Day Three: Split This Rock Poetry Festival

Day Three proved to be as rich and powerful as the first two. Amazing. We began Saturday at the Thurgood Marshall Center, one of the sites for workshops. Robert and I picked up Naomi Shihab Nye and went to the 9am workshop called "Iraqi Children Speak." This workshop included poems read by several Iraqi children who now live in a large Iraqi community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They were gorgeous and earnest. Then an Iraqi woman studying at Eastern Mennonite University spoke about her experience of Iraq. She spoke of constant war and fear. Kristi Kramer, the organizer of this group, spoke about the writing club these children are part of -- as well as her experience of marrying into this community. We then broke up into small groups for writing.

Kristi read several prompts and we just kept writing, as we were moved. One of the Iraqi girls joined Robert, Naomi, Janet (a new friend from Northampton, MA) and two others and me in our small group. After writing, we read some of what we wrote, talked about it, and we asked the young girl some questions. We concluded by hearing a few of Kristi Kramer's poems, which were moving.

Then, hungry and not sure when we would have enough of a break to eat, Robert, Naomi, Janet and I sped over to Teaism for a breakfast. This was one more of those special and beautiful in-between things. It wasn't on the schedule but it was more rich conversation and great food!

On return, Naomi, Janet and I attended a workshop led by Susan Tichy, of George Mason University's MFA program. This was on writing the collage poem. As I had no experience of this, it was very interesting to me. I felt like the poem got a good start so maybe it will show up elsewhere one day. Naomi also wrote a beautiful poem, which she said she thought was the beginning of five poems! Maybe we'll see them one day too.

After this workshop, Robert and I headed home for a couple of hours. I returned at 3:00 for a meeting of poets interested in drafting a statement coming out of the festival. More on this perhaps, later.

Then it was back to Busboys & Poets to collect Naomi, Alicia Ostriker, and Janet to get to Bell for the 5:00 and 8:00 readings. As soon as we arrived, we once again found the perfect parking space. (the parking kharma was alive all weekend!) Robert pulled up across the street at the same time, in a great parking spot too. So, in we went for the 5:00 reading.

This reading began with Coleman Barks, whose great southern voice was awesome to hear. He read several beautiful poems about his grandchildren and he read a poem "to" President Bush which he read at the National Cathedral at the beginning of the war. Coleman is the foremost translator of Rumi's poems into English. I told him the night before at dinner, he has given Rumi to more people than did Rumi. He agreed. He read one of Rumi's poem which included the line: "Phrase a question and expect the grace of an answer." Beautiful.

Lucille Clifton was sick and did not attend, so each of the poets for this reading, read one of her poems.

Then Pamela Uschuk, from Colorado read several beautiful, narrative poems. She remembered her father's blacklisting back in the 1950s. Her book "Finding Peaches in the Desert" is gorgeous.

Finally Belle Waring, a D.C. poet and nurse, read her poems. Very rich and haunting, life and death standing side by side.

We had some time for dinner there at Bell High School again. So another chance to chat and connect. I had a nice conversation with Mary Morris, one of the first readers for the Split This Rock Poetry Prize. She had some very nice words for my poem "A Nineteen Year Old Veteran," which was a finalist for that prize. She had attended the "Cut Loose The Body" reading back in November and so we spoke about that too.

Then the 8:00 reading began. We heard first from Mark Doty, who read several poems, including a beautifully sad poem about a young gay man, thrown from a bridge. Then Kenneth Carroll, from D.C. His poems were funny and rich. Kenny read one about a poem being shortened by the need to make love. Awesome. Alicia Ostriker read several beautiful poems next. She read one that sticks with me today-- about women in the kitchen after a meal, readying the kitchen for the next meal. The ongoing nature of home and family.

Next was the awesome Dennis Brutus. Dennis is a South African poet who was imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. He spoke urgently about our need to resist war in more dramatic and powerful ways. He challenged us all, for sure, as only one with his life story could do. Finally, Carolyn Forche closed the evening with several poems rich in language and spirit. She read one from the Beloit Poetry Journal called "Museum of Rocks," which I will remember for a long time.

It was a powerful and exhausting day. It's hard to believe that today it will all come to an end. So thank you for sticking with these blog entries. Today I am on a panel this morning at Busboys about D.C. Poets Against the War. Then we have a closing reading at George Washington University. Then a walk to the White House where we will each read one line of a poem, creating a huge cento -- a patchwork poem. More on that in the next blog.