Rutgers Writers Recognize Rich

"Some artists, it seems, can't help but be pathmakers; they open possibilities for other makers, and possibilities for their culture," said University Professor Mark Doty in his wonderfully worded welcome to influential American poet Adrienne Rich last Wednesday.

Students, teachers, fans and writers gathered in the crowded Trayes Hall in the Douglass Campus Center eager to hear the words of the poet herself. She presented the crowd with a handful of poems, starting with the widely-anthologized Calibrations, a piece about soldiers with lost limbs that is set in a military hospital in Iraq, and is full of anti-war sentiment. Rich also recited Waiting for Rain, which is about the hope for a better tomorrow and the struggle we face to live through the wait.

Rich was the first speaker for the 2009-2010 "Writers at Rutgers Reading Series," a chain of events that feature published authors who perform readings and sometimes participate in question and answer sessions with attendees. Recognized as a pioneer of feminist and literature studies, Rich has published 19 volumes of poetry, four books of essays, and has received much critical acclaim throughout her career, including the Yale Younger Poets Award for her first book A Change of World and the 1974 National Book Award for Poetry for Diving into the Wreck. But Rich's visit — sponsored by the Department of English, the Office of the Vice President for Undergraduate Education and Douglass Residential College — was especially meaningful due to her former status as an English professor at Douglass College.

Never satisfied in the quest for justice, she writes passionately about feminism and politics, creatively submerging activism into her poetry. In the poem, Tonight No Poetry Will Serve, she experiments with grammatical syntax and socio-political themes. She writes, "Verb force-feeds noun/ Submerges the subject/ Noun is choking/ Verb disgraced goes on doing." The line that appears right before that stanza, "syntax of rendition:" is the most baffling. Rendition can be defined as a translation or interpretation, but also as a performance or a work. Profound in its hidden implications, many of Rich's poems cause the reader to contemplate about coercion and humanist issues through intuitive eyes.

Later, in a close discussion with Rich, progressing writers from Doty's and Susan Miller's creative writing classes, had the opportunity to personally ask her questions about her poetry, life and technique to gain advice on writing. When asked about how she keeps herself from being overwhelmed by the depth of the subjects she writes about, she said, "Writing poetry keeps me from being overwhelmed." It is obvious that Rich's poetry is impersonal, yet deeply touching and affecting, hiding current issues in between the lines.

The night ended with a brief reception and a long line for book signing. School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Isabel Rodriguez attended the event for her First-Year Interest Group Seminar, "Exploring English Literature." Rodriguez said, "I enjoyed [the event] very much. The fact that she was a Rutgers professor made me relate to her, because I am a part of the same community now. I could also see that her poems relate to the world that we live in and also universal ideas."

The Writers at Rutgers Reading series are open to all audiences, even beyond the University community. The next event features Miguel Algarín, author of more than 10 books of poetry, on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.