Trio of Poets event a huge success

Posted by admin on Mar 23, 2010 in Arts & Culture | 0 comments

Walt Whitman famously said: “To have great poets there must be great audiences too.” The students, faculty and friends of Trinity Western University turned out in large numbers for the “Trio of Poets,” hosted by the English 208 Creative Writing class on Thursday, March 11.

Three successful poets from the Lower Mainland read from their current works in progress focusing on poetry of social, spiritual and personal commentary as Christians writing in the public sphere. President Raymond, who was in attendance, called the three presentations “inspiring, provocative, and engaging.”

The first poet, Katie Gorrie, is currently doing her Masters of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia. She is linked to TWU through her husband, Joel Mason, who is currently completing his Masters of English here.

Gorrie gave aspiring writers hope when she admitted that she just started writing poetry a few years ago; dealing with the stress of a long-distance relationship pushed her to pick up a pen. “I loved that I was able to reflect myself in a way I’d never been able to find before,” says Gorrie. Her poetry is vivid, relatable and profound, as seen in a line from her poem “God”: “My belief is a celebrity: thin, sickened, propped up in two dimensions.”

The second poet, Micah Towery, completed his MFA at Hunter College in Manhattan. He is currently teaching at TWU in the English as a Second Language Institute. Towery set the tone for his work perfectly when he said: “I’m used to reading poetry in loud, raucous bars so feel free to jeer at me if you don’t like it.” No one jeered but they did laugh, and clap loudly. Towery’s poetry is humorous and potent. In his poem “Miles Davis Lives in My Closet” he writes: “Sometimes he comes out to play for me. / And sometimes he stays in there alone / and I hear his blues / muted by my hanging clothes.” Thankfully, there was no barrier between Towery’s voice and the captivated audience.

Lastly, Connie Braun took the mic. Braun went back to school when she was a young mom and graduated with her Masters in English from TWU this fall. She is the author of the Mennonite memoir, The Steppes are the Colour of Sepia, and is currently the Writer-in-Residence in the English department. Braun’s poems are memory pieces; they were especially touching because her mother and aunts were in the audience, hearing her work for the first time. She spoke delicately, and through her words painted pictures of growing up on the prairies in a Mennonite family.

“The poetry that flows from Trinity Western students is among the best I have experienced in thirty-six years in higher education”, said President Raymond, “the ‘Trio of Poets’ event confirmed that once again.”