Poetry reading to celebrate art form

Friday, three critically acclaimed poets from across the country will gather on campus to share their original works at The Blue Light Reading sponsored by Indiana Review in partnership with Canvas Creative Arts Magazine and IU’s College Arts and
Humanities Institute.

The Blue Light Reading will feature Curtis Bauer, author of “Fence Line” (2004); Erika Meitner, author of “Ideal Cities” (2010); and Steve Scafidi, author of “For Love of Common Words” (2006).  The reading will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Indiana Memorial Union University Club.

Indiana Review Editor Alessandra Simmons first conceived of the poetry reading as a way of connecting the greater Bloomington community with the vibrant literary scene on campus.

“I hope it will bring people together to celebrate art and to have a continued dialog about the role of poetry in the community,” Simmons said.  

Simmons acknowledged it can be hard to get people excited about poetry but added that she hopes this reading will bring a new enthusiasm to readers and audience members.

Scafidi, a cabinetmaker, agreed that it can be difficult to connect audiences to poetry. But Scafidi went on to say that he feels there is still a “primal need” for poetry.

“I think often the need for poetry plays out in watching a wren flicker in a redbud tree or feeling the approach of a summer storm or dancing to an old Michael Jackson song,” Scafidi said.

Bauer, who teaches at Texas Tech, supported this claim.

“Poetry seems to be living in the people I’m around,” he said. “It’s a surprising bit of beauty in an otherwise drab place.”

Meitner, who teaches at Virginia Tech and remembers the 2007 campus shootings vividly, said poetry can be a way of healing a community. She recalled a poem that was read at a rally just after the shootings.

“To write (a poem) that, after such a massive tragedy, managed to pull an entire community together is an amazing accomplishment and one of the best uses of poetry there is,” Meitner said.

As for what poetry will accomplish at The Blue Light Reading, Simmons said she is hoping for the best.

“I want it to be a celebration,” she said.

The event is free and open to the public.