For those of you who would like to attend one or more of the Charles Olson centenary events and write about it to recover credit for missed blog posts or to replace a future blog post requirement can find the schedule of events here (Olson100.blogspot.com) and can post discussion thoughts in the comment box below.
You might also check out this -- where Malden High School students talk about Charles Olson and his poetry. It's especially interesting because the students have a lot to say about Gloucester and how Olson uses Gloucester in his poems.
The Gloucester’s Charles Olson Centennial events are not just a great way to adventure back to the work of a great poetry but also an opportunity to experience history, past discussions and thoughts that are no longer in the mainstream. It made me see poetry in so many ways and encouraged my belief that poetry is true creation and the most obvious form of art in literature. It also showed me that poetry is just as much a problem that must be solved as an answer that must be created.
ReplyDeleteAt Vincent Ferrini house I experienced a diverse show of very interesting poems and from diverse and very very interesting people. I felt overwhelmed in a crowded room of sophisticated people who knew more about the local poets than experts in the highest places. Yet this awkward uncomfortable feeling I felt was soothed every time words were spoken because I was overwhelmed more by the ideas that came from each poem. Some of them were thoughts of events of my life others were relating it to previous poems and sometimes it was just funny and all I could do was laugh. The people and setting were what made the experience feel foreign to me but they were also what made every word from each poem come to life and be driven into you with a love, passion, knowledge, and spirit.
At the bookstore my mind could not even handle the level of debate and analyzation of poetry. It was something that I have experienced and seen before in our class discussions yet it was something I really can’t compare anything too. They took the understanding of literature to a level I did not know existed. Some of their ideas of the poems were poetry themselves. People had such a drive to understand and to help input the thoughts and the facts of the poems all together, to come to not a fully understanding or reasoning to anything, but to at least seek further ideas and questions that have been left untouched for many years. It was reflection to the history of Gloucester, the relations of Gloucester, the people of Gloucester and the great pieces of work that have been created in Gloucester. The sense of Charles Olson and what he was and wanted was something that was explored significantly and a lot of what people said was even compressed because of the limited time. If they blogged we couldn't call ourselves varsity english unless they were to be called the all-star pro-poets. To see people discuss something that they did not just read but that they have known forever, have lived with, have pursued, was something that really stimulated and overwhelmed me.
The poetry was so great but the experience was what made it so great. It was so real and the people that talked had such a passion and love for the poets, the community, poetry and the search for a better understanding.
In attending poetry readings/reflections the past two nights, I found myself thrust into a hidden culture of Gloucester I never knew existed. The passion that circulated throughout the room was heightened by the intense conversation shared between the many great minds of the audience (not to mention the pair proctoring the whole event). It was quite reminiscent of the conversations that my A Block counterparts and I dive into on a daily basis, but on a significantly more profound scale. Every word, every connotation, simply everything about each poem was dissected and examined; I was in a room full of poetic surgeons who were performing a sort of biopsy on the deceased words of Charles Olsen. Clashing personalities created a playfully competitive atmosphere where every argument was open to criticism; every stereotypical character was present in the crowd. The person who likes the sound of their own voice was there, along with the one who sits quietly in the back, watching, waiting for the right moment to disprove and contradict others’ opinions, and so on and so forth. Admittedly, it was a chore keeping up with the discussion and the thoughts expressed by the other attendants around me, but the overall experience helped to enhance what I already knew to be true. One of Charles Olsen’s beliefs rested upon the value of a well rounded individual, that the benefits were worth the hard work and sacrifice put into achieving such an education. Why should I continue to confine myself within just one aspect of Gloucester’s diverse culture, when I can have a foot in multiple worlds? I may go watch the Fishermen battle Salem Friday night in the much anticipated weekly football game, then Sunday take a walk around town and immerse myself in the rich artistic culture that Gloucester has hidden from me for many years. (or perhaps I have hidden it from myself?) More or less, all that REALLY matters is that through the discovery of new and exciting activities, I may finally be able to fully appreciate the importance of location and its undeniable connection between identity and sense of self.
ReplyDeleteVisiting the poetry reading at the Writers Center was a very surprising and informative event. It felt a little odd to be there, in a room with mostly older writers or artists, while the other students and I stood out like sore thumbs. Even when the writers began reading the poetry I had no idea what to expect. One thing that surprised me was that after every phrase, line, or poem that happened to satisfy those listening people would make an “mmm” so sound effect. It sounded as though a room of people were enjoying a savory meal. Also I was shocked at the actual poems read, I never realized the sense of humor that these poets had in their writing. Expecting the poems to be serious and calm it was refreshing to hear funny and sometimes vulgar lines. Since I had never researched poets like Vincent Ferrini I had no idea he had such light hearted funny poems. Overall it was a cool experience to see more personality of these poets through their poems, and to a general culture of the people that are so interested and enthusiastic about these poets.
ReplyDelete