Independent Memoir Project: Mass Poetry Review

Tzivia Halperin
AP Lit
Mr. Gallagher
October 14, 2008

Mass Poetry Festival Review, Friday

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival began its three-day celebration in Lowell, MA, fittingly in the birthplace of local author Jack Kerouac, on October 10. The night began with local poets reading some of their favorite works by more renowned authors- which coincidentally was Robert Frost a great deal of the time. The night was plagued by a few minor mishaps including an initial microphone problem that thwarted the audience from properly hearing the first reader. The room was also much too hot, which was distracting at times. However, the former issue was quickly resolved, while the latter could be ignored and thus the night continued on uneventfully.

The local poets read with grace although they failed to garner much attention. Mark Shore, a local poet who read some selections of Robert Frost hoped his reading would express a new outlook on Frost’s works. He wanted to “read it in a way you’ve never read it before,” and there was much intensity behind his quivering voice. The following local poet, Patrick Shaunessey, however failed to captivate the audience as much as the prior poets. Although emphatic to be sure, his reading from a passage of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road did not deviate from the expected and thus the audience was left jaded. The poet left the stage in a hurry, although some could say not soon enough.

With his departure, the night continued with the readings of the featured poets and the air within the auditorium seemed to grow more excited with the anticipation. Rhina Espaillat was the first to read for the featured poets. She was both humorous and sprightly and thus her personality may have overshadowed her poetry. While her poetry featured vivid, personal accounts of her experiences as an immigrant in the United States, the poems never deviated from this topic. She noted multiple times that she wrote of the “immigrant experience” and thus very little was left to the imagination of the audience. However, her dual reading in both Spanish and English was extremely captivating and attested to the idea of cultural plurality.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the night came with the performance of Regie Gibson. He had an expression of honesty and humor, without any hint of pretension. One of the poems he read included the amusing “How to Become an Ex-Jehovah’s Witness, Without Losing Your Mind.” All were captivating and irreverent, especially the satirical poem concerning the United States, written in the form of the Declaration of Independence. His tone and cadence, along with the plot of the poems were all appealing to the reader which garnered him a partial standing ovation by the conclusion of his set.

The final featured reader of the night was Nick Flynn, writer of the memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, along with multiple books of poetry including Some Ether and Blind Huber. The concluding act of any show is always expected to be the most engaging, however, Flynn did not meet these expectations. Especially following such a strong reading from Gibson, Flynn paled in comparison. He appeared nervous- monotone, and quiet, even losing his place from time to time. This in no way detracts from the poetry itself which had very strong messages masked within simplistic language. His powerful writing was not fully conveyed through his stage presence however.

The evening of poetry began slowly, but built momentum during the readings of the featured poets. Although not all poets were as engaging as others, the audience left Lowell High School in a flurry, excitedly whispering about the readings, feeling satisfied by the night.