Bad Days Ahead for New Orleans'...

Times-Picayune, that noble paper mentioned in Randy Newman's wonderful "New Orleans Wins the War" from his 1988 album Land of Dreams:

Momma used to take me to Audubon Park
Show me the ways of the world
She said, "Here comes a white boy;
There goes a black one;
That one's an octoroon.
This little cookie here's a macaroon.
That big round thing's a red balloon.
And the paper down here's called the Picayune.
And here's a New Orleans tune..."

A letter to the editor from the 1/24/09 edition of Hartford Courant

Poetry on Page 1


January 24, 2009

Hooray! Poetry back on Page 1 of The Courant [Jan. 20, "Labor Of Joy; State Poet's Narrative Poem Celebrates Obama Inaugural"].


There's a return to tradition that can only improve America's "oldest continually published newspaper" — back to the days of the 18th century, when periodicals and poets depended upon each other to build readership and literary reputations.


Bring back columns like "The Poet's Corner," "The Parnassiad," or "The Seat of the Muses," throw in a little Latin satiric verse on events of the day for good measure, and watch readership soar.


Now, many readers might think I'm being facetious, but I'm not (well, except maybe for part about the soaring readership.) Anything that brings poetry to us in our daily lives should be encouraged and embraced. It puts us in touch with what makes us all human.


Gilbert L. Gigliotti, New Britain


The writer is a professor and chairman of the English department at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.