Why are University Presses critical to the health of contemporary poetry?
Greg Rappleye: Those of us who do not live on the Dream Coasts may be comforted by the fact that university presses have a well-deserved reputation of publishing what is (in their good judgment) the best work that rockets across the transom, with less regard given to “name,” school, or stylistic affiliation. That seems not-so true for the so-called “big five,” or for smaller independent presses which may favor particular schools or demographics.
Yes, every press is a necessary press, and God bless them all and the books they publish! But the particular attention paid by the university presses to the breadth of contemporary poetry, and their general commitment to the book itself as art form and as a necessary and valuable artifact, seem essential.