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Shall I Compare Thee

Every few years the National Endowment for the Arts measures how much literature we’re reading. In 2008, for the first time in 25 years, the number of Americans reading literature went up. But this new interest is entirely due to more people reading fiction. The number of Americans reading poetry has actually declined. There is a stereotype that all poets are crazy, and historically some of them have been. But slaving away at a discipline few people seem to care about can seem a little, well, insane. Eleanor Boudreau spoke with one poet to see what makes him do it.

Nor Shall Death Brag Thou Wanderest in His Shade

Poetry reading may be declining, but the popularity of performance poetry, or “spoken word,” is on the rise. Every Friday night for almost 30 years, people have crowded into the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe on East 3rd Street in Manhattan. They stand in line, or they stand through the show. There is rarely enough room to seat everyone. Eleanor Boudreau braved January temperatures and sore feet to bring us this report.

When in Eternal Lines to Time Thou Growest: Teaching Poetry in NYC

A National Endowment for the Arts Study shows poetry reading declining across the country, even as Americans are reading more and more fiction. If poetry is going to survive then young people have to read it, and write it. Eleanor Boudreau visited one public high school in Brooklyn to see what students are taught when they’re taught poetry.

Fare Hikes are Coming!

The Metropolitan Transit Authority is facing a 1.4 billion dollar deficit next year. It’s looking to make up some of that money by raising fares, and it has got some very vociferous opposition. But, as Eleanor Boudreau reports, there is a positive side to fare hikes.

There are 660 miles of subway track in New York City, laid end to end that much track would reach from upper Manhattan to Indianapolis, Indiana.

Veins Bulge

November 13, 2008—Veins bulge. Nothing else moves. The physical exertion is immense, the indicators minute. Suddenly one hand forces another to the table. The crowd is going wild. One of the longest arm wrestling matches of the tournament is over. “Good match!” yells tournament director Dan Fortuna. It lasted 20 seconds.

Held in the north wing of the Port Authority bus terminal the Golden Arm Tournament of Champions is barely above ground. The 40 competitors are a small but dedicated band. They hail from as far away as Russia, Uzbekistan, and Jamaica. Two of them are women.

The crowd is 200 strong, but it is mostly competitors, their friends and family. There are a few accidental spectators who stopped on their way somewhere else. Arm wrestling is one of the oldest sports ever. It is played in every high school and middle school, but at the upper levels it can be risky.

Arm wrestlers break wrists and they break arms. They pull tendons. The tournament starts with Fortuna giving the amateurs a safety talk. But even if nothing snaps, arm wrestling is still excruciating.

“The pain is really, really bad,” Sean Sparandero, who works as a nurse and also competes weightlifting, said, “it’s a deep muscle soreness.” What Sparandero enjoys is the thrill of competition. “There’s a lot of testosterone in here,” he said.