tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2422112066790651313.post7099534325629773411..comments2024-03-14T08:34:34.769+00:00Comments on litrefs: Poetry and ordinary peopleTim Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00578925224900533603noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2422112066790651313.post-37166752921920440632014-06-23T11:19:16.102+01:002014-06-23T11:19:16.102+01:00Second thoughts, maybe Roger McGough's only kn...Second thoughts, maybe Roger McGough's only known to Radio 4 listeners of Poetry Please. I think some people do read the poetry that's in local newspapers. They might read song lyrics or hear comedy ditties. The stuff people read at school sometimes becomes more than a chore. Along with Birthday cards I guess that's about all the visible poetry there is. <br />The Bloodaxe anthologies (and other themed anthologies) might have tempted a few borderline people, though I suspect most of the books were presents that never got read.<br />One sometimes hears that 50% of people write poetry sometime in their lives. Maybe a similar percentage sing in the bath, but they never perform at La Scala.<br />So I agree that "ordinary" people don't read "poetry". I might even be prepared to remove some of those quotemarks. Tim Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00578925224900533603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2422112066790651313.post-41324827120429466432014-06-23T10:21:17.751+01:002014-06-23T10:21:17.751+01:00I’m not saying I’ve never known anyone with a degr...I’m not saying I’ve never known anyone with a degree but most of the “normal” people I’ve known and worked with haven’t had one and those who had certainly didn’t make a big deal about it. Degree or no degree no one read any poetry voluntarily. Depending on age a few might’ve heard of John Cooper Clarke or Pam Ayres but they wouldn’t know who Roger McGough was. Folk singer? Right? Most never read anything that wasn’t a periodical. One Xmas they did a secret Santa thing and my boss got me. He knew I was a reader so he bought me a <i>Flashman</i>. Says it all. I still have the book but I’ve never even peeked inside. <br /><br />It was such a strange feeling when I first came online and got talking to other poets. Here were people who regarded what I did as normal. I’d never been “normal” before. It felt strange. Still does a wee bit if I’m being honest.<br />Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.com