to see the rapper Common invited to the White House on a poetry night Wednesday has revealed a party whose stars are grievously out of touch with the culture they hope to lead, as well as to culture in general, apparently.
It is understandable that some would imagine if the Obamas convene a poetry night, the invitees would be the likes of Billy Collins or Elizabeth Alexander, who read a poem at the President's inauguration. But this is 2011, in which in terms of people about 50 and younger, the idea of poetry as only, or even mainly, writerly observations on the printed page is about as current as the idea that a newspaper is a physical object.
from The New Republic: Backing Common At The White House
then Greeley Gazette: Local law enforcement "outraged" over white house invitation to rapper glorifying cop-killers
then MTV: RapFix: Common Brings Hip-Hop To The White House, Fans React
then The Philadelphia Inquirer: Mistake for White House to invite Common to Poetry Night
then The Christian Science Monitor: Rapper Common: Should he be disinvited from Obama poetry event?
then The Huffington Post: White House Poetry Jam: A Poet's Point Of View
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