Those who took time before the presidential debates Thursday night to attend "Night of A Thousand and One Readings" were treated to an assortment of fiction pieces - including somber self-reflection, hilarious social satire and amusing poetry.
Students in the Graduate Program for Literary Arts read their poems, novel excerpts and other creative writing pieces in front of an intimate audience in McCormack Family Theater. The works, written and performed by the students as part of the Contemporary Writers Series, ranged from poems a few lines long to chapters of books in progress.
Upon entering the theater, listeners immediately felt the intimate atmosphere. The audience sat in relative darkness, with the only light in the room shining on a central podium. A projector in the back displayed each reader's name, but no other visual distractions were present, allowing listeners to pay keen attention to the writers, who sat with the audience until it was time to read.
The performers were calm and comfortable with their work and delivered their pieces crisply and clearly.
The writers also took on appropriate tones to enhance their pieces.
Writer Kate Schatz GS was especially effective in using tone in her standout social criticism about celebrity life. Her reading was from an anthology-in-progress, titled "Celebrity Culture is the Only Culture Worth Saving." She read a fictional account of the breakup between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez from the perspective of a very narcissistic and shallow Lopez. Her snide delivery was well-received by the audience, and she did not shy away from strong, crude language to describe sex, anger and arrogance.
In general, the performances of pieces that were complete were better than the excerpts taken out of context.
Kelli Auerbach GS, who is working on a novel entitled "Olive," read a chapter that describes her main characters at the dinner table. Auerbach is skilled at delving into her characters' psyches, using detailed images such as a comparison between olives and brains to capture the thoughts of young children who ponder and wonder curiously. Despite these strengths, the lack of context made it difficult to relate to characters, and her work came off as a smattering of intriguing images rather than as a cohesive story.
The prose works were stronger than the poetry. While most of the poets made good use of rhythm and sound, many of the pieces were disjointed and non-linear; they were artistic, but difficult to follow. When listening to a poem, it was often easy to forget what had been said at the beginning, or even a few lines before.
Many of the graduate student readers are working on projects for publication.
The Contemporary Writers Series continues on Oct. 20 with a reading by poet Tom Pickard.
