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.
