Section V

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Thanks for your letter. I trust you are now back
home again to enjoy window-views of the snow
that fell while you were away.

I send a poem which I do hope is finished,
but which may not be. Please look it over and
if you find it OK, give it to your right hand,
Joey.

If you find it wanting [even if not], please let me know!

Love,

Wes

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Dear Don,

Thanks for your good, long letter.

It’s discouraging to learn about the poetry book club
that failed. But then so much one learns about poetry and its
readership is discouraging! The retreat of the trade houses
from poetry; the government’s retreat from funding small presses,
magazines and individual poets; the competition for places
in the poetry series of a few academic presses–which in
many ways strengthen the walls between the poet and a
general readership. It’s terrible.

Having just gotten word that another of the academic presses
has turned me down for the second time, I am particularly
down about all these things. Over the weekend, Princeton
sent me a form rejection (not the “finalist” letter of last
year) containing its elaborate “no.” Now that I’m in
my fourth year of submitting this manuscript of mine,
I have reason to be troubled. I don’t see how I can make
the thing much better than it is. Yet I feel the old,
annual cycle of rejections starting up once again. Harper
[Written in margin: Solotaroff finally wrote back,
saying he’d “be glad to” look at my book.]
& Row, The National Poetry Series and Pittsburgh are left.
I hope I’m wrong about just one of them, but the hope
at this point is rather thin.
[Written in margin: Forgot Assoc. Writing Programs].

I’m glad to have you as a witness with Costanzo.
I’m also glad that he wants to write about you. You have

2/

written better, larger than most poets of your generation;
you have worked as hard as anyone to establish respect
for the fathers of modern poetry–and awareness of
contemporary poets on each side of the Atlantic. Your sense
of the absolute importance of poetry and the vocation of the poet
has changed many others, I am sure, as deeply as it
has changed me. Together, your books, articles and letters
represent one of the forces keeping literature alive today.
I am glad Costanzo has seen the need for a biography,
and I hope your relationship with him works out.

You ask about The Private Life Lisel Mueller
wrote it. I liked her work in a recent issue of Poetry,
and so I bought that book, her second. Also bought, among
other things, The Situation of Poetry, which I liked very
much, in spite of the academic language. I am sending
now for Pinsky’s An Explanation of America, which I’ve
read about long since and never gotten around to buying.

And I have liked a couple of articles you have
written–the one in the current Poetry, and, especially,
the raking of Lathom (sic) in The Atlantic (the only articles
by you I’ve seen recently). I continue to be interested
in the Hobart & William Smith book, which I’d
gladly purchase if you have an extra copy. If you
don’t, I’ll send for one. (I mentioned this in an earlier
letter and am not sure if you noticed…)

3/

Because I like so much the “long and ambitious things”
of Kicking the Leaves, I look forward to your printing the
long and ambitious things you are now struggling with.
I am sure the wait will be worth it.

In the meantime, good that England went well, and
good that you are both back to re-writing!

Blessings,

Wes

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Dear Don,

I heard from Joey that you have chosen three of my poems for
Ploughshares. I’m very glad. I’m also pleased that he thought
“Mina Bell’s Cows” good enough to submit to the New Yorker, even
though it was rejected.

What’s happening here in Sutton is a lot of writing and re-writing.
I thought for sure I’d have two two-page poems for your review
by the end of January, but I put them both away about a week ago,
each about finished. I’m now working on two other poems. Maybe
I’m beginning to work on batches, as you seem to. Anyway, I do
want you to know that I’m struggling each and every day on poems,
and that I’m excited by the writing I’m doing, even though I’m not
yet ready to send samples.

Incidentally, I have been doing some extra teaching—not enough
that it interferes with my writing, but enough to keep food on the table
while I’m on sabbatical. I’m working for the School for Lifelong
Learning, UNH’s continuing education school, which has branches
within commuting distance. Later on, the connection with SLL will
probably help me to put Sean through college, if we’re still here.

My manuscript, famous in its various revisions among
the readers for all the major contests, is now being read once
again by Princeton, The National Poetry Contest, Pittsburgh
and Associated Writing Programs. I have my fingers crossed
for Princeton, the first notification I must face. Rejection—
or acceptance—happens at the end of this month.

2/

Night before last, I read for the Baptist Monday Nights (NL),
mostly older folks, some of whom no doubt expected my poetry to rhyme.
They did like the poems, nevertheless—their engaged and pleased
expressions during the reading were unmistakable. Getting people who
don’t really follow poetry involved in a reading is an especially
gratifying thing for me, since I do feel that poetry should have a
broad appeal.

That makes me think to ask you what is probably a naïve
question. Why isn’t there a book club that features regular selections
of contemporary poetry? Or a book club that features poetry only?
Don’t you think that people would buy contemporary verse if there were
such outlets for it? Probably it’s because I now see the possibility
of publishing a book myself, but I’m currently very down about
how little poetry is read today. I can’t believe the limited number
of readers is only the fault of poets, especially since there’s such
interest in poetry writing in college, and afterward, through workshops
of one kind or another. If individual presses can’t afford to
advertise for their poetry, perhaps a co-operative of some kind
would work—a book club sponsored by the presses, maybe…
I assume others have thought of such things and discarded
their thoughts—but why?

Speaking of books, I’d very much life to get a copy of
your Hobart and William Smith collection of recent essays.
Do you have a copy I could buy? I just bought two very interesting
books—The Private Life and Satan Says. Do you like them, too?
What do you think of Sharon Olds?

Just got word that Diane is leaving for shopping & mail…
so I’ll cut this off here. I hope your trip with Jane to England
went well—and that your return to Eagle Pond Farm has been good, too.

Lots of love to both of you,

Wes

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Donald Hall has relentlessly taken
Old Trees, Calling Harold, and The Fat People
of the Old Days for Ploughshares. He desperately
wanted Mina Bell, but I would not let him have it
… (The New Yorker ridiculously declined to have
It.)

Best as ever,

Joey