Why is the current US poetry scene so fantastic? It must be, at least in part, the MFA phenomenon, despite its faults. People are dedicating time and resources to writing poetry while receiving formal instruction. Another reason must be the increasing diversification of the population. Historically this seems to always presage a richer culture. And with this diversification comes the tensions of the political moment—inspiring people to write with intensity of purpose. They have the sense that what they are writing is important, and that people are going to read what they’ve written.