Stephanie Lenox, Exploring strangeness in the voice of the other

In November 2012 Stephanie Lenox was one of the featured poets at Linfield College Nicholson Library's “Readings at the Nick” events.  She talked about and read from her book “Congress Of Strange People” recently published by Airlie Press.

Lenox co-edits Blood Orange Review and teaches poetry at Willamette University.  She is a member of the nonprofit publishing collective Airlie Press which is dedicated to cultivating excellent contemporary poetry

Lenox says her book “Congress Of Strange People” is about her ascination with strangeness of all types.  One of the methods of her exploration of strangeness is to write in the persona of the stranger. This poetic exercise in empathy provides an extraordinary gift.  Lenox seeks to push her empathetic powers to the extreme by choosing to engage the personas of Guinness World Record holders.   

Lenox projects her poetic voice to the perspective of some familiar and some very strange people. Empathy is an essential human quality.  Lenox’s poetry moves into the center of another human experience.  She brings us along with her.  We connect to that strangeness, we feel empathy and we recognize our common humanity, all of which are the real gifts of the poems in “Congress of Strange People”.

After talking about her book, Lenox reads “The Heart That Lies Outside the Body”.  Watching and listening to her read this poem brings you the full gift of her poetic empathy.

Chris Anderson: Poetry as Spiritual Practice

Poet Chris Anderson read from his book “The Next Thing Always Belongs” at a Reading At the Nick series in the Linfield College Nicholson Library. Anderson is a member of the cooperative press Airlie Press. 

It seems poetry is almost exclusively read on a page (paper or electronic) in the privacy of our own minds.  The poem comes to us in the sound of our voice and to our personal cadences and rhythms. The experience of poetry has not been and is not now a solitary internal affair of reading.  Throughout history poetry has been a literary performance art.  Seeing and hearing a poet present their work gives an appreciation and an understanding of the person and their poetry which a page cannot approach.

Chris Anderson demonstrates there can be a fusion of prose and poetry.  He took a break from reading from his book to say he has been thinking about what poetry means.  He moves from that question to saying that for him poetry is a kind of spiritual practice.  He then begins spiral up catching rhetorical thermals by Anthony DeMello and keeps going up with lifts from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, until he is at the apex.  Still.  Ready.  Then he folds his wings, an Osprey plunging towards a glimmer just under the surface.  He concludes “the moment is precious because it is so fragile, so small, so fleeting.”  

Anderson shows all of the poet’s art.  The value of filming is that you can experience for yourself Chris Anderson taking you from wondering about the value of poetry to the fragility of the moment.  He follows his homily, as he called it, with a new poem "Crazy Cake".    

William Stafford Birthday Celebration

Bill Stafford

    Every year for the past several years in January all across Oregon Friends of William Stafford hold poetry readings.  We filmed our third Stafford poetry event at Nicholson Library on the Linfield College Campus.  A one hour TV show we will take to McMinnville Community Media tomorrow.  I like the Stafford Celebration readings because I get to hear different folks read Stafford's poems and their own work. 

    Here in Yamhill County the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County has sponsored the Paper Gardens Writing Contest for children and adults.  This is its 19th year.  William Stafford was the first judge of Paper Gardens.

    Next I'll edit the individual poet readings.  A one hour show is okay for Community Media TV, they are desperate for local content, and we are happy to be able to provide it.  But shorter individual poet readings is much better for the internet.