These wealthy people were very interested in contemporary music. They wanted to help diffuse it and get it to be known to other people.
Dealing with poetry is a daunting task, simply because the reason one does it as an editor at all is because one is constantly coming to terms with one's own understanding of how to understand the world.
Food can become such a point of anxiety - not because it's food, but just because you have anxiety. That's how eating disorders develop.