Name: Will Cox
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Current City: London
Occupation: Publisher/Co-Founder of the Belleville Park Pages
Age: 24
What does poetry mean to you?
I like poetry because I find it the most freeing for personal interpretation, i.e. the reader can make with poetry what they will, even more than novels or the visual arts. That said, I think poetry is uncool because of its perceived elitism by the mass audience. It seems to have become a collegiate, intellectual pursuit, and I think art in that sphere doesn’t do a lot of good for society. I think writers need to focus on being more approachable in their work, as poetry is a perfect medium for modern creative writing, given that our attention spans are shrinking.
Favorite Poet/Poem:
Why do you like this poet/poem?
The everyday epiphanies he finds. The visual directions and the way he orients the reader. The fact that his poems are short and consumable while still being work that you can come back to and learn from on multiple readings.