Some poets may balk at the idea of genre poetry. Others may find it an exciting idea, if not a novel one – depending on the definition, it's possible to argue that poetry in the genres has been around for a long time.
Origins and Approaches
Michael Collings describes three approaches to science fiction poetry which are useful for considering speculative poetry in general:
- Those who see it as the legacy of any poetry with science fiction or scientific themes. These poets are usually particularly interested in science as a theme.
- Those who believe the important element of science fiction is the fantastic, created through figurative reality. The theorist Tzvetan Todorov believed it was impossible to do this in poetry because he believed literal, unambiguous language that establishes something as "other than real" is only possible in narrative. However, a number of science fiction poets write narrative or prose poetry, seemingly in agreement with the premises of this argument but not its conclusion.
- Those who see science fiction poetry as a movement which happens to be of form rather than style, and therefore merely a social convention useful for the creative process. Science fiction poetry is therefore poetry written by science fiction poets. It is a circular argument but not as silly as it may seem, since definitions of any form seem to come up against this difficulty.
Regardless of the approach one takes, it's important to remember that poetry, the most fluid and creative literary form, is exactly what the poet makes it and is not strictly defined by the market. Perhaps more importantly, openness to new markets means a little more solvency and exposure, important considerations in a tough business.
The Poets
As of yet, the well known speculative poets seem to be composed mostly of an intersection between genre writers better known for their fiction, such as Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Brian Aldiss, and poets who are better known for their mainstream poetry, such as Ted Hughes and Archibald Macleish. There are writers who are science fiction poets first, though the relative fluidity of genre in poetry arguably means writers are usually known for other things.
That doesn't mean science fiction poets are necessarily obscure in the literary world. Notably, the poet Andrew Joron has won awards for both science fiction and mainstream poetry, and published in both types of venue. His collection The Sound Mirror made it to Small Press Distribution's bestseller list earlier this year.
Honors and Venues
The Rhysling award is the major award for speculative poetry. It is awarded anually by the Science Fiction Poetry Association for Best Short Poem and Best Long Poem (50 lines or more). The SFPA also publishes Star*Line, a newsletter which includes poetry in each issue.
Duotrope's digest also allows members to search literature markets by both genre and form, making it possible to find publications in various genres that accept poetry submissions. The Market List, an online directory for genre writers, is another helpful search tool. Two examples of speculative poetry venues are Goblin Fruit, an online publication which looks for poetry "of the fantastical," and the Magazine of Speculative Poetry, a print publication open to science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
 |
