1. Rachel Voorhees
Class period 3
2. Name of the poets:
There were many poets that read at this event. Some of their names were Marene Holter, Florin Nielson, Kirsten Scott, Peter Saunders and many others.
3. Location and date of the reading:
The reading took place on April 25th at the City Library.
4. Organization sponsoring the reading
This event was sponsored by the Utah Humanities Counsel to provide for the continuation of the Annual Favorite Poem Projects. This was the 2nd.
5. Find out as much as possible about the poet of poets presenting the reading before you go. If possible, read some of the poetry by the poet(s). Tell me what you found out and what you thought of the poetry.
All of those that read were either very experienced and famous for their poetry and other writings or they were making their first poetry reading appearance. I did not know who was going to be reading before hand so I wasn’t able to research their works before going. But finding about what they each have accomplished before they read gave me a larger appreciation for them and I found myself more into listening to them because I realized that they were professional and passionate about poetry. It must have taken a lot of dedication and hard work to get where they are today.
6. Discuss the kind of poetry the poet writes. What themes are important to his/her work? Are there images that recur in more than one poem? What is the tone of the poetry? What sort of formal devices (rhyme, rhythm, figures of speech) does the poet use?
There are scenarios and similarities in why they read the poem that they did. Some would reoccur through out the poetry that was read. I think it is interesting that many of the poems were about animals. I think that people connect with animals. These types of figures of speech describe feelings from another prospective. Sometimes stories are implied but not bluntly stated. Each poet spoke rhythmically and gave each poem a new mood. For example there was one read by a girl named Claudia Bilingnal. Her poem was about how language doesn’t need to be a dividing power. It was about a father that wanted Spanish to be spoken in the home, and English to be left outside of the home and the frustrations it caused for the daughter. The way she read portrayed the emotions of anger and frustration. Different culture’s poetry was also read, which I thought was very interesting to listen to and try to understand.
7. Comment on how the poet’s reading contributes to your appreciation of the poetry. Does the poet emphasize the rhythmical or musical qualities of his/her poetry in the oral interpretation?
I loved the creativity in the way a poet speaks. It flows beautifully and its almost like singing. The rhythms go faster or slower and is always moving. Poets know exactly when to read quicker or slower. Their pauses enhanced the poem. The way they read is very much like music. The musical terms “phrases”, swells and crescendos, rests and rallentandos all apply. While these things turn notes into music, they also turn words into poetry.
8. If the poet comments on the poems, discuss how those comments illuminate the poems.
Because this event was all about people’s connection to certain poems, the comments that they made were the reason for the whole event and were very important. These poets connected with the poems for many different reasons. Everyone’s life is different, so a poem could mean the world to one person and won’t mean anything to another. Poetry connects to you because of memories, profession, your children, grandchildren, culture, and anything else you experience. One poet read about a pig, and connected it to her son whose favorite animal is a pig. Another read about the anatomy of a frog and said it grabbed his attention because of what his profession was. All of their comments just proved the fact that poetry can run deep in individuals because of they way their life has gone.
9. If the poet is available after the reading, try to ask him/her an interesting question or two.
I wasn’t able to stay after the reading, because I had to rush somewhere right after, but I would have liked to talk to the girl who was in 6th grade that read. I wanted to ask her how she got so far in poetry and what sparked her interest. I think it is great to see kids get into poetry because it seems to be something not very many people are interested in anymore. I hope that schools like hers are teaching about poetry.
10. Go back and read the poet’s work again. How did the poetry reading affect your understanding and appreciation of the poetry?
Instead of looking up a particular poets work, I looked up Florin Nielson, because I was interested in what he does for a living. He teaches the writing of poetry class at the Mount Olympus Senior Center. I thought it was great that he helps people find guides for their lives through poetry. It shows how influential it can be. He said that his youngest student is 65 and his oldest is 95.
11. If you use quotes or paraphrases form outside source in your review, document them according to the MLA Style.
