Internet 'is causing poetry boom'

Poetry, one of mankind's oldest art forms, is enjoying a resurgence due to the internet, according to the writers themselves.

By Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondent, The Telegraph, 28 Feb 2009

The grassroots scene is now growing, with live poetry readings becoming more popular and more poets getting their own pamphlets published Photo: JEFF GILBERT

Rather than killing it off, modern technologies like email, social networking sites such as Facebook and online media players are helping poets reach new audiences.
The grassroots scene is now growing, with live poetry readings becoming more popular and more poets getting their own pamphlets published.
Competitions are also booming: the number of entries for the Foyle Young Poets Award more than doubling from 2003 to 2008 to almost 12,000.

Richard Price, a published poet who is also head of modern collections at the British Library, thought computers were actually helping poetry.
He said: "What's interesting is its counter-intuitive. You would have thought that poetry and pamphlets would be failing in the face of the internet, but that isn't happening."
He argued: "It's very like the relationship between the net and live music.
"It's perfectly possible to make music records fairly cheaply, put them up on the net and that's it.
"You would expect live music to disappear but it hasn't, the opposite has happened."

Read the rest of the story at The Telegraph online.