Post by ladylinda on Jul 18, 2014 15:41:06 GMT -5
artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/north-carolinas-new-poet-laureate-bows-out/?_php=true&_type=blogs&partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
North Carolina’s New Poet Laureate Bows Out
By ALEXANDRA ALTER JULY 18, 2014 1:41 PMJuly 18, 2014 1:41 pm 2 Comments
Valerie MaconCredit Department of Cultural Resources, via Associated Press
The governor of North Carolina learned the hard way this week about the dangers of mixing politics and poetry.
Less than a week into her role as North Carolina’s poet laureate, Valerie Macon, a self-published poet and state employee, resigned over questions about her literary credentials and qualifications.
An uproar ensued after Gov. Pat McCrory announced Ms. Macon’s appointment last week. Several of the state’s previous poet laureates denounced his choice as a political appointment rather than one that rewarded literary merit. They criticized Ms. Macon as a novice who hadn’t earned the distinction of the post, and faulted the governor for choosing the poet laureate himself rather than allowing a committee of writers appointed by the state’s arts council to make the selection.
In a resignation letter sent to the governor on Thursday, Ms. Macon said that she was stepping down because the negative publicity had become a distraction. But Ms. Macon, a state disability examiner who has self-published two volumes of poetry, also took aim at members of the literary community for being elitist. “I would like to encourage everyone to read and write poetry,” she said. “They do not need prestigious publishing credits or a collection of accolades from impressive organizations — just the joy of words and appreciation of self-expression.”
The governor released a statement saying that he understood Ms. Macon’s reasons for resigning and accepted her departure reluctantly, but he lashed out at her critics for their “hostility and condescension” toward Ms. Macon.
The governor also said he would reconsider the selection process for appointing poet laureates, and noted that he plans to solicit “recommendations from the public and hope that those candidates represent talented poets from both traditional and non-traditional organizations.”
Ms. Macon’s resignation came after four of the state’s previous poet laureates requested a meeting with the governor to review the selection process. In the joint statement, they called Ms. Macon’s appointment a “disaster.”
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Out of curiosity I googled her and eventually came up with a sample of one of her poems.
Here it is:
Vegetarian Meat Lover
Clicking into Vinny’s Pizza
in Jimmy Choo platform pumps,
a woman, six feet tall
and straight as a sunflower,
in high-waisted jeggings
and gold cropped tee.
Her boyfriend,
a weed sprout beside her,
ambles in Old Navy flip-flops.
She holds her yellow head high
like a flower tilted towards sun,
scans the chalked daily specials,
tapping Black Truffle acrylics
in the rhythm of a gentle spring rain.
She orders vegetarian pizza.
The boyfriend, arms coiled around her,
orders the meat lover's special.
North Carolina’s New Poet Laureate Bows Out
By ALEXANDRA ALTER JULY 18, 2014 1:41 PMJuly 18, 2014 1:41 pm 2 Comments
Valerie MaconCredit Department of Cultural Resources, via Associated Press
The governor of North Carolina learned the hard way this week about the dangers of mixing politics and poetry.
Less than a week into her role as North Carolina’s poet laureate, Valerie Macon, a self-published poet and state employee, resigned over questions about her literary credentials and qualifications.
An uproar ensued after Gov. Pat McCrory announced Ms. Macon’s appointment last week. Several of the state’s previous poet laureates denounced his choice as a political appointment rather than one that rewarded literary merit. They criticized Ms. Macon as a novice who hadn’t earned the distinction of the post, and faulted the governor for choosing the poet laureate himself rather than allowing a committee of writers appointed by the state’s arts council to make the selection.
In a resignation letter sent to the governor on Thursday, Ms. Macon said that she was stepping down because the negative publicity had become a distraction. But Ms. Macon, a state disability examiner who has self-published two volumes of poetry, also took aim at members of the literary community for being elitist. “I would like to encourage everyone to read and write poetry,” she said. “They do not need prestigious publishing credits or a collection of accolades from impressive organizations — just the joy of words and appreciation of self-expression.”
The governor released a statement saying that he understood Ms. Macon’s reasons for resigning and accepted her departure reluctantly, but he lashed out at her critics for their “hostility and condescension” toward Ms. Macon.
The governor also said he would reconsider the selection process for appointing poet laureates, and noted that he plans to solicit “recommendations from the public and hope that those candidates represent talented poets from both traditional and non-traditional organizations.”
Ms. Macon’s resignation came after four of the state’s previous poet laureates requested a meeting with the governor to review the selection process. In the joint statement, they called Ms. Macon’s appointment a “disaster.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Out of curiosity I googled her and eventually came up with a sample of one of her poems.
Here it is:
Vegetarian Meat Lover
Clicking into Vinny’s Pizza
in Jimmy Choo platform pumps,
a woman, six feet tall
and straight as a sunflower,
in high-waisted jeggings
and gold cropped tee.
Her boyfriend,
a weed sprout beside her,
ambles in Old Navy flip-flops.
She holds her yellow head high
like a flower tilted towards sun,
scans the chalked daily specials,
tapping Black Truffle acrylics
in the rhythm of a gentle spring rain.
She orders vegetarian pizza.
The boyfriend, arms coiled around her,
orders the meat lover's special.