And this is exactly why we don't need to be chasing the UNESCO City of Literature brownie button. The written word will somehow survive even if we don't throw money chasing after vaguely-defined Good Things that will serendipitously happen to those who credulously spend the most to woo the Literature to love us back.
Heh. I just saw that NYC vs. MFA stuff at my local library's recent event for small press and self-published authors. ...Of course, I live in the suburbs of Iowa City.