Globe And Mail

<h3>Chagrined, Laura Bush finds poets oppose war
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By SIMON HOUPT
From Friday's Globe and Mail

New York — America's poets are too political for the White House.

This week, first lady Laura Bush abruptly cancelled a Feb. 12 poetry symposium at the White House after she learned that some of the invited poets intended to disrupt the event with antiwar verses to protest the Bush administration's aggressive stand toward Iraq.

"While Mrs. Bush respects the right of all Americans to express their opinions, she, too, has opinions and believes it would be inappropriate to turn a literary event into a political forum," said a spokeswoman for Mrs. Bush, a former librarian whose pet project is the promotion of museums and libraries.

Most of the invited poets are vocal opponents of the Bush administration, including Sam Hamill, an award-winning poet and publisher with a long history of protesting against U.S. military aggression.

"I'm sure the person who put my name on the list is looking for a job," joked Mr. Hamill, who asked friends to send him antiwar poems he could compile into an anthology for the event.

Many of the invited poets said they were bemused and disturbed by the sudden turn of events, since the symposium was to have celebrated the notably political poets Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman, as well as Emily Dickinson.

"I saw profound irony in their choice of poets," Mr. Hamill said. "These people wouldn't let Walt Whitman within a mile of the White House — the good gay gray poet! I don't believe anybody there has ever read Whitman."

On Thursday, two former U.S. poets laureate joined a growing chorus of poetic attacks on the administration.

Stanley Kunitz, poet laureate 2000-01, told reporters, "I think there was a general feeling that the current administration is not really a friend of the poetic community and that its program of attacking Iraq is contrary to the humanitarian position that is at the centre of the poetic impulse."

The 1993-95 poet laureate, Rita Dove, who declined an invitation to the symposium titled Poetry and the American Voice, said in a statement: "The abrupt cancellation of the symposium by the White House confirms my suspicion that the Bush administration is not interested in poetry when it refuses to remain in the ivory tower, and that this White House does not wish to open its doors to an 'American Voice' that does not echo the administration's misguided policies."

Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Levine said the event was cancelled before he could even turn down his invitation.

"I had no doubt in my mind that I couldn't go, if only because of the hideous use of language that emanates from this White House. The lying, the Orwellian euphemisms," he said.

Mr. Hamill says he has received almost 2,000 poems, including contributions from heavy hitters such as Mr. Levine, Grace Paley, Galway Kinnell, Hayden Carruth and Pulitzer Prize-winners Yusef Komunyakaa and W.S. Merwin. The poems will be posted next week on the Web site, PoetsAgainstTheWar.org.

Artists have used official invitations in the past to protest against U.S. government policies. In 1965, poet Robert Lowell registered his opposition to the Vietnam War by refusing to attend a White House arts festival. Arthur Miller reportedly sent a telegram to the White House that read, "When the guns boom, the arts die."

Some of the poets today hope their action will lead to widespread resistance by artists to the administration's plans for war.

Mr. Carruth, 81, who hadn't written since a debilitating heart attack two years ago, penned a poem this week which called U.S. President George W. Bush a "tin pot tyrant" and said his ambition was "incontinent and maniacal."

The poem, <ic>Complaint and Petition <nm>, called on Mr. Bush to "desist, resign, hide yourself in your own shame, for otherwise the evil to come will destroy everything and love will quit the world."

I thought that was amusing, the event was celebrating Walt Whitman but she didn't want to hear anti-war sentiment at it?!? The man was strongly against war in most cases I believe wasn't he? Its just rich to think she could go and listen to his poems and not take in any of their meaning at all...

Heavens above! Poetry can't be political! If that happens then people would be able to use practically any artistic means to promote their opinions, and we can;t have that can we...

Well, Uncle Walt (Whitman) was a war photographer during the Civil War - actually one of the first war photographers IIRC. But, is it not he who had conflicted feelings on war and called Abe Lincoln "Oh Captain My Captain" ??

But, yes, much art IS political. Always has been.

I think the White House blew a great chance to round up a bunch of traitors [img]tongue.gif[/img]

(see my sig for clarification...)

Didn't he write "Come up from the Fields"? I always thought that was fairly emphatically anti-war. But well, I suppose theres nothing wrong with being confused. Of if there is then I'm in trouble... no I'm not... yes I am...

*skiddly boom tisch*

They are doing their very best to alienate Europe even further.

But well, they can always count on us not doing anything drastic in fear of worsening our business relations.

And thats what it's all about.. Business.. unfettered access to un-intimidating business..

Almost makes you wish the South had won the Civil War, America would still just be hangin' out and growing cotton that way ;)

:rolleyes: Give me a break guys. The whole point of the conference was to have "a literary gathering". When she(Laura Bush) was told that some of the poets were planning to disrupt her conference with anti-war garbage(Yes, GARBAGE), then she cancelled the conference. The response? "Well, this is just another example of the Bush's and their anti-intellectual, war-mongering ways." Bulls**t! It's the First Lady wanting to host a LITERARY EVENT and not having it hijacked by a bunch of a**holes with an axe to grind.

Hmm.... possibly the anti-war poets may have had a reason to quote such verse, and speak of such views Nachtrafe, considering exactly which poets were being celebrated at this symposium.
You would have thought that if the White House were truly wishing to celebrate the poets, which as people have explained, were anti-war, they wouldn't turn away those with a similar stance.