Front Porch Poetics and the lasting appeal of approachable poetry. Push back on negativity towards labels of “approachable” and “accessible”. Just say no: Pseudo-experimentation, l’art pour l’art, art about nothing. Say yes: All poems require “stakes”. For “approachable poetry” the stakes may appear different. You can’t compare a nature poem to a political poem, much like it’s foolish to compare a Billy Collins poem to a John Ashbery poem or an Amanda Gorman poem to a Lucille Clifton poem.