This Art

<p>The centuries have changed little in this art<BR> The subjects are still the same.—Kenneth Rexroth</p><p>Why poetry? What is poetry and why do people write it and read it? Why as Dana Levin has written this urge to making a scrapbook of stars?</P><p>Every poet by accident or design has responded to Why poetry by writing a poem about poetry (an ars poetica). Whether these poems focus on the personal political or philosophical each recognizes that our world is more complicated than a direct statement.</P><p>As Marvin Bell has written Writing is all and everything. This anthology of poems about the art and life of poetry—which draws widely from Copper Canyon's 30-year backlist of poetry books—proves him right.</P><p><B>Poets write out of love and longing:</B></P><p>Lord let me live / long enough to dare /a love poem —Cyrus Cassells</P><p><B>Poets confront suffering:</B></P><p>since we will always have a suffering world we must also always have a song.—David Budbill</P><p><B>And poets write in order to live fully: </B></P><p>We all stumble into ourselves /like this fitting our fingers to the shape of letters/ while the page gallops out of our reach—Rebecca Seiferle</P><p>Only poetry lasts.—Ho Xuan Huong</P><p><B>Michael Wiegers </B>is the Managing Editor at Copper Canyon Press.</p><p>CONTRIBUTORS Included: [box]<BR> Kay Boyle<br> Olga Broumas<br> Hayden Carruth<br> Norman Dubie<br> Han Shan<br> Jim Harrison<br> Carolyn Kizer<br> W.S. Merwin<br> Jane Miller<br> Kenneth Rexroth<br> Ruth Stone<br> Anna Swir</P>