I understand that. Tom, & appreciate it. And I can bet Heaney might be
bored & sound it. The time I enjoyed him (the times) were a) early in
his career, when he still cared, & b) at a conference partly in his
honour, where anyone, I would think, would be chuffed. I'm not a big
fan, & actually feel that boredom in a lot of his later work. I'm sure
Creeley has given poor readings; I'm sure we all have. But if you like
doing them (I do) & have a good sense of how your poems should sound,
then it should go well (I hope). I do know that in some cases hearing
the poet read his or her own poems has made them finally come alive for
me, & allowed me to go back to all their poetry & get so much more from
it now that I can hear it better....
Doug
On 7-Mar-05, at 7:30 AM, Thomas Fallon wrote:
> 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
>
>
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
|