Winter with the Writers

For the last two weeks I've enjoyed Rollins College's Winter with the Writers.

Last week Andrea Barrett read from her collections of prose inspired by the age of science. The characters are so fully and organically presented against the milieu of 19th century and early 20th century scientific discussion . . . that you forget the content is fiction. Amazing! And Ms. Barrett is both a gracious reader, author (signing many books generously), and guest. It was a pleasure to meet her, however briefly . . . and I highly recommend her books: Ship Fever & Servants of the Map.

This week, in addition to a reading, I attended the welcome reception for Kay Ryan at the Cornell Museum of Fine Art. (As an aside, the Rollins Cornell museum has an amazing collection of 19th century still life . . . and 20th century Soviet propaganda posters on display. Polar extremes equally rich with inspiration!)

Back to Kay Ryan: I'd heard Ms Ryan speak at the Key West Literary Seminar in early January, and was delighted I could enjoy a repeat performance in my home town of Orlando, Florida.

I was extremely self-conscious to show up alone, to a University which I did not attend . . . and to a social mixer with total strangers (including the Mayor of Winter Park, the College President, poet Bill Collins, etc). Add to the fact, that they served wine and sticky cheese in a Fine Art Museum . . . and I was holding my breath to see what antics would ensue.

I did remake my acquaintance with Kay Ryan briefly. She was very kind, waxing happily about her experience in Key West. I felt she very generously gave her focus while we talked . . . which is a nice memory to have of a poet laureate, when you yourself are an aspiring poet. Amid our discussion the Program Director ripped her away to talked with others (read as wealthy donors) . . . so that is all I have to tell.

I was glad I returned to hear her read again. The difference in venues, lighting, and acoustics enabled me to absorb more of her connotation, between the linguistic tricks of rhyme and pun. While before I found her to be clever and engaging . . . for some reason tonight, I was impacted by the passive profundity of many of her poems (reminiscent in style to James Tate - also discovered at the Key West Literary Seminar).

The Rollins crowd adored her. Putty - in - her - hands! She kept us all laughing, and then made us sad when the panel discussion finally wrapped up.

Kudos go out to poet and professor Carol Frost, for curating and managing an amazing lecture series . . . and to Rollins college, for making these rich literary evenings available to the public. After so many years in my self-imposed wilderness . . . I am now swimming in literati! Wonderful!