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Poet speaks of transformation By Allison Kowalski Author David Kirby was part of the English department’s Writer’s Forum presentation Wednesday, April 9 in the New York Room in Cooper Hall. Kirby was an excellent addition to this semester’s Writer’s Forum because his pieces include diverse ranges of emotions including laughter. Co-director of the Writer’s Forum Anne Panning perfectly described Kirby with a quote by Henry James: “He is the sort of writer on whom nothing is lost.” Panning described Kirby as a voracious reader who writes more than 35 book reviews every year. The author keeps extremely busy with his own research, book talks, traveling and teaching as well. The intriguing thing about Kirby is his ability to find stories in everyday objects like statues in parks or a song, Panning said. He turns these ordinary items into poems, which in turn reveal deep, thought-provoking images and ideas. One thing in Kirby’s pieces that stand out from other writers is his humor. “[His] poems tell good, imaginative stories that take place in chuckles,” Panning said. Typically, poetry does not provoke laughter or sarcasm, but Kirby’s poetry often has those unusual and untraditional elements. Kirby’s relatable and deep poetry won him numerous awards. The author of more than 20 books, one of his more current books, The House on Boulevard St.: New and Selected Poems, was a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award. Kirby was generous enough to share some of his award-winning poetry to students, faculty, staff and community members. A variety of his poems are based from places he visited while traveling as well as people in his life. The first poem Kirby read to the audience was “The Winter Dance Party,” which is named for the famous 1959 bus tour of Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts and Ritchie Valens. The music artists traveled by a tour bus that had a broken heating system, causing the artists to live in painful and cold conditions. The poem takes place in Valencia, Spain where Kirby spent time teaching years ago. The poem begins with a dog wearing a lampshade and a man on a street corner. Deeply depressed and itching to get rid of the lampshade around his neck, the dog imploringly asks other dogs to bite it off for him. However, the dogs ignore him and they trot by, not giving him the time of day. Desperate for freedom, the dog imploringly looks at the man, who is eating burritos, to bite off the lampshade. The plight of the dog and the harsh conditions of the artists in the 1959 bus tour coincide well because all want something to make them feel physically better. Another poem Kirby read was “The World Premiere of Talking about Movies with Jesus.” The poem is set in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France with a description of a statue of Mary, Queen of Scots, who resides there. “My Jesus doesn’t hate people,” Kirby said. While Kirby and Jesus are talking, Kirby sees Edgar Allan Poe come out of a building in the gardens. Kirby thinks Poe is dead, but Jesus said no. Kirby then asks if they are real or in a movie and Jesus gives him a question to his answer, not a definite answer. Overall, Kirby’s poems have the ability to transform an every day item such as a dog or statue that transforms into complex, yet interesting revelations for readers. Though Kirby’s poems are comical and satirical, they have strong, powerful and insightful undertones to which people can relate. |
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