Julia Spicher Kasdorf grasps mennonite culture and oral tradition with her poetry, perfectly putting those uniquely mennonite nuances into words. This facet of relatability is makes reading her poetry enjoyable. However, one thing better than reading a poets poem is listening to the poet speak her poems. Julia spoke her poems in the manner which she originally wrote them. Doing this, she brought an emotional quality that revived the oral tradition of poetry. We, as listeners, could feel the pain of the family and friends who lost a boy, the subject of one of her poems. Anyone could tell that she was forming harmony with our souls just by listening to the low hums of agreement, as if her words struck a chord.
I love the last sentence of this post. It's a very poetic way of describing the effects of her poetry reading. I couldn't help but notice the low hums of agreement and laughter the audience kept emitting.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Your words in this response are well-chosen and I like the way you emphasize the interface of a poetry reading and the oral tradition that has inspired some of Kasdorf's poetry. I'm glad you give an example - a few more would help to reinforce your points.
ReplyDeleteI came here to comment on the last sentence too. Never having been at a poetry reading before, I didn't know what the response would be. Maybe clapping? But I felt that the low rumblings rolling around in the audience were much more meaningful response.
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