Asking the dumb questions …

… Why Are So Many Poets Laureate Old, White And Male? The Library Of Congress Responds | ThinkProgress. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)

I have nothing against any of America's poets laureate. I've met seven of them, and knew one of them, Dan Hoffman, tolerably well. But think of all those who didn't get the nod. Kenneth Patchen, Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, Wallace Stevens, H. D., Denise Levertov, Marianne Moore — and those are just off the top of my head. The sex of the poet or the race of the poet and lots of other things are irrelevant. In fact, the only thing that's relevant is the poetry. Skip thinking progress. Try just thinking.