use technology?

7. Technology is enabling poets today to take poetry off the page in ways that were previously inconceivable. Either comment on this piece by Tom Konyves or provide a link to and comments on a different piece of work that uses technology to take the poem off the page.

8. Do you use technology as an integral element of your poetry? If so, how? If not, why not?

9. What has technology done for or to Poetry?

10. What should Poetry do with or about technology that it has not yet done?

Responders:

Eric Elshtain
Sandra Beasley
John Vick
Dave Bonta
January O’Neil
Ron Silliman
Cati Porter
Chris Hamilton-Emery
Ren Powell
Collin Kelley
Amy King

Poets who have answered the ten questions on their own blogs:

Rik Roots
Caroline Crew