The Academy of American Poets has as its stated purpose "To encourage,
stimulate, and foster the production of American poetry..." This was
never limited to poets of any particular school, method, or category of
poetry so this anthology is as representative a cross-section of
American poetry in the last 50 years as any of its kind. The Academy is
not a stodgy eastem provincial institution. It encourages young poets,
recognizes the importance of change and growth in the poetry of America,
and believes that poetry is not for poets only. This anthology was
compiled on this basis. "Fifty Years Of American Poetry" is not only
educational, but also inspirational, hopefully imbuing everyone who
reads it with a sense of the dynamic and development of American poetry
in the last half century. The Academy of American Poets is the only
institution which could compile such a unique anthology because it is
the oniy group which has consistently played a large part in the
American poetry scene through its patronage to poets and its mission to
make poetry an accessible and vital part of the American literary
landscape.