This is a lovely couple of paragraphs about Kay Ryan. I'm glad to see a poet get some Salon ink (or pixels). And it's nice to see something from Laura Miller, a fine writer and excellent reviewer.

The remarkable struggle of Ryan in the face of so much rejection over an 18 year period goes unremarked. I would recommend the article in the Washington Post for those who are interested in knowing something about this brilliant poet and who appreciate a little depth in their reading. Miller seems so tired of this person she interviewed over 12 years ago, that she throws some quotes together from the MSM and calls it a day. Why did you bother? Its like a tacky celebrity story, rather than the thorough, literate review the poet deserves. I know, I know you interviewed her in 1996.

Dear me you are full of it.

Collins and Glück as opposite ends of a spectrum? Please. Salon's knowledge of contemporary poetry evidently runs the gamut from A to B.

And very often it gets published. So what? It's the price we pay for the good stuff--very often they're written by the same people.

KAY RYAN has ridden the wave of 'politically/correct+attenuated poetry' venues [prizes in the GUGGENHEIMS, serial publications in the 'not-so-important-NYer and APR, a RUTH LILLY prize/award] despite her protestations and advanced degree status that she is an 'outsider'. Ms. RYAN's poetry is largely devoid of metaphor/symbolism and despite her lacklustre desultory nternal rhyme utilizes what some critics would deem a 'spare' style. Her poetry could be defined with the rank of other maudlin talents pimped onto the national stage by other middling talents such as JOHN ASSBURIED or JOSEPH KUMENYACKA or LOUISE GLUCK[who claims that her name does not rhyme with f^ck in the original German pronounciation]. Such is the state of the ARTS[poetry in particular] when obvious 'insiders' can claim they are 'outsiders' to somehow justify selections by supposedly objective observers. PSHAW - as RYAN might write in her 'spare style.