Rachel's Paideia Blog

Off-Campus Event: Poetry Reading

A little bit over a month ago I went to my first poetry reading ever. Aside from writing ironic little haikus on occasion, I'll be the first so admit that I did not like poetry at all. It was always my least favorite part about each of my English classes in high school. Maybe my style of writing isn't so concise--I'm all about telling a story, and I've felt that poetry lacked that. So a friend dragged me along to this poetry reading at one of our favorite coffee spots, Bouldin Creek Cafe on South First street. I've spent a lot of time at Bouldin in the last several years and was actually familiar with a lot of the poets reading. And I actually enjoyed it! For once in my life I was able to appreciate words for their beauty and fluidity, not just for the story they told. It was such a unique perspective! One poet read about his experience with homelessness, but rather than simply telling the listeners exactly what this experience was, he was able to capture the feelings of his struggle in such a way that I felt was infinitely more appropriate and more telling. It truly conveyed his emotions in a way that I was not prepared for. It was so moving! It was really beautiful.
After hearing this poetry, I thought it might be a good idea to read some poetry on my own. A friend let me borrow a book, John Berger's And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief As Photos, after I told him about a paper I was working on for class, and it contained so much writing that I loved, including poetry. I finally learned to give this style of writing a chance, and to actually enjoy it. Maybe I'll start writing my own poems next.

posted by Rachel @ 2:39 PM