Comments on: Music and Suicide http://www.constantcritic.com/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide/ Timely poetry reviews Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:09:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Matt Mason http://www.constantcritic.com/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-106 Matt Mason Thu, 28 Apr 2005 15:29:00 +0000 http://www.constantcritic.test/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide#comment-106 Actually, my dislike for "Music and Suicide" actually has less to do with the poems and more to do with that it was published as a major award winning collection in a contest sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.<br> <br> Part of the AAP's mission is to "foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry."<br> <br> This book will not do this, except among a few dozen PhD students. These poems capture some fine sounds but will otherwise strike most readers as meaningless, similar to a book-length collection of scat (the musical vocal styling) lyrics. Actually, my dislike for “Music and Suicide” actually has less to do with the poems and more to do with that it was published as a major award winning collection in a contest sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.

Part of the AAP’s mission is to “foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.”

This book will not do this, except among a few dozen PhD students. These poems capture some fine sounds but will otherwise strike most readers as meaningless, similar to a book-length collection of scat (the musical vocal styling) lyrics.

]]> By: Joyelle McSweeney http://www.constantcritic.com/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-105 Joyelle McSweeney Thu, 07 Apr 2005 17:28:00 +0000 http://www.constantcritic.test/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide#comment-105 Reading Bradley A. Johnston's letter to the editor, I wonder what all the vitriol is about. Jeff Clark isn't keeping you from writing poems. and he isn't keeping Matt Mason from writing poems. Why should you keep *him* from writing poems? Why does poetry have to be 'left' to anyone? Sure we can disagree with, discuss, critique each others styles, and-- egad!-- LEARN from each other's positive or negative examples--but why should we try to cut people from the team? <br> <br> Reading Bradley A. Johnston’s letter to the editor, I wonder what all the vitriol is about. Jeff Clark isn’t keeping you from writing poems. and he isn’t keeping Matt Mason from writing poems. Why should you keep *him* from writing poems? Why does poetry have to be ‘left’ to anyone? Sure we can disagree with, discuss, critique each others styles, and– egad!– LEARN from each other’s positive or negative examples–but why should we try to cut people from the team?

]]> By: Bradley A. Johnson http://www.constantcritic.com/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-104 Bradley A. Johnson Fri, 25 Mar 2005 05:43:00 +0000 http://www.constantcritic.test/ray_mcdaniel/music_and_suicide#comment-104 A local poet, Matt Mason, received a copy of this book and read part of it at an open mike poetry night. He said it was crap, and I heartily agree with him. There are dozens, if not hundreds of better poets here in Omaha, Ne. Robert Heinlein once mentioned a book of poetry that had no words, only punctuation marks. Perhaps Clark should explore this medium and leave poetry to those who can write it. A local poet, Matt Mason, received a copy of this book and read part of it at an open mike poetry night. He said it was crap, and I heartily agree with him. There are dozens, if not hundreds of better poets here in Omaha, Ne. Robert Heinlein once mentioned a book of poetry that had no words, only punctuation marks. Perhaps Clark should explore this medium and leave poetry to those who can write it.

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