I think we will always have the impulse towards visual poetry with us, and I wouldn't agree with Bly that it's a bad thing. It depends on the ability of the individual poet to do it well, and to make a shape which is interesting enough to hold your attention.

Laughlin's outdoor activities helped other literary friendships though; for many years he and Kenneth Rexroth took an annual camping trip together in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. At times Laughlin's skiing got in the way of his business. Biography
He was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania the son of Henry Hughart and Marjory Rea Laughlin.