This past Wednesday on October 31, I attended the poetry revel at Baruch. While there, I was fortunate to hear from multiple readers who either read poems that they had written themselves or poems that they were particularly fond of. Professors and Baruch students alike were amongst the presenters. Although each presentation was impressive and interesting to listen to, there were four readers that caught my attention most.

The first person to present was Professor Kelly from the english department. Her poem was titled “Ombre” and it was inspired by the poet Mary Oliver. She stood tall and upright and read her poem in a calm and mellow voice, rather than in a dramatic one. I believe this soothing style of reading was intentional since the content of her poem was about love. Her voice did modulate a few times throughout the reading, which helped convey a sense of passion in the words she was reciting. I believe it was also strategic because it helped her ensure that the audience remained engaged the entire time.  For this particular poem, I enjoyed the experience of listening to the poem be read because the words were easy to absorb, despite the fast pace of her speaking, and she presented in a way that gave life to the words of her poem.

Professor Kelly then presented a second time and read a six-part poem titled “Zombies Love Poems”. Again, her voice was calm. However, because this poem was about gory and gruesome zombies, it created an eeriness that was prevalent the whole time. The dramatic pauses and good eye contact kept me listening and interested, but unlike “Ombre”, I didn’t enjoy the experience of listening to a reading of the poem because her fast-paced speaking made it too difficult to absorb the content as much as I would have liked to.

The third presenter was a student named Kalani and her poem was titled “Daddy’s Little Girl”. Her reading was far different than Professor Kelly’s reading. She was extremely emotional, made no eye contact, and was completely transfixed on the text that she had written. This forced me, and all other audience members, to really focus on her and engage in what resembled a one-sided conversation. The combination of her sighs, cries of emotion, and shaky voice made me sympathize with her, and this truly enhanced the experience of listening to her read the poem. I therefore think that if i had read this poem to myself, it would not have had the same dramatic effect on me, and so I am grateful she chose to share her personal words at the revel.

Lastly, I heard from another male student whose poem was titled “She Loves when I Randomly Come Over”. While he read his poem, he leaned against the wall and basically whispered his words. Both these things forced the audience to lean in as well as feel for him. I believe this was strategic since it seemed that he was reminiscing about someone who he missed and was yearning for. His shaky voice and unhappy expression also helped support this belief. However, although I felt sorry for him, the graphic details of his poem that made me feel a little uneasy. I would have preferred to read his poem to myself, rather than listen to it out loud amongst a room full of people.

I am very happy that I chose to attend the poetry revel at Baruch because it allowed me to experience poetry in a different way, and I look forward to hopefully attending more readings in the future.

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