The mix of readers was very eclectic, ranging from several professors, to community members, to students. Each poem had a unique take on the theme of the reading. For example, one man read a poem by an antiapartheid activist in South Africa, while a woman read a poem about a collective dream of peace. Other readings included a poem about an Argentinean woman's response to September 11th, and a poem about starvation. Two speakers read poems first in Spanish, and then followed those readings with the English translations. It was wonderful to hear the poems read in their original language, and the contrast of the Spanish to the English added something to the entire experience of the reading. It reminded me that people hunger for change all over the world and that the power of hope can sustain people when their basic needs or desires are not being met.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Poetry Reading
Last Wednesday I attended the poetry reading Politics of Hunger. Some speakers read their own works, while others read the work of published poets. The opening speaker shared her enthusiasm over the election results and the audience was equally excited about the possibility of change. The opening speaker put the poetry reading's theme in a wider context as well. Instead of focusing solely on hunger as relating to a lack of tangible sustenance, she addressed the idea of hungering for a sort of change and a new tomorrow.
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My poetry reading experience did not live up to what I would have hoped for in attending my first poetry reading. I know it is a bit after the fact but reading about the other poetry readings in comparison with the one I saw, Mr. Stanley Moss, makes me wish his wasnt my first. Everything about it was disappointing to me. The set up of the room with close to 60 chairs set up in rows to the content of the talk where I only heard the voise of Mr. Moss with exception to a few questions at the end. I thought the idea of multiple readers interested me more. At stanley Moss's reading we got a variety of poems, all his own, but they all shared a common view and voice. I enjoyed a few of the poems he read but I have always understood poetry readings as a more involved event for other members. With multiple readers I feel the differences in the poems would be far more appreciated rather than one poet reading his own poems.
In class he had a completely different demeanor though. His attitude in class seemed over the top and abrasive. I understand this is what he does professionally but he should have also known that we were new to this whole poetry thing. I did enjoy his critques of poems in our class though because they were honest. His point on making your poems honest was very helpful in how I would like to write. He doesnt sugar coat it and wants to get to whats really driving the writer. I didnt know what to make of his poetry reading because I didnt have much to compare it to but now that I have read other classmates remarks on completely different methods to poetry readings I wish I didnt have Stan Moss as my first poetry reading.
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