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Preaching Poetry

© Kay Day

This past fall, as a conference approached, I spent some time preparing my workshop materials. At the same time, I was setting up book signings for Perfect Words. At times, I felt that all my hours were consumed by things like marketing, and the nuts and bolts of the business side of freelancing. The bright spots occurred when I presented my poetry to a live audience.

I could look out and see the responses on the faces of those in the audience. After the reading, I could even hear the responses. Some offered praise with comments like, “I know exactly how that feels.” Others told me about their own loved ones, and mentioned a line here and there that made them remember something from childhood. There were a few who came up and asked me to read their own poetry, and to tell them what I thought about it.

One very special reading was the United Nations Project, Dialogue Among Civilizations through Poetry. I coordinated South Carolina’s only reading the last week in March. We held it at the Richland County Public Library, recently voted tops in the nation by several library-related associations. This reading brought out a truly diverse audience. There were students from the University of South Carolina, poets from the community, and even a published novelist who came simply to hear my sonnets.

The auditorium at this library has wonderful acoustics, so even though a mic is available, you don’t need one. I read with Rize Cole and Dinah Johnson. Rize’s poetry embodies southern culture in a delivery you will never forget; the woman is a born performer and an excellent poet. Dinah Johnson’s children’s books are among the most beautiful to be found, and her young daughter also participated in the reading.

A dozen or so presentations later, I have come to a realization. Although I have to write in many genres to produce an income, poetry is and always has been my mission. When I’m asked to read, I accept, unless there’s a conflict that can’t be adjusted. When I was in college, I went to many poetry readings, and, without exception, the featured poets were all male, white, and firmly established in the literary world. We had a large number of poets at the college I attended. I often wondered why there were no readings for poets who had yet to make a mark. During those years, I formed a goal to broaden the scope of poetry so that it could be shared with all types of people.

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