The "Dead Poets" reading on Sunday was a great success. Of the other poets being read, I had only known of Charles Bruce, and then only peripherally. I enjoyed something in all of the readings, and was particularly taken with Bruce and Nâzım Hikmet.
Hikmet was a political prisoner in Turkey for much of this adult life, and his work held a condensed and focused power similar to that of fellow political-prisoner-poets Visar Zhiti (Albania) and, to a lesser extent, the recently deceased Dennis Brutus (South Africa).
Bruce's lines were dense and pleasurable - the title of this post comes from Bruce's poem "10954H" from his book The Mulgrave Road, excerpts of which were republished in an online chapbook by Vehicule Press, which can be read here.
Personally, my reading of Purdy's poems went well (I stuck to the set list I mentioned), and I managed to raise some money for the A-Frame Trust by selling copies of The A-Frame Anthology and the movie Yours, Al. (I still have a few of each left over, if you're interested).
Thanks to all the readers for their generous introductions to new/old poets! And thanks to David and the Sunday Afternoon Poetry Group for putting it all together, and letting me participate.
A photo of the readers (one of few groups I'm photographed in that makes me look tall):
Hikmet was a political prisoner in Turkey for much of this adult life, and his work held a condensed and focused power similar to that of fellow political-prisoner-poets Visar Zhiti (Albania) and, to a lesser extent, the recently deceased Dennis Brutus (South Africa).
Bruce's lines were dense and pleasurable - the title of this post comes from Bruce's poem "10954H" from his book The Mulgrave Road, excerpts of which were republished in an online chapbook by Vehicule Press, which can be read here.
Personally, my reading of Purdy's poems went well (I stuck to the set list I mentioned), and I managed to raise some money for the A-Frame Trust by selling copies of The A-Frame Anthology and the movie Yours, Al. (I still have a few of each left over, if you're interested).
Thanks to all the readers for their generous introductions to new/old poets! And thanks to David and the Sunday Afternoon Poetry Group for putting it all together, and letting me participate.
A photo of the readers (one of few groups I'm photographed in that makes me look tall):
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