First of all, let me be clear that I know nothing of poetry. Other than the presentation I gave on Lord Byron in my British literature class, junior year of high school, I really haven’t studied much on the subject. I saw that Lizzie Hutton was coming, read a biography on her, and decided it would be worth attending, if for no other reason than to expand my literary horizons. Lizzie Hutton is a renowned poet, UM alumni, and currently getting her PhD at the university as well.
Knowing that I know nothing of poetry, you can take my opinion as what you want, but I was blown away by Hutton’s words. Her poems were actually more like short stories to listen to, filled with brief expressions of conflicting emotions, family values, disappointments, and struggles over sexual intimacy and the exploration of femininity. One of her poems, entitled “Low City,” described how sex is broken, fragmented, and violent, with imagery so dramatic and vivid it is almost disturbing. Another poem called, “You knew it was so,” is about shyness I believe (I’d like to read it a second time to fully capture its meaning), and the descriptions of an indoor pool, reflecting on the ceiling, are absolutely beautiful. Her poem “Blue Stocking” has a leaping sort of motion, moving from person to object back to person and onto something else. Maybe that’s how most poetry flows, but it is so distinct that we end up somewhere out of seemingly nowhere. I really enjoyed “Milkweed” as well. It seems to capture the difficulties in the self-conscience nature of creation and when something as freeing as creativity is left “contained but uncomposed.” At the end of each poem, the audience sat entirely still, stunned; like at the end of a symphonic piece when you aren’t sure if it’s the end and whether it’s yet appropriate to clap.
I’ve been to quite a few fiction readings, so I know how they are sometimes acted out and read rather quickly to best get through a passage of text. This poetry reading was entirely different. She read slow, emphasizing each word with an effective, matter-of-fact tone that gave prominence and importance in nearly every word she spoke.
The woman who introduced Hutton said that Hutton’s poems made her want to write poetry, and I couldn’t relate more. I am a creative writing major and work primarily in narratives and fiction, but after listening, I too feel a serious desire to try my hand at poetry; if only to feel empowered by weaving words, such carefully selected words, to paint a single image.
If you have not been to one of the Zell Writers Series events, I highly encourage you to attend. It is such a great opportunity to meet and listen to such accomplished members of the literary world without having to leave UM! And besides, what better way to de-stress than to be creatively inspired by talented writers?
Here’s a link to the English dept. website for further information on upcoming events:
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/events/default.asp
