Earthquakes, My Publisher’s New Book, and Pop Culture and Poetry

Yes, my friend, almost one week after we moved in, we had a 4.0 earthquake near our new home. Now, the Pacific NW ain’t California, but it’s no earthquake-free zone. This one didn’t even rock our plants, although the cats were acting crazy about the time of the quake.

My publisher, Steel Toe Books’ Tom C. Hunley, just won the Holland book prize from Logan House Press for his newest MS, Octopus. Congrats Tom!

So, I’m writing a little article about pop culture and poetry, so I’m curious to get some discussion going and hear your thoughts…
What do you think about artists like Denise Duhamel, Bob Hicok, and others who drop pop culture references (from Pepsi to baseball blayers to Barbie) in their poems? What role do you think pop culture plays in the “high arts” ie painting, poetry, music, etc? Should it play a role?
Has advertising language penetrated our minds and souls?
Is there a way to subvert the culture while participating in it?
Are superheroes the new Greek myths?