HANNA NEUMANN
Staff Writer
“Maybe this house has magic poetry powers,” said Peter Mason, senior English major and creative writing minor who was the a la mode poet at the Poetry and Pie Night on Jan. 31, 2014 in a select poet’s home. The featured writer was author Jade Sylvan from Massachusetts.
Poetry and Pie Night is based in Rochester, NY and known as the only reading where poetry, pews and pies combine for a welcoming and scrumptious literary buffet. Rachel McKibbens and Jacob Rakovan curate this monthly reading series.
“This house has amazing energy,” said Sylvan when she started her reading. This was her first time at a Poetry and Pie event.
The location of the event provided a comfortable and inviting environment which enabled communal opportunities where talking to those who audience members did not know was encouraged.
“Poetry and Pie is a wonderful event. Everything from the house itself, to the regulars that attend, to the wonderful writers who bravely share their work,” said audience member Jayson Castillo, senior English major. “Poetry and Pie is a wonderful example of community and advocacy for the arts, and I’d have to say that those factors motivate me to go the most.”
Mason had the opportunity to read some of his poetry at this event. How did Mason get this rare opportunity?
“I first met Rachel when she came to Fredonia as a visiting writer. I had been a big fan of her poetry, so when she came it was really quite exciting,” said Mason. “After her craft talk I got to talking to her, and she told me she was living in Rochester. I told her that’s where I live and we talked about the Rochester poetry scene a little, and then she invited me to Poetry and Pie Night.” This was in October 2012.
College writers, poets, artists, musicians, etc. have many opportunities to perform and share their work in the college community. When this opportunity arises on an off campus location, how is this a different dynamic from on campus opportunities?
“Bringing my poetry and poetic experience off campus is both absolutely incredible and completely terrifying. On campus I know the audience pretty well, I know what poems people will relate to, what poems people seem to open up conversations afterward, and that’s really what I trying to attempt when I perform, getting people to listen to a medium they wouldn’t normally pay attention to and to get them to feel and critically think about subjects they normally wouldn’t,” said Mason. “So when I’m off campus with a crowd I don’t know I have to try to feel out what poems I think would really connect with the audience, and its exciting and terrifying being that utterly vulnerable and really giving the audience a genuine look into you as a human being.”
There is opportunity to have beneficial elements linked to stepping out of one’s comfort zone.
“I think it’s an incredible opportunity for students not only to showcase their work but also to engage with a broader community,” said Castillo when asked about his thoughts on college students taking their work to locations outside of campus.
“Just because you’re an undergrad doesn’t mean you have any less creative license to create,” said Mason.
The off campus experience is one that can be intimidating to college students.
“The only advice that I really have for other creative artists is not to wait for the ‘appropriate’ or ‘traditional’ channels of recognition and just make your own channel,” said Mason when asked if he has any advice for artists, poets, musicians, writers, etc. who may be intimidated or reluctant to bring their work outside of the college atmosphere.
Not only can there be opportunities off campus that students can take advantage of, but there are many opportunities right here on campus.
“The campus community is a great place to begin. Start your own opportunities if there aren’t any. When I realized that there weren’t many opportunities for creative writers on campus I started up an online literary magazine the Inn House Review. Dan Hahn, Thom Dean and I started up The Follower together,” said Mason. “If there are no outlets then grab some people that are just as passionate about the craft as you are and make your own outlets. Once you break that barrier then you’ll very quickly be going from just the campus community to the larger artistic community as a whole.”