A NATIONAL MUSEUM OF POETS & WRITERS?

In the mid-90s I became aware of competing factions writing proposals for a museum celebrating American poets, from Antoninus to Zukofsky. I did not keep up with their progress—if any. It was a great idea, although criteria for such an edifice might prove a nightmare, given the diversity and pettiness of American poetry. Too, if I had my druthers, I’d further broaden the idea to include writers of fiction, and memoirs—since literary writers tend to be among the least rewarded if often the most remembered, quoted and paraphrased. Walks and halls of fame and the like have sprung up across the nation only to die. Outside the Library of Congress, art museums frequently provide evenings of poetry and slams, usually hosted by literary organizations. University enclaves like the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House at NYU, and centers like Cave Canem abound. Sometimes, cultural centers like Milwaukee’s Woodland Pattern or Just Buffalo in upstate New York constantly rededicate themselves to honor The Muse. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum includes a cowboy poetry archive. Salem College in North Carolina boasts a Literary Hall of Fame, and even Venice Beach, California, more widely known for muscles and bikinis, has its Poet’s Walk. Who would finance such a venture and where should it be located? What kind of public would enjoy what kind of exhibits or make use of its archives? Who would be inducted and who would be overlooked?