With the last of the freshmen composition classes ending, the young scholars of Drexel University may be feeling woefully displaced within their own time period. “I like poetry,” they seem to say, “but how can I be a poet if I’m stuck in this uncultured information age?” After all, would Shakespeare still believe in love if he tuned in for an episode of “I Love New York”?

While the latter was not addressed, the Poetry Panel, entitled “Poetry in the Real World,” of the Week of Writing event, was formed to answer questions about writing poetry in modern times, and to give the image of the post-millennium poet a face – or three. Drexel University professors Don Riggs, co-editor of and featured poet in the book Uncommonplaces: Poems of the Fantastic, Valerie Fox, author of The Rorshach Factory, and Lynn Levin, author of Imaginarium, addressed a congregation of about 50 eager listeners on Tuesday, May 15th in the Living Arts Lounge.

Kathy Volk Miller, editor of the Painted Bride Quarterly, moderated the panel, and started off by asking, “Why poetry?”

The group responded that there are many more outlets for creative expression than there were 30 years ago, and many of which are more fiscally lucrative. The thought of investing hours of every day to an art form that is almost guaranteed never to yield enough money to compensate the artist for so much time is daunting at best. Levin answered that with poetry, “You do it for the love of it.”

The panel explained that, generally, there are two approaches to poetry— the Walt Whitman perspective and the Emily Dickenson perspective. Whitman poets are extroverted with their poetry in that their work is a reflection of, or even a cure for, the poet’s environment. Dickenson Poets focus more on internal processes and personal interaction.

Another topic that Miller posed to the panel was “What draws people to poetry specifically?”

Riggs stated that one thing that is appealing to readers is the insight one gains into another human being by reading their poetry; it is like “overhearing a man talking to himself.”

What draws people to poetry is similar to what draws people to music. “Music allows you to be over the top,” Riggs continued, and went on to reminisce about his days of walking through cornfields composing songs and poetry.

But poets are found in more places than remote pastoral landscapes. Fox stated, “People are talking about poetry more.”

More universities are offering MFA programs for various forms of creative writing. Perhaps as a direct result, poetry has found its way into an array of different media from television advertisements to popular music.

But if the young scholars of Drexel University are still unconvinced that being a poet could ever yield any great reward, Levin also confessed, “The narcissistic element of having people listen to you is attractive.”