Last Wednesday, I had the honor of attending a Charles Wright Poetry Reading! As an English major and poetry enthusiast, this night was comparable to the experience of getting tickets to a championship game for a sports' fan.
The seats were filled with many students only there to get extra credit points in their English courses, and I was met with strange glances at my repeated ramblings of "I'm so excited! Oh my gosh, we're in the same room as a poet laureate! I'm just so excited!"
As he read, I scribbled some thoughts and my favorite lines in my trusted journal. However, I'm having some difficulty forming a cohesive statement regarding my feelings for the entire night because his poetry covers such a range of emotions and experiences. So, I will just make a few suggestions of his poems that everyone should read.
- "Black Zodiac"
- "Bedtime Story"
- "Appalachian Book of the Dead" (There's a few of these)
- "Black and Blue"
- "Shadow and Smoke"
- "California Dreaming"
- "Closer I Walk With Thee"
Actually, I plan on reading everything he's written. Those are just some good ones that he read or I already knew of. Also, listen to his interviews on NPR, read articles about him, celebrate the fact that East Tennessee produced one of America's best poets!
Thank you, Charles Wright, for reminding me that in the middle of all the chaos of college days and the discouraging news I read every day, that a good poem makes my heart and mind feel so much jazz. I don't know how else to say it. I won't give up on something that has such an impact.
I wish I could write more, but I must study for a Latin test taking place tomorrow morning.
Until Next Time or as the Romans would say "In Proximum",
Maddie
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