Despite the continued study of poetry in Western school curricula, poetry is often regarded as either elitist or inaccessible, and there has been a declining interest in both the publication and purchase of poetic works within the broader community. Despite the cultivation of interest within a narrow literary field with poetry journals and writer’s associations, poets have struggled to convert their art into a mainstream commercial product the way that authors, sculptors, or musicians have done. This may well have hindered the popular development of the artform. Perhaps what adherents need to see are more poems on T-shirts, key rings, and lunch tins and more poets guesting on Big Brother or The Simpsons in order to help expand their audience? Darren Stein aims to deliver a direct and comprehensible style of poetry that offers both profound and entertaining insights into everyday life and the human condition. Reminiscent of the styles of Robert Frost and Dorothy Parker, Storage Space offers a balance of both comedy and pathos through the fascinating experiences of its poet guide. Stein aims to abandon what he regards as the pretentiousness of obscure language and imagery that clouds the essence of a poem. To Stein, the aim of poetry is to communicate a universal truth however unique an experience may be to the poet who communicates it. Stein acknowledges that poetry is irrelevant; that it has no effect on the world around us, and where it to disappear, hardly anyone would notice. This does not, however, mean that poetry is untrue, for what we have learnt is that the truth itself is often also irrelevant. What Stein wants most from his readers is that each will find at least one poem that speaks to them or makes them laugh. That they will find a poem makes them nod their head in recognition of some event or circumstance that is familiar to their own lives. He hopes that they might turn to their friend or partner and say “listen to this” as they read a poem aloud and then recommend the book to a friend.
