Gov. Tim Pawlenty rejected a bill that was overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature that would have allowed him to appoint a poet laureate after receiving recommendations from the nonprofit Minnesota Humanities Commission.
The laureate would have been called on to provide verse for 'appropriate ceremonies and celebrations' of the state, such as the 2008 sesquicentennial. No state money would have gone with the job.
In a veto message signed Friday and announced Tuesday, however, Pawlenty said he saw no need for such a position.
'We can benefit from the richness and diversity of all of the poets in Minnesota and recognize and embrace their work as merit and circumstances warrant,' he said.
He also suggested that the measure could lead to "requests for a state mime, interpretive dancer or potter."
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
>>No state money would have gone with the job.
This is the kicker of course. There's absolutely no reason not to do this.
As for the other offices - yes it would lead to it - if legislators would apporve a state mime. Somehow one cannot picture that happening.
Poetry? Bad. Beautiful language? Very bad.
2 - Nicolette Rivers
WTF?! I'll be in Minnesota late Monday... I'll take care of this! Nobody panic.
3 - Temple Stark
Thanks Ms. Rivers. Knew you could. LOL
4 - Nicolette Rivers
The homestate of Mr. Bob Dylan -- and no Poet Laureate. Not that he didn't do a big kiss-off to Minnesota decades ago.
Um, well, the homestate of Prince...
5 - RJ
Has anybody heard about the idiot "poet laureate" of NJ?
Maybe this is why Pawlenty didn't want to bother with appointing someone to such a useless position...
6 - HW Saxton
Paul Westerberg for Poet Laureate of the
great state of Minnesota,eh.
7 - Nancy
Only if they appoint Dr. Seuss, but I think you have to be living. Now there was a man with a way with words!
8 - SFC SKI
Dr. Seuss was from Massachusetts, he'd have to battle it out with a lot of other famously wordy dead guys for Poet Laureate, but I'd pay to see a cage match betweeen a zombie Kerouac versus a Zombie Thoreau.
I think the Gov. is trying to avoid an NJ style incident as well. Whether the position is paid or not, the poet laureate is represntative of the state. Being from NJ, I was dismayed to have my state and Amiri Barakh (sp?) mentioned in the same sentence.
9 - HW Saxton
Amiri BARAKA aka LeRoi Jones before he
changed his name. But why would you be
dismayed SFC Ski? He's an excellent poet
and writer. His "Preface To A Twenty
Volume Suicide Note" is great reading.
Have you ever read any of his works or
heard any of his spoken performances ?
10 - SFC SKI
Well, if one's first exposure to an artist is to the artist's worst work, it taints one's opinion of all the rest of the artist's work.
11 - SFC SKI
Upon you recommendation , HW, I did look up the poem you mentioned, and a few others. My opinion is that when he is good, he is very very good, but when he is bad, he's mediocre.
In comparison to his 9/11 poem, his other works are better.
12 - HW Saxton
SFC Ski, You are 100% correct about him.
When he's on he's ON, but when he's off
he can and does get really,really B-A-D.
In the field of poetry that's almost a
given though, isnt it?
His readings of his own material are his
strong point. He reads and speaks like a
John Coltrane sax solo. Soft and quiet
to loud and screaming and back again.The
rhythm is constantly shifting and can be
sweet and/or bordering on dissonance all
at once.And just like with John Coltrane
sometimes I get it("Love Supreme")other
times it totally loses me ("Ascension"/
"Equinox"). Either way it is always very
heartfelt and soulful.That's really cool
you were open minded enough to peruse
his material before you spoke about him.
13 - SFC SKI
Well, I am willing to admit when I don't know enough about something to comment (most of the time), and I am willing to admit when I am wrong (should that ever occur). I also like to be tipped off to artists I might not otherwise have heard about, so I can make my own decisions.
14 - HW Saxton
I wish everyone else was like that. But,
the Internet would be a ghost town if
that were the case.
15 - SFC SKI
I think it would still be as populous, and maybe less contentious. Asking questions is bettter than making assumptions.
16 - miriam
Amiri Baraka's hateful anti-semitic poem about 9/11 embarassed a State (New Jersey) that is not easily embarassed. Have you read it?
He received a stipend from the State, which he sued for and received in due course.
Due to him, the State abolished the post, thus robbing many good New Jersey poets of a forum. i guess whoever appointed him never troubled to read his work.