Alexie-Vision

Abstract

Alexie-Vision Iwas privileged to attend the 2010 Puterbaugh Festival, where the informed sense of Sherman Alexie's work as part ofworld literature was celebrated not only in itsown right but also within the larger context of indigenous literature and film making as world literature and art. The atmosphere of the conference was enhanced by the generosity of Sherman Alexie's personality and his great good humor, and although it'shardly possible for themagic of those fewdays tobe transposed into print, the July-August issue ofWLT comes close. The manner inwhich Alexie's work is framed as world literature isnot only beautifully accomplished here, it's also, I think,tremendously significant. I've not yet seen other journals articulating it precisely thisway. The articles by Joshua B. Nelson, Scott Andrews, and Susan Bernardin each offer illuminating insights, and Daniel Simon in his editor's note does an especially deft job of contextualizing the signifi cance of Alexie's work within Amer ican and world literature. Iwas also pleased to see more ofRichard Ray Whitman's excellent artwork in these pages. Congratulations on a lively and important issue! Rilla Askew Kauneonga Lake, NY Poetry's Daily Fix Itwas indeed interesting that Mar garet Randall's essay "Can Poetry Matter?" (WLT, March 2010, 20-22) begins with her exposure to Gins berg's "Howl" at a party. My experi ence was similar, though about five years later,in a small living room of an apartment inChicago. Ibelieve it was the firsttime I had ever heard poetry read in a nonacademic set ting. Iwas a student at an evangeli cal college and was literallystunned into silence at the earnest language and its forcefulness. I, too, feltIhad seen the "best minds of my gen eration destroyed bymadness." And though I certainly did not consider myself an "angelheaded hipster," that poem knew who Iwas ... and I was not as alone as I thought. Can poetry matter? Well, I'm still here contemplating jazz. The difference is that now the living room ismine. I edit a poetry series called The Sunday Poem on theDuke City Fix, a blog/social medium in Albuquerque (dukecityfix.com). With a membership approaching seven thousand, anythingpublished on theDCF is read bywhat can only be called theGeneral Population. In that sense it is truly a living-room setting. In the last year alone I have published over forty local poets. And likemost blogs, the comments are an importantpart of the experi ence. They reflect just how much poetry does matter. Let me quote briefly from comments lifted from several different, unrelated poems: "That vein, the brotherhood of thepoetry, itpumps." "Your poems always hitme in the gut. Thanks for this poem, this story, thisway toput our selves right where we belong, in the shoes of thehunted." "I am touched emotionally and also taken on a luscious jour ney." "Thanks for sharing this pre monition through your artful words. It expresses a core of dread about ourworld's fragile health that I keep at bay and know many others do as well. The act of looking at it in the community thatyou present is crucial." "Another wowie Sunday morn ing! I tryto remindmyself daily that I already have everything I need." -By theway, Margaret Randall resides inAlbuquerque and shows up inmy DCF living room every Sunday, encouraging young poets, modeling responding to poems by her example, and giving context to a readership that isprettynew to read ing poetry. Yes, poetry can matter! The population ofAlbuquerque, New Mexico, makes thatprettyplain. Jon Knudsen dukecityfix.com Have a comment or suggestion? Send a letterto the editor via the feedback link on ourwebsite ormail to: WLT Letters 630 ParringtonOval, Suite 110 UniversityofOklahoma Norman,OK 73019-4033 USA ...