What’s a good thing to do when you’re tired after a long day of work and/or school? While most people might decide to grab take-out or watch TV for hours, another great way to take a load off from the day is something a bit more off the beaten path-it’s a poetry reading. At Duff’s Restaurant on August 19th, River Styx presented the last of their Hungry Young Poets series, which proved to be quite the success with personal readings and a filled-to-capacity audience in a great atmosphere.
Duff’s Restaurant provided the optimal location for the poets to get up and express themselves, as the atmosphere was both casual and friendly. Although the stage was framed by the front window, it never felt as though the poets were on display, but rather as though the front window was a place of clarity, a place where the poets could express their thoughts. The large tables and dark wood recall a library, but a very cozy and comfortable one, as people chatted and the taps flowed to the smooth sounds of the group Languid before the readings were underway.
Most poetry readings tend to be open-minded affairs, but this one felt particularly accepting. Perhaps that was due to its River Styx background-after all, the literary magazine has supported and published local poets and other artists throughout its nearly 30 year history. Of the poets that River Styx has either published or included in its events, several have gone on to produce extensive, award-winning works. By supporting home-grown talent, the River Styx series possesses both the thrill of discovery and of growth.
As impressive as River Styx’s long history of working among writers in the St. Louis community was the evening’s billing-six poets with different backgrounds, different styles, and a variety of subject matter in their works. The informal setup was a podium with a light , and a sound system so those people in the back booths could hear the poets’ words, and this coupled with the informal introductions set the stage for readings where there was no wall between poet and audience, resulting in an experience that was profoundly personal.
Hillary Dorwart, a Denison junior, began the evening with readings of her prose poems, most of which involved childhood memories. Her introductions before each poem were like confidences to the audience, forging a strong bond that would last the rest of the evening. Dorwart’s poems were like short vignettes about many subjects, including the desire to feel one with others. She portrayed this sentiment very well, especially in her poem “Empty Again,” a bittersweet story concerning a friend who struggles with anorexia. Her poignant reading was followed by that of Jim Mense, a poet who, River Styx editor Richard Newman joked, was not young enough to be a Hungry Young Poet, but rather was just “hungry for attention.” His poems, described by Newman as “tender, poignant, and mischievous,” often voiced a father-son theme, as in “Hand Fishing,” a poem which recalls Mense’s childhood fishing with his father, but also questions the purpose and meaning of such activities. His reading ended on a humorous note with “My Private Apollo 13,” a parody of the movie, and an entertaining “Drunken Notes.” The title explains it all.
Ida McCall’s poems followed Mense, and once again the difference was impressive. McCall, a graduate of Washington University’s MFA program, deals often with the stability found in instability, including in her poem “Crash,” a piece that describes an accident and the potential repetition of that accident. The poem was both compelling and moving.
After a musical interlude by Languid, three more poets took the stage, and the differences between their styles and content were once again astonishing. Aaron Beltz’s poems consisted of “narmal” (pronounced with that great St. Louis accent) and “whack” categories. His “narmal” poems included such play on words as “The And,” a work referring to that troublesome three-letter word, although his most interesting works were in the “whack” section, with titles like “Slam Dunk” and “Why I Stole Your Dog-Shaped Coaster.” It was both difficult and entertaining to follow Beltz’s reasoning.
Eric Baggett provided a great contrast with his nature-based poems, which were beautifully descriptive of the scene while exploring deeper themes. One of his most vivid poems, “Honeymoon” contains the coupling of the excitement of the honeymoon night with the darkening shadow of waning love. And last, but certainly not least, Carrie Robb, also a graduate of the MFA program, read from her works, including a series of poems based off movie lines found in such flicks as Psycho and To Have and Have Not.
What I found most impressive about this last Hungry Young Poets evening was the poets’ desire and willingness to share their most personal stories and emotions with their audience, as well as their resourcefulness. For them, it is possible to come across a random object (in Robb’s case, a Field Guide to the Sasquatch in a Washington bookstore) and draw out of it something meaningful. With their desire coupled with their abilities, here’s hoping that these hungry young poets will succeed, as well as never lose their talent to tell a story in a myriad of ways.