Eva Antonel
When's the last time you experienced
poetry? Not long ago, I bet. I learned this
curious fact in Mr. Creede's grade 11 English
class. When most of us came prepared to read
and analyze, Mr. Creede turned on the record
player (it was 1976) and cranked up the
volume on a Neil Young song. We listened to
Old Man with sheepish amusement
wondering what the catch was. There was no
catch. We were listening to poetry, he said.
After that day, the world of poetry took
on a whole new meaning. No longer were we
limited to Keats and Frost but realized that
listening to the likes of Neil Young and Joni
Mitchell was just as cool as being able to
recite Shakespeare. That watching a movie,
appreciating a painting, looking through the
view finder of a camera or weaving together
several strands of yarn, was experiencing
poetry too. He could have just as easily
opened the window on that cold November
day and let the wind slap our bored faces. I
assumed that everyone else was just as
shocked, but most likely, there were only a
handful of us that were jolted into the
possibilities. Poetry, he told us, was a way of
seeing the world.
"Poets live among us," someone once
said, and that is what I continue to discover
every single day. Even in a mid-size city such
as ours, there are dozens of poets that
continue to document our lives with their
own brand of insight and originality. On any
given day, you're able to take in a poetry or
book reading, a screening of an independent
film, an exhibit of art work in a myriad of
forms, listen to a local band or offer up your
own unique take on the world at an open
mike.
You don't have to be a beatnik or even
own a dashiki to appreciate written poetry.
Chances are, if you listen to music or read
other forms of fiction, you are well prepared
to enter the world of verse. There are
numerous volumes to begin or expand your
acquaintance with poetry, available at most
local bookstores. If one expects to trudge
through a lengthy tome of encrypted
existential questions when opening a
contemporary collection of poetry, one would
be gob smacked as well as delighted. Themes
such as life and death run parallel to more
timely ones such as those about coming out,
overcoming addiction or feeling lonely
despite living in a social media saturated
world.
Luckily, November affords you a couple
of opportunities to take in the Cadillac of
poetry experiences. Windsor International
Film Festival takes place November 3-8 with
the majority of films being screened at the
capitol theatre. Also, Poetry at the Manor, a
yearly congregation of poets laureate from
across Ontario, opens its doors to the public
as participating poets share their work and
discuss their unique talents. Did I mention
there will be food? Imagine, Willistead Manor
decked out in all its finery, food, drink and
the poets who live among us. Someone
should write a song about that.
Check out the websites for
schedules and
information!
WIFF
Poetry at the Manor
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November 2015 - The HUB 9