Writer's Harvest

Overall, I really enjoyed attending the Writer’s Harvest and getting to listen to all of the different readers. I had never been to a formal reading before tonight, and I thought that it was a good experience. Of course I have heard students read their poetry and prose out loud in class, but listening to established writers in an auditorium was new to me. One of the things that I found to be interesting was the individual personalities and how it came across through their readings. Their reading styles captivated me in unique and different ways. Some used humor, while others were more serious. This contributed to the newness of the experience because often in class, we read the works of other writers, so we often do not comprehend the tones of the words until after they have left our tongues. Also, when we do read our own work, since it is not something we are used to, we can read it in a shy manner and not be very emphatic, or show our true emotion. With that being said, I will go ahead and delve into some of the thoughts I had about the individual readers. I came for the first half, so I was able to listen to John Pursley III, Lindsay Jones, Steve Katz, and Keith Lee Morris.

John Pursley III

Being an Animal Science major, I found his references to horses, cattle, and the German Shepherd interesting. I also noticed his contrast in gender, in using the female character Sally and the boy. He also made use of textures and relatable images with the line, “Beak or teeth, nail or bittered bone.”

Lindsay Jones

I really loved the introduction to her story “Fall in Love with Lutney.” She made me want to read the rest of the book, and her love for the girl was so evident in her writing. Starting out, she describes how she was a foster parent for a 3-year-old girl from Haiti last year. The girl calls her “momma,” even though that isn’t really her role. She uses the themes of motherhood and Creole language, which are both new entities to her. She also references pumpkins, and how Lutney does not understand what they symbolize; that they are here for Halloween and will be gone by Thanksgiving. She uses this to show transience, and Lutney’s childhood innocence. After discussing the pumpkin, she begins describing Lutney’s physical appearance. She describes her as beautiful; as having perfect skin, big brown eyes, long eyelashes that sit at an attractive angle like black curtains, and full lips. She then talks about Lutney’s personality, and establishes a bridge of shared features through their humor and similarities. She says Lutney is “just like me,” because Lindsay has an editor’s mind, always looking for mistakes, and likewise Lutney examines her bowl of cheerios and says “this one is broken.” After this, Lindsay goes back to the pumpkin reference, and then surprises the audience by telling them of Lutney’s operation. She waits until this point to describe Lutney’s physical impairment because she loves Lutney and does not see her as less because of her defect. Her placement of this in the story, after her descriptions of Lutney as being physically beautiful really help convey Lindsay’s love for the child. Like a mother, Lindsay loves Lutney without condition.

Steve Katz

One thing that stuck out to me about Katz’s poems was his use of repetition. In his first poem, he makes reference to physical descriptions of the mind and eye. In his second poem, he repeated the line “never out of touch,” and he used the theme of communication. In his third poem, “Cab Driver Dreams,” he uses repetition with reference to the clock, and time. He uses the themes of sleep and time in relation to the life of a cab driver. He uses repetition to portray the monotony of their jobs; how they perform the same duties, day after day, rain or shine. In his fourth poem, “Virtual Gloves,” he uses sexual sensory images, and the contrast in pronouns “you” and “me.” In his sonnet “Alien Love,” he uses rhyme, and the major themes of technology, love, and touch. Lastly, in his last poem that he read, he again uses the theme of time, and repetition of the line “I’ve always been a wanderer of time.”

Keith Lee Morris

I found this man’s story, “My Roommate Kevin is Awesome,” to be absolutely hilarious. This is one story where the author’s personality especially resonated in his reading. The story had a casual, conversational tone, and really captured typical college life and language use. He also included alcohol and marijuana references, which can be an element of college life, and may even be considered “typical.” He had vivid descriptions and dialogue, and he brought in a fascinating element of mystery. The reference to Kevin as a trapeze artist, and the “grizzly old black guy on the futon” kept the audience guessing what would happen next. I really enjoyed this story, it held my attention and was great to listen to aloud.