Reading Uncreative Writing

Uncreative Writing is scrutinized through the lens of various avant-garde movements in contemporary North American poetry, including Neo-Conceptualism and Flarf. David Kaufman analyzes works by notable poets to argue that this genre is neither a complete departure from lyric tradition nor a regressive response to neo-liberalism. Instead, he reveals that the true strengths and shortcomings of Uncreative Writing emerge when it is contextualized within the lyric tradition it purports to abandon, challenging both supporters and critics of the movement.