Downtown's Main Public Library sparks many images, but a haven for local poets has not usually been one of them. Well, not until 1999 when something blossomed by the library's garden.
"There are very few places in Cincinnati for public performances of poetry," says Bob Hudzik, manager of films & recording. "(The library) would be a great venue for literary readings, poetry in particular, since that's what I'm into."
Those were the seeds of what would become the Poetry in the Garden reading series. "UC brings in major poets, but it's in an academic setting. I think (the library) is less intimidating," Hudzik explains.
With the windows overlooking the library's garden as the backdrop, local and regional poets come to the fore reading their own works. Two poets are featured each Wednesday during April, designated as National Poetry Month by the Academy of American Poets. Hudzik has assembled the poets by word of mouth, getting recommendations from others. Thus far, Jim Cummins, Shawn Sturgeon, Annie Finch and Carolyn Kizer have read. The series winds up on April 26 with Frank Polite, Terri Ford and Uncle Glockenspiel. This week David Schloss, a professor of English at Miami University, and F. Keith Wahle head the event.
"I try to have (the featured poets) complement each other in some way," Hudzik explains. Schloss and Wahle do more than complement one another. They share a distinct connection. Schloss was Wahle's first poetry teacher at the University of Cincinnati.
Wahle will have even more ties to this week's reading. Dancer Judith Mikita, who has collaborated with Wahle in the past, will perform with three of his pieces. "With Judith's influence and with David being my earliest and most influential teacher, I will have the enviable experience of spending the evening with the two people who were the major mentors in my life," Wahle says.
Mikita originally contacted Wahle about doing some text to accompany her dance work. From there, the two formed a consistent working relationship. "To me, it seems like a match made in heaven," he explains, a reference to both his collaborations with the modern dancer and the relationship between dance and poetry.
In the past Wahle has paired with musicians. "I find it sort of unsatisfactory," he says, referring to the incorporation of two sound elements. "There's the risk they compete with one another."
But Wahle does enjoy exploring various elements, commenting on the benefits of the "cross-fertilization" of two different branches of the arts. "I hope that that will make the experience more engaging for the audience and more exciting," he comments. "The audience dynamics change. (People) may not have come just to see me."
It's part of a belief he's shared since the '70s when many people wondered how to draw bigger crowds to poetry readings. "My answer always was 'You write better poems, and you put on better readings,' " Wahle says.
After all, there's no shortage of poets in Cincinnati, according to Wahle. "There are a lot of good poets in this city. I'm always discovering new people. There are always good beginners. (There's) a poetry reading scene that's lively enough to be interesting but not overwhelming," he says. "I think there's enough poetry activity in Cincinnati to feel there's a community of poetry. I think this series is evidence of it."
It's what Hudzik hopes to accomplish with the Poetry in the Garden series, noting that many people aren't aware of how many poets there are locally. "We just want to draw attention to their work," Hudzik explains.
He also hopes to dispel misconceptions about poetry and "just try to make it fun." Many people still retain the notion from high school of poetry as something forced down their throats and memorized. Hudzik wants to "break down that barrier that this is something fearful."
Wahle looks at it differently. "People are not unaware of poetry. All kinds of people come to poetry at their own range," he explains. He notes a trend of younger people who are striving to achieve emotional stability in their lives.
But for Wahle, poetry represents something else. "I think at its best, poetry has an energy in its language that most other kinds of writing don't have. It engages my imagination. The poets that excite me excite me because of the language," he says, citing Kenneth Koch, James Tate and Ezra Pound among others.
"I mostly read poets that have written since 1950. It's the most relevant to what I want to do in my own work," he says, not undervaluing the works of classical poets along the lines of Shakespeare. Wahle doesn't embrace that language in his own work, but looks to it for other reasons. "I'd like to get all of that emotion and all of that beauty," he explains.
It's not the subject that always interests Wahle, who enjoys "experimental" poetry. "In that kind of writing, often times the poetry is the subject," Wahle says, noting a seven-minute poem by Ron Pagett about Woody Woodpecker. According to Wahle, writing about everyday things "gets close to the way we think about things most of the time" instead of "writing about lofty ideas that most of us don't have."
Many may not be aware of poetry's varying themes and subjects. Hudzik notes, "Poetry isn't just one thing." He hopes to demonstrate that as the Poetry in the Garden series continues. "I'm already thinking about next year. I don't want to repeat myself," he explains, toying with the ideas of pairing novice and established poets or featuring performance-oriented poets.
Currently there are no plans to expand the library's poetry readings beyond the month of April. "It keeps it fresh and (people) have something to look forward to," Hudzik says. "It's trying to build an audience for poetry. It calls attention to the fact. What you're saying is you're supporting literacy. I can't think of a better place than the library."
POETRY IN THE GARDEN at the Main Public Library features F. Keith Wahle and David Schloss at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Frank Polite, Terri Ford and Uncle Glockenspiel at 7 p.m. April 26.
