Where do we go from here?

Rather than going for a provocative hot take, I’ve waited ten days since returning from the U.K. before posting my reflections on the trip. A total of five readings in six days was certainly an intense experience, and it gave me a real feel for the poetry scene right now.

First off, it served as a timely reminder that 99% of U.K. poetry exists beyond social media and isn’t even aware of many trendy self-publicists. This is especially true beyond the big cities and festivals, at readings above pubs or in arts centres in provincial towns, where people attend and buy books through a pure love of the genre. These people, of course, are my readers.

Secondly, I was struck by just how many remarked on their disillusionment with the direction that many major journals, festivals and publishers have taken in recent years. In fact, there’s clearly a sizeable chunk of poetry readers, purchasers and aficionados who feel disengaged with current fashions. And I’m not just invoking embittered white male OAPs here. Event after event, I encountered varied members of my audience coming up to me at the interval or once the reading finished, champing at the bit to discuss the issue, expressing deep frustration. 

As an individual poet, I can plough my own furrow, reaching out to readers via initiatives such as my recent tour. But a wider issue remains. The disconnect between the London-centric Poetry Establishment (in its changing guises) and its customer base beyond a miniscule social media bubble has never been greater, with the impression that the former has turned its back on the latter so long as the funding keeps rolling in.

That’s a dangerous state of affairs for any genre that wishes to achieve anything beyond mere narcissistic self-expression, self-flagellation and self-adulation. Where do we go from here?