Craig Morgan Teicher

Preparing-for-National-Poetry-Month Rant
December 18, 2007

For reviews editors who handle poetry, April is indeed the cruelest month. Perhaps I don’t understand something about the economics of the poetry “business” as it were, but I want to register a protest against the overcrowding of April with new poetry titles. Put simply, it is REALLY hard to find ways of covering all these books, and I’m actually able to run a lot of reviews—maybe 45 between February and April—and I’m having trouble squeezing in everything I think deserves coverage.

Right now on my desk, there are about 30 poetry titles slated to publish this April. I have another 10 books pubbing in March. And these are just the ones I am considering for review. There are MANY others I’ve had to reject, and I know there are more April titles coming from big, small and university presses. There is also quite a heap of February books. 

In the 45 slots I just mentioned, I’ve also got to cover prose about poetry, and the first of the books slated for May, June and the summer. What does all of this mean? When I look at the part of my desk devoted to the part of my job devoted to poetry, I get really stressed out. And a bunch of books—some of them very worthy—simply ain’t going to be reviewed.

And I’m a poet, and a fanatical reader of poetry. This is actually my life’s obsession, so I really WANT to cover lots of poetry books. Every year at this time, as poetry publicists stop by the office to tell me about their spring titles, and I respond with interest and enthusiasm, I wonder what kind of responses they’re getting when they pitch The Times and other big venues, who are maybe going to cover 1 or 2 poetry books, maybe five if they’re willing to run a roundup. 

National Poetry Month is a wonderful idea. It’s wonderful in execution, for the most part, too. I think people do read, and buy, more poetry during the month of April than at other times of the year. Only I’m not sure that it’s the smartest time to publish books of poetry. The April logjam of new poetry collections—from big and small houses, big and small authors—forces reviews editors to have to make choices they don’t want to make. If there’s one slot, and it’s between Jorie Graham and Graham Foust, or between Harcourt and Nightboat, guess who’s more likely to get the review?

So here’s what I think: perhaps poetry publishers could use National Poetry Month as an excuse to promote the year’s poetry titles, instead of publishing them. Make more tote bags, send out posters and stickers, drown us in email blasts, crowd the parks with readings, but spread your titles out!

Before I sign off, I just want to say that maybe I’m wrong about this. Maybe there is a better reason for pubbing everything in April than I am aware of. If there is, I’d very much like to know.

Posted by Craig Morgan Teicher on December 18, 2007 | Comments (0)