REBECCA HALE
Staff Writer
Since early April SUNY Fredonia has been celebrating literature, especially the poetry of Emily Dickinson, in conjunction with Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties through The Big Read. This past week marked the final events, including guest keynote speaker Dr. Alexandra Socarides from the University of Missouri.
The Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties alone have participated in and put on over 40 events as a part of this year’s Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment of The Arts meant to foster and promote literacy in young adults and children.
SUNY Fredonia students and faculty have helped to put on many of these diverse events, including the production “Echoes of Emily;” “A Little Madness in the Spring,” a Dickinson documentary aired on Fredonia Radio Systems; the production “The Belle of Amherst;” keynote address and meet and greet; “Planting the Seeds,” a gardening event and discussion; and multiple poetry slams.
Every year, The Big Read allows sections of communities all over America to choose a work of literature to focus on and to base events around. Reed Library director Randy Gadikian has a hand in choosing this work every year and writing to The Big Read in order to receive a grant for the community.
Keeping in mind the college and surrounding communal interests, Gadikian chose the poetry of Emily Dickinson, a potentially controversial collection, as many have a very negative connotation associated with the often morbid later poetry of Dickinson. However, this year’s Big Read turned out to be a thriving success, with the showcasing of some of Dickinson’s more tender-natured poetry.
“There are so many ways that people can connect with poetry,” said Emily VanDette, professor of English. “Sometimes with a single novel it can feel somewhat limiting, but poetry is so diverse.”
VanDette, who had a big hand in planning events for this year’s Big Read alongside other English professors, explained that The Big Read isn’t always so successful. She commented on last year’s Big Read, themed around the book “The Call of The Wild,” which was held in February and attracted less attendance.
“Although it was romantic in a way to have the snow falling for the discussion of ‘The Call of The Wild,’ if nobody could get there, it kind of defeats the purpose,” VanDette said. “We thought April would be safe, and with it being National Poetry Month, it seemed like a good time for a Dickinson Big Read.”
In addition to the many things students have been doing to get involved in The Big Read, many have been writing blog discussions on events and works pertaining to Dickinson and The Big Read. These blog links can be found through the links at http://www.fredonia.edu/bigread/blog.asp.
Five Fredonia students decided to create and put on a gardening event in honor of Dickinson and her love of nature as a part of their senior seminar project. Lora Ottaviano, Chloe Elberty, Maleia Duncan, Megan Gleason and Kaylee Torre encouraged students and community members to participate in their project, “Planting the Seeds: Engaging Emily Dickinson through Her Love of Gardening.”
Students and community members got together last Saturday afternoon to plant some of Dickinson’s favorite flowers in Bicentennial Park in Dunkirk, including daffodils, forget-me-nots and sunflowers. Afterwards, a discussion on some of her nature poetry was held inside Dunkirk High School with refreshments.
An event co-sponsored by the Department of English lecture series, Dr. Alexandra Socarides was chosen to be this year’s Big Read keynote speaker after VanDette heard her speak at a previous conference.
Socarides is a professor of American poetry, poetic history and 19th century literature and culture. She is also author of the book, “Dickinson Unbound: Paper, Process, Poetics,” and has recently been working on her newest book on the topic of 19th century women’s poetry in America and its erasure from history. She is also author of the column “The Poems (We Think) We Know” within the Los Angeles Review of Books.
VanDette commented on Socarides’ new book in the making.
“We have a sense that there were women novelists in the 19th century, [but] there’s not a lot of space for the female poetic voice in the 19th century, so she’s doing a really important recovery project to focus on women poets, because the only woman poet anybody talks about is Emily Dickinson.”
Socarides gave her keynote address last Wednesday at the Fredonia Opera House, titled “Layers of Erasure.” Socarides spoke not of Dickinson, but rather of other 19th century women poets and explored the reasons for their apparent “erasure” from literary history.
One of her most interesting points made in the address, arguably, was her mention of some of the most well-known and recited pieces of poetry having actually been written by women in the 19th century.
“The Battle Hymn of The Republic,” a famously patriotic song; “The New Colossus,” a sonnet that is engraved on the Statue of Liberty; and the song “America, The Beautiful” were all written by women in that time, yet all have been seemingly separated from their authors, unlike the “Star-Spangled Banner,” which was written by male poet Francis Scott Key.
Socarides also gave a later discussion on the works of Dickinson, titled “‘Just How the Fingers Hurried’: Emily Dickinson and Poetry Making,” at the Patterson Library in Westfield as well as a more casual meet-and-greet for students at Fredonia last Thursday afternoon.
In addition, a final poetry slam was held on Friday night in Reed Library, hosted by Peter Mason. Four students participated, including Ryan Norton, fourth place; Tom Warmbrodt, third place; Julie Legnard, second place; and Robin Hilbert, first place. The slam collected donations for the Thom Dean Scholarship Fund and raised $133. Each poet presented one Dickinson poem as well as one original.
“[The Big Read] can grow as big as you want it to, because it’s based on just the principle of reading literature, it’s minimal resources, it’s just human energy and inspiration that can enhance the program, and I think that’s the beauty and charm of it,” VanDette said.