For two of the introductions, a woman acted crazy and used props to communicate. She spoke about the immense influence Ezra Pound had on the reader she was introducing while making a soup in a bowl consisting of a book by Pound, some foods, and some milk. She seemed to be, like many readers and attendees, a bit drunk. This was fun.
Another introduction included a woman impersonating the teenage self of the reader she was introducing. “He” read some of his “older poems,” which were overtly graphic, and which included coarse language and long, detailed descriptions of vaginal farts. This was funny. It turned out to be a kind of extreme exaggeration of the typical voice taken on by the introduced poet.
The combination of long introductions and sheer number of readers made for a three hour poetry marathon. Each poet read for about five minutes. There was an impressive range of styles. Many poets read pieces with high diction, making it a bit difficult to follow along and actually understand the poems. This is often a problem with poetry readings. An ethereal, airy tone accompanied about 60% of the poems read, so dramatically different readers like Jeff [last name] were a welcome change of pace.
Jeff read one poem that seemed to be a dialogue about, among other things, cookies, that was very funny. Another poet read a piece she had written about her experiences with her friends at David Bowie concerts when she was younger. Though these were lighthearted and less intense than many of the poems read, most were serious, almost urgent. In this vein, no one was better than Seth Abramson, the last reader of the first half of poets.
Seth’s introduction included the phrase, “But seriously, Seth is better than all of us,” which prompted a roar of laughter from the audience. Seth is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School, and soon will have his MFA in poetry from Iowa. He is a widely published and highly decorated poet. His final poem addressed the homeless and the meek, ending with an extremely moving, powerful line that went something like “Please god, let us be good to each other.”
Another poet shared a story as a preface to his poem entitled “Sword Swallowing.” He explained his first day being workshopped at Iowa. He had brought the poem in, which he explained was about marriage. He wrote it after his divorce. Another poet in the workshop, a woman from South America, asked, “Isn’t a sword, like, a phallic symbol?” This was funny.
In conclusion, it was funny. Everyone did a good job. A+. Candy.
By Tony Flesher
