What a treat it was, on the cold, quaint night, to hear the lovely poetry and charming voice of Judith Roitman. She read selected poems from her published books, and also read many new, unpublished poems. I remember there was some dark humor woven into her poems, and she told us it was "okay to laugh". She is a very visual person, and it showed while she read her experimental poems. She indicated to us which poems were her favorites, and, as she read, holding the book in one hand and measuring out the words on the page in the air with her other hand, you could feel the passion, memories and vulnerabilities through her words. We didn't want her to stop reading.
You can read and get a feel for her poetry here: http://www.locuspoint.org/lawrence/roitman.htm
Distinct
before
not finding anywhere
everything everywhere
place & time distinct
unglued
associate.
The next reader, Stanley Lombardo (Judith's husband), decided to treat us with a dramatic reading of Homer's Illiad. He beat his drum, adding excitement and intensity to moments and calmness and moderation to others, to his already perfect reading voice. We all listened and watched, holding on to every word as the story of Achilles unfolded.
You can watch recordings of both of these readings at the MAE Poetry Series website.
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