Reprinted with slight edits from the student-produced Weather Vane, Oct. 2, 2014. Written by first-year student Liesl Graber.
Lyrical words filled Lehman Auditorium last Wednesday evening, capturing the attention of both poetry fanatics and novices alike at the latest installment of Writer鈥檚 Read.
Members of the 91短视频 community gathered together to hear the words of acclaimed poet Evie Shockley. She offered a challenging perspective on modern racism.
The innovative young poet commanded attention from the audience with fullness of voice and idea, aiming to inspire dialogue about the meaning of race and belonging in today鈥檚 society.
鈥淕ive me good energy,鈥� Shockley encouraged, 鈥渂ecause I can feel it in the air.鈥�
Her request was unnecessary; energy seemed to surge from the audience as she read her works.
Reading primarily from her newest book, 鈥淭he New Black,鈥� Shockley used her craft to encourage thinking, to encourage feeling, and to question preconceived notions about race.
She proposed that freedom and equality do not exist in the quantities we have idealized; not enough has changed to liberate us from our pattern of sparking the hope of change before slipping back into racism.
Reflecting on Obama鈥檚 election in her poem 鈥淢y Last Modernist Poem #4 or, 鈥楻e Re-Birth of a Nation,鈥欌�� Shockley notes, 鈥淭his miracle marks an end like year鈥檚 / end, the kind that whips around again / and again.鈥� The song of hope is cyclical, soon to be drowned out by the echoes of history.
Through her poetry, Shockley highlights the tension she feels between positive and negative legacies of her childhood.
鈥淢y inspiration for this next poem,鈥� Shockley chuckled, 鈥渃ame from a good friend of mine who tried to sell his blackness on eBay.鈥� The audience expressed both relief and devastation by her jest, uplifted for a moment out of the crushing weight of sorrow evoked by the tangible darkness of her previous poems.
Shockley concluded by sending a metaphorical breath of life into several poems, including 鈥渁crobatics鈥� and 鈥渄uck, duck redux.鈥�
She chose to compose these poems 鈥渏ust for fun because language is fun.鈥�
The audience seemed to be in agreement, showing their affirmation with laughter and delighted murmurs of appreciation.
Following the poetry reading, listeners were invited to engage Shockley in a question and answer session.
… [Questions] varied from 鈥淲hat is your favorite poetic form?鈥� to, 鈥淎s a southern black woman, what are you looking for when you look back on history?鈥� to, 鈥淐an you see poetic language as a healing process for the United States?鈥� Shockley gave answers to each question.
鈥淸We need] to take seriously the lessons of the past,鈥� Shockley advised. 鈥淗aving the mindset that we鈥檙e all in this planet together would prevent all the calamities we hope never come to pass in the future.鈥�
The sense of authority in her words lingered in the air long past the conclusion of the evening. Mike Medley, chair of the language and literature department, publicly complimented, 鈥淭hat was one of the most moving poetry readings I鈥檝e attended.鈥�