While I was at it, I decided to get his take on contemporary poetry criticism. He said, “There are fewer places reviewing poetry because they’ve made the poetry reviews so boring, that it doesn’t appeal to most readers, almost nobody gives bad reviews… the one or two people who do it (give bad reviews), are doing it because they set themselves up as terminators, or ruthless enforcers of standards, and that’s dull too.” It’s clear that despite his status as a luminary, Gioia is still entrenched and invested in the scene, and he’s not holding any punches: “If you believe poetry is important, it’s worth fighting about.” Dana’s most salient qualities are his kindness, generosity, and insight, but it’s his ardent passion that is most intriguing and inspiring to me. He believes literature should be a conversation but is still adamant that blindly giving positive reviews can only vitiate the art. Dana is a man of infinite wisdom and scintillating acuity and if LA is truly the nascent vanguard, Dana Gioia is without a doubt the catalyst.
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