I am glad Creeley, or any poet, helped launch you, or anyone
in poetry. I am glad that you liked his reading.
Three people have disagreed with me, which does not mean
he was not terrible when I read with him, but it means he was
good at other times. I did not contradict them.
I walked out on Heaney. He was bored and it came across
as he spoke to a full house of an Ivy League university.
Tom
>I'm sort of with Doug here, Tom. Not only because it was one of
>his readings way back in the mid-sixties that launched me into
>the writing of poetry, but because I heard him do quite a nice
>reading in Baltimore just a few (well, maybe several) years ago.
>Maybe you could tell us just how he was terrible.
>
>Hal
>
>{ I wish I had been there with you to hear Creeley. I was reading
>{ on the same program that he was. (I will not vouch for my own
>{ reading.) He, honestly, was terrible. But, perhaps I am being
>{ unfair to him and should allow him an off night?
>{
>{ Tom
>{
>{ >Although I'm not a great fan of Heaney & am a great fan of Creeley, I
>{ >must disagree about both, at least in terms of my experience. The time
>{ >I've heard Heaney read I enjoyed his presence & his reading, but have
>{ >to add that most of the audience were also in a worshipping mode. The
>{ >one time I heard Creeley read, to an audience of about a thousand, he
>{ >turned that huge crowd into a couple of people across a small table in
>{ >someone's living room, & presented a sense of intimacy that was
>{ >amazing. Indeed, that is one of the greatest readings I have ever
>{ >attended, & I have attended a lot.
>{ >
>{ >I do agree that it helps if you know some of the poet's work, even if
>{ >not the poems s/he is reading that day.
>{ >
>{ >Doug
>{ >On 6-Mar-05, at 5:46 AM, Thomas Fallon wrote:
>{ >
>{ >>If I am hearing a poem for the first time, I have a difficult time
>{ >>understanding it as it is read by the poet. It is there and then
>{ >>gone. The spoken word does fly. I do not have the necessary
>{ >>time to think about the poem which has some depth of thought
>{ >>so I lose the poem completely.
>{ >>
>{ >>Most poets I've heard, including Seamus Heaney and Robert
>{ >>Creeley, do not read well. I don't really care if they do, but
>{ >>think they should educate themselves for their readers' sake.
>{ >>You expect poor readers at open mikes, but not on the
>{ >>international level.
>{ >>
>{ >>The two best poets I've heard introduced each poem well and
>{ >>read only short poems which did not have great depth of thought.
>{ >>They were not poems lacking in quality, however, and the poets'
>{ >>reading did enhance the poems.
>{ >>
>{ >>I have only enjoyed reading myself with a group with whom I am
>{ >>familiar. I do not mean close friends. I have definitely benefited
>{ >>from all my readings with the changes because of the changes
>{ >>I have made to the poems, even as I read.
>{ >>
>{ >>Tom
>{ >>
>{ >>>Thanks Alison.
>{ >>>
>{ >>>The poetry reading is beginning to strike me as a very strange art
>{ >>>form.
>{ >>> For years I didn't enjoy them but I went anyway. Then I heard Alan
>{ >>>Dugan. Now I'm interested but mostly more to see the
>{ >>>behavior/approach
>{ >>>of the poet. Generally I can't really follow/hear the poetry that
>{ >>>well.
>{ >>> It's a very strange art form: the poet is almost a sacred relic of
>{ >>>the
>{ >>>poetry. That's the only excuse. Mercifully it's short. Also: the
>{ >>>poetry audience is unusual in that it's very heavy on poets, sometimes
>{ >>>exclusively
>{ >>>so. Sometimes readings give me time to think. Yet I love doing them
>{ >>>myself. Still I think they're hard enough to enjoy. I'm actually
>{ >>>quite
>{ >>>afraid of the audience when I'm attending a reading, but not when I'm
>{ >>>reading myself.
>{ >>>
>{ >>>Mairead
>{ >>>
>{ >>>>>> [log in to unmask] 03/05/05 7:20 PM >>>
>{ >>>On 6/3/05 3:08 AM, "Mairead Byrne" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>{ >>>
>{ >>>> Bob Perelman & Mairead Byrne read in Mike Gizzi & Mike Magee's
>{ >>>DownCity
>{ >>>> Series at Tazza, Westminster Street, on Tuesday March 8th at 7pm.
>{ >>>>
>{ >>>> The Poetry Reading -- I mean what *is* that about???
>{ >>>
>{ >>>Have fun, Mairead - would love to be there.
>{ >>>
>{ >>>And what _is_ it about? Any ideas?
>{ >>>
>{ >>>Best
>{ >>>
>{ >>>A
>{ >>>
>{ >>>
>{ >>>Alison Croggon
>{ >>>
>{ >>>Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
>{ >>>Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
>{ >>>Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
>{ >>
>{ >>
>{ >>--
>{ >>Visit the Maine Poetry website for classic and contemporary
>{ >>Maine poets, poems, books, etc. - http://www.mainepoetry.com
>{ >>
>{ >
>{ >
>{ >Douglas Barbour
>{ >Department of English
>{ >University of Alberta
>{ >Edmonton Alberta T6G 2E5 Canada
>{ >(780) 436 3320
>{ >http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/dbhome.htm
>{ >
>{ >care to be more
>{ >precise about whatever
>{ >it is you are
>{ >saying, I said
>{ >
>{ > Bill Manhire
>{
>{
>{ --
>{ Visit the Maine Poetry website for classic and contemporary
>{ Maine poets, poems, books, etc. - http://www.mainepoetry.com
--
Visit the Maine Poetry website for classic and contemporary
Maine poets, poems, books, etc. - http://www.mainepoetry.com
|