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Visiting poet inspires audience with powerful poetry
By Pamela Nutting Fine Arts Editor
Nearly 50 audience members came to draw inspiration from Beatty as she read poems from her books Mad River and Boneshaker. PVCC creative writing instructor Dr. Lois Roma-Deeley introduced Beatty, explaining she is not only an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, but also a celebrated poet who has won numerous awards for her work. She said Beatty's poems have been called everything from "funny" and "smart" to "a force of nature," but added that she believes Beatty's poems "have an elegant compassion not often found in contemporary poetry." Those who have never met Beatty but have read her beautiful, fierce stanzas may have been surprised by her small frame, calm demeanor and classic but hip appeal. She began reading a varied selection of her poems through black-rimmed, blue-tinted glasses with a quiet, regular cadence, and grabbed everyone's attention effortlessly. Although Beatty said none of her work is precisely autobiographical, she draws on her experiences when writing. Both her personal life (as a daughter in a working class family, a lover and a woman observing the world) and her working life (as a social worker and a waitress) influence her poetry. Throughout the reading, Beatty described the impetus behind each poem, explaining how her experiences played a role in its development. Although the powerful poems moved audience members, these descriptions—sometimes sad, but often funny—helped draw them in even more. The first selection of poems Beatty read included: "Mad River", "What We Can Count On", "Highway 99" and "Ravenous". These focused on tough issues, including abused children, rendezvous with dangerous characters and the ravages of AIDS. The hush that followed her words spoke. Lest she be thought of as a purely serious poet, Beatty switched to what she referred to as some of her ¬love poems' from Boneshaker, including "Machine Shop of Love" and "Relentless"—works light enough to draw giggles from the crowd. These were followed by poems about some of the hard-hitting social work experiences Beatty endured in her earlier days, including "Poetry Workshop at the Homeless Shelter" and "Penitentiary." Details in the latter poem depict a convicted child rapist and murderer-disturbing enough to send a shiver down one's spine. Then Beatty changed the focus once again, reading poems from a series about her father: "My Father Teaches Me to Dream", "My Father Teaches Me Desire" and "My Father Teaches Me Light." These works illustrated a common theme in Beatty's poetry: searching. In the last poem of the series, she asks her recently deceased father's body: "The part of me in your heart, where is it?" Although Beatty said she would try to read these poems "in my father's voice," what was truly evident in her voice was her enduring love for him. These touching works moved listeners to tears, but Beatty described these as happy poems because "they make me feel like he is here." Beatty lightened the mood by reading poems titled "The Zen of Tipping" and "Louise." The latter poem depicted interactions between a challenging patron named Louise and a waitress who has compassion for her, evidenced by the lines: "I deliberately loiter for a minute, thinking people must often run from her. She looks up at me like I'm wasting her time." These works which Beatty referred to as "fun poems" drew laughter from all around. She switched back to more of her poems that deal with ¬searching' by introducing " the Foundling Home" and "Aria for the Body"-works dealing with adoption and the body. Although Beatty was adopted, she said none of these are autobiographical. They simply "offer different versions of the mother." The topics and stanzas brought about many hard swallows and tears among listeners. Beatty finished her poetry reading with some of her ¬upbeat poems': "Cruising with the Check-out Girls," "Hearing Voices" and "Cruising the Blue Belt." These poems illustrate one of Beatty's common poetry topics-what she refers to as "woman-narrator-walking-around-observing-the-world." "Cruising the Blue Belt" is about graffiti painted on an underpass of highway 51 near Pittsburgh-specifically a "to-do" list, including: "1. Kill Satan 2. Free Larouche 3. Buy milk." The narrator responds by asking herself: "And what should my list be on an average day in this aching world: 1. Kill Rush Limbaugh 2. Find a cure for AIDS 3. Buy chocolate." Although this final poem was christened with laughter and applause, Beatty's take-home message challenged listeners as well: Remember the pain that exists in the world and think long and hard about what should make it onto your to-do list-a challenge illustrating the "elegant compassion" infused in the work of this talented contemporary poet. |
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Last
updated: May 8, 2002 |
