Live poets society
I arrive late, the event organizer is going through the ritual of introducing a poet, who is going to shortly do a live a reading of their work. Sat on a bench, are two other poets who will shortly get their turns, one of them is known to me and has a slightly edgy pensive look. People are scattered incongruously around the sizable cave of a Scottish pub, which is named aptly the "Highlander". Somebody has obviously trawled second hand shops or perhaps film props to make for some kind of authenticity, however this place seems an ample setting for poetry readings, despite the fact that the reader has to make a commendable effort to hear themselves heard, there is no kind of amplification to help them. There is a stage at least to make their presence extenuated. I take in a few moments to draw in the people in a surroundings, I no well, where I have Djed in the past. The pub used to be run by a man with an almost clichéd Scottish name "Jimmy" who believe it or not drank a lot and was not always the best of people to have to deal with, when doing an event at the Highlander, he also used to like to dabble himself in Djing skills. The event has been quite a long standing event, of fifteen years but I have been drawn to it by a friend, with a colorful past and a talent for entertaining, witty and meaningful poetry. Her name is Nina Zivancevic and the other two poets are Sue Chenette and John Noonan. The event goes under the banner of the "live poets society" which refashions
The name of a fantastic film, the "dead poets society". The mastermind behind this event is John Kliphan, who insists in his publicity "the society does not exist,
the poets exist, the listeners exist, the live readings exist.. But there is no "Society". There are no membership cards. There are no dues. and the only meetings are the poetry readings themselves." The purpose according to John "We are continuing the tradition of spoken poetry, the oral tradition, the tale in front of the fire. You, the audience, are just as important as the poets."
It is true my eyes travel around the audience, they hold just as much fascination as the poetry that is about to unfold.
John says "We believe in poetry as dialogue. We believe in the potency of words to express and communicate human experience. Only some kind of
magic can bridge our essential solitude. Ask your lover. Or ask a
poet. or come to one of our readings and see for yourself. Be part of it.
The poetry is sometimes light and humorous, sometimes profound, sometimes sexy or political or surreal. Sometimes it falls flat on its face. But often enough, it works. The quality is generally very high, and the work presented in a relaxed, unpretentious, communicative atmosphere." The first poet certainly wishes to endear herself to the audience and perhaps reminds me of a cheery aunt somebody might have. There are flutters of polite laughter. She is obviously also well acquainted with the technical aspects of poetry, her poetry is refined, but perhaps for me too slickly packaged. Nina is wearing a sizable scarf. She is introduced after the applause for the previous poet has died down. A brief biography of each poet is given by John, who is sporting a black beret, a trademark accessory to his attire. The other poet seemed comfortable and poised, Nina this tall willowy figure, with a shock of hair that masks her face, dressed smartly as might a high powered business woman, is of a different ilk, but has a raw charm the previous poet, could never possess. She explains, her voice lost somewhat in the vastness of the hall that her poems have a theme running through them "cure". It seems poets, use poetry for different ends. Nina's poetry is just so "Nina". Here is a woman born in Serbia, who has had a colorful life in New York and who is now fighting the constraints she finds she is up against in Paris and French life. She is not somebody whose life runs smoothly or comfortably, she talks of friends taken away from her by AIDS, perhaps it is life's hard lessons that have infused her with wit and resilience and that are behind the poignancy of her work. She bravely says things that others might shy away from and she does not align herself with conventions or the conventional. In her second reading she will read a poem in her mother tongue. Let us not forget, how brave a person must be to stand in front of an audience, so exposed. The poet after Nina, has this casualness. Ill fitting clothes, those similar to a university professor, who loves tweed jackets. He adopts a singing voice, as if accompanying a guitar, whose notes never materialize. He has a long face and is bearded, he would good as a private eye in some dark tale. His poems have nuances that aim to shock. An American has followed a Serbian, who followed a Canadian. He aims to please and titillate and he meanders from being a poet to being a comedian, with his carefree style of presentation. Perhaps his poetry is more pertinent to Americans. People seem to be constantly drifting and are searching to place themselves on bar stools. There is one woman whose voice extends far, in the audience, with pronounced blond hair and a sizable Barack Obama badge pinned to her clothes, making her political allegiances and place of origin open to one and all. Sat near her, in a portable dog basket is a whippet, its limbs making a circular shape. It stirs during the interval and accepts the admiration of all. The order of poets changes, Nina steps up and seems invigorated. The American poet serves up more of the same, with same casualness and the Canadian poet, whose first session had some flippancy, in her second session focuses on her father's death. Among the crowd are other poets, some to my slight consternation seem to be writing things into note books, while the poets do their readings. Are they usung this time to cement their own ideas?
People file out of the pub. Another Live poets night has been put to rest. It has been enjoyed by the incongruous crowd. During the course of the evening Nina introduced me to various people, including a young looking artist, who does some explicit erotic art. This added another nuance to the proceedings.
