If Poets Don’t Like What the Poetry Foundation Does, They Should Stop Selling Poetry to It
In recent years, the Poetry Foundation has faced a considerable backlash from the poetry community due to its actions and responses to the various crisis of our times. The most recent controversy revolves around the Foundation’s decision to shelve Joshua Gutterman Tranen’s review of sam sax’s poetry collection due to the review’s discussion of anti-Zionism. Their excuse? They didn’t want to be seen as “choosing a side.” But as many rightly argue, “not choosing a side” is, in fact, choosing a side, especially in the face of ongoing atrocities.
And so a question lingers as to why many poets, especially prominent ones, continued to embrace the Poetry Foundation despite its problematic history. This dilemma highlights a deeper problem within the poetry community, where the allure of clout and financial rewards often overshadow ethical considerations.
The Poetry Foundation’s modern record is rooted in controversy, as the Foundation was the beneficiary of a massive endowment by Ruth Lilly Sackler, an heiress to the Eli Lilly and Sackler family pharmaceutical fortunes, in 2002. As many may know, the Sackler family is widely criticized for their role in fueling the opioid crisis. Furthermore, the Foundation’s endowment has grown exponentially over the past few years, even through ostensibly challenging times. According to its 990 tax returns, the Foundation held net assets of $280M in 2019, $305M in 2020, and $340M in 2021. This marks an astonishing $60,000,000 increase in just four years, a period marked by a global pandemic, inflation, war, social unrest, and various other macroeconomic challenges.
The rapid growth of the Poetry Foundation’s endowment raises pressing questions about its priorities and its commitment to supporting the poetry community. How can an organization that claims to support poets and their craft amass such wealth while many poets struggle to make ends meet?
In addition to its questionable financial practices, the Poetry Foundation has faced criticism for its response to other major events. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement, the Foundation’s president, Henry Bienen, resigned after criticism of the Foundation’s publishing of a widely criticized poem, and its subsequent response to the social justice movement. This highlighted the Foundation’s inability to adequately address issues of racial justice..
Further adding to the Foundation’s controversies, a petition asking it to establish a Covid Relief Fund garnered nearly 2700 signatures. This highlighted the organization’s reluctance to provide support during a pandemic that was financially and physically devastating for many poets and artists.
The poetry community also has raised numerous concerns over the years about issues such as diversity, accessibility, elitism, and more. While the Poetry Foundation may have made attempts at addressing some of these issues, many believe that it hasn’t done enough or has been indifferent to these pressing concerns.
Yet, the most glaring issue lies outside of the Foundation itself. Rather, the short memory of the poetry community as a whole and its evident attraction to problematic institutions, clout-chasing, and prize-culture. Whenever a crisis arises, well-meaning poets come forward to highlight the ethical issues and wealth accumulation within the Foundation. However, many famous and up-and-coming poets continue to publish and support the Foundation, in spite of its abysmal recent history. For example, the 2022 Ruth Lilly Prize winners, some of whom could be argued to be the vanguard of politically conscious poetry, have accepted $100,000 prizes from the Foundation. These winners include Sandra Cisneros, CAConrad, Rita Dove, Nikki Giovanni, Juan Felipe Herrera, Angela Jackson, Haki Madhubuti, Sharon Olds, Sonia Sanchez, Patti Smith, and Arthur Sze.
While there are numerous other examples, including the complicated history of the younger Ruth Lilly Fellowship prize winners and those who have chosen to publish with the Foundation since 2020, compiling an exhaustive list of the Foundation’s recent collaborators would be a daunting and extensive undertaking (and besides the point). This article aims not to shame these poets but to emphasize the need for accountability in the poetry community’s largest patron. Whether it’s poets in prestigious academic positions or emerging writers struggling to make their name, the poetry community needs to unite in demanding greater accountability, or the culture of the Foundation will continue to grow like cancer. The world and the art of poetry itself suffer when a $340 million Poetry Foundation doesn’t accept responsibility for its fortunes and pedigree, instead opting to gatekeep poetic activism and dialog through its own self-preservationist lens.
The Poetry Foundation’s recent controversies are just the latest reminder of the need for poets to take a stand and stop selling their poems and poetics to an institution unaligned with their values, no matter the allure of the financial or potentially career-making award. Until a greater swath of the poetry community starts to hold its ground and demand true change without compromise, the art of poetry will continue to be tainted and opportunistic, undermining the very essence of what makes the art form impactful.
