NYQ 61 Editorial

"Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree," the old dictum of Ezra Pound states. A simple concept, especially when you think of language, of each individual word, as the tool of the poet, like the bricks of the bricklayer, or the oils of the painter. And yet it is a concept that seems so very distant in so many of the poems that we screen for the magazine.

This very fact has been weighing on my mind for several of the past screening sessions, and it is one I have found all too apparent in poetry published on the open market. Sloppy word choices, abstractions, generalizations — anything to bury the meaning of the poem. And although abstractions can have their place in a well crafted poem, it is sad to see a somewhat interesting poem that you know could be broken open if the poet would take the leap of faith and tunnel into the areas of generalization and abstraction to find what lies inside. As William Packard says in his book The Art of Poetry Writing, "when diction lapses into generality and abstraction, we call it rhetoric."

And it is within us that we are afraid to go. Every time I find myself writing an abstraction, I encounter a place I do not want to face. I know that "the craft of voice is a combination of diction, syntax, and persona," to once again quote William Packard. The bricks, the language, the words and the self — completely intertwined. Concrete is not concrete without sand, gravel and cement. The voice of the poet is not a voice without diction, syntax and persona.

And I am reminded of the social implications of this as well. In his recent craft interview for NYQ 63, F.D. Reeve states very clearly "there's nothing except poetry that will serve as a standard for keeping us straight. For keeping some kind of truthfulness in the language." This echoes Pound's "Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear." And this could not be more important in our present age of barely truthful political rhetoric and incessant media "spin." That truthfulness, that accuracy, that clarity is not grammar, is not resisting changes or additions to the language, but is the truthfulness of the self, the honesty of the poet. What is poetry if it is not some mix of emotion and language? Rhetoric. Rhetoric is also a tool to manipulate and deceive, sometimes even the user, but it is purpose driven, dramatic, and often downright dishonest. Whereas rhetoric is the dagger of language, drawn to thrust the idea into the heart of the other, poetry is the means of expressing the emotion that is present, an attempt to communicate in an understanding with the other, the reader. And that communication needs to be clear, concise, careful and creative.

We as poets need to be more careful than ever before to guard that honesty within ourselves and our words, to guard against those that speak every day at us not to us. Just be honest in exploring yourself and your language and it will come shining through.

The next several issues of the magazine will include highlights on this very topic. In the next issue there will be craft interviews with both Ted Kooser and Franz Wright along with an essay by Jared Smith. NYQ 63 will feature craft interviews with both F.D. Reeve and Gene Fowler. This issue features a wonderfully candid and important interview with W.D. Snodgrass along with cover art graciously supplied by his long time artistic collaborator, DeLoss McGraw.

There is a flurry of activity surrounding the magazine as well. The monthly reading series on every third Monday at Cornelia Street Café is providing a consistent venue for NYQ poets to read their work and has become quite the gathering. We have established a sister website, www.poetscraft.com, that is slowly growing into an important resource not only for poets but also for readers and teachers of poetry as well. An important feature is a complete database of the handouts that William Packard used in his poetry and drama classes. You can download a pdf file of any handout for free. The website also includes a forum page for discussions, as well as pages to link to the individual websites of NYQ poets. We have pages where you may purchase books by NYQ poets. There is a massive database of poetry related links, and in the not too distant future there will be online classes, workshops and seminars.

I want to thank everyone for their support of the magazine as we seem to be coming out of the ashes, so to speak, with resolution to continue. I want to thank both Gail Miller and Jared Smith for contributing their time and finances. I would also like to thank the core group of editors who, listed on the masthead, have all managed to maintain their dedication to and faith in the magazine, especially the tireless efforts of Helen Hulskamp who has formatted both the issues and the NYQ website. And I want to thank you, the subscriber, without whom there would be no reason to publish. Your patience, support and encouragement over the last several years has kept us all going and is the essence of this important voice in American poetry.