diVERSES reKINDLED: In Conversation With Poet Christopher Greggs

The irony of the conversation:

Here we were, two Black poets selected for a selective fellowship experience through Cave Canem, discussing the need to break from institutions.

Christopher Greggs and I have both benefited from the traditional Corporate Poetry system with regards to publications and credentials. However, that does not shield us from realizing the danger of reliance on these institutions.

In our discussion, How To Build Community Around Your Poetry, Greggs brought up example of powerful example of how we need to be the biggest advocates for our work and bringing the art into the world the way that we envision.

See the poetry collection where the same two or three poems get referenced and promoted repeatedly, while the rest remain forgotten. See the poet who has a widely acclaimed first collection and crickets for the second. See the arts organization that demands grant recipients post thank yous before receiving their funding. See the publisher that determines the publication date without input. See the collection that the publisher stops promoting after a few months or a year, even though the book is still in existence.

What becomes clear is that the poet is not the priority; what benefits the institution becomes the priority.

None of this is to say that poets should refrain from entering contests, avoid traditional publishing, and keep clear of academia and other sources of Corporate Poetry. Instead, the goal is the consider spending time not only following traditional platforms, but on creating their own. Ultimately, the poet is in greatest control of the poetry, and they are limited by platform.

I cannot expect others to create the experience around my art that I feel my art deserves.

Full conversation with poet Geoff Anderson and poet Christopher Greggs: https://youtu.be/eBSNvQa6qhs