The best thing about a poetry festival or conference is the opportunity
to connect with fellow poets that are special in your life. Split This
Rock Poetry Festival was fun because I got to hangout with my friend Jan
Beatty.The author of RED SUGAR, she gave a wonderful reading last
night,with fellow poets Jeffrey McDaniel, Natalie Illum,and Quincy
Troupe.McDaniel is just crazy good. He has four books of poetry out.I
plan to buy -THE ENDARKENMENT next week. I'm not down to sock money yet.
Yesterday morning at THE SPLIT I was on a panel with John Rosenwald,Lee
Sharkey and Jody Bolz. This was a lit-date between the editors of Beloit
Poetry Journal and Poet Lore. The session was well attended and
consisted of an excellent exchange between poets.Our topic was "What
Makes Effective Political Poetry? Editors' Perspectives." I raised three
points:
1.What are the politics of the editors?
2.What do we mean by the word effective?
3.What do we want a poem to do?
Lee Sharkey handed out a list of quotes by writers who had addressed the
issue of political poetry. The one I liked the best was by John Berger:
Every authentic poem contributes to the labour of poetry…to bring
together what life has separated or violence has torn apart…Poetry can
repair no loss, but it defies the space which separates. And it does
this by its continual labor of reassembling what has been
scattered.("The Hour of Poetry")
So, I said goodbye to Jan Beatty on the bus earlier today. She wanted to
go hear the DC Youth Slam Team Finals.
I headed home with a poem in my head.I was a happy poet. It had been a
good week. Now after Saturday, must come a Sunday kind of love.
"Don't you hear this hammer ring?
I'm gonna split this rock
And split it wide!
When I split this rock,
Stand by my side.
-Langston Hughes