Outside the Prudential Center on Tuesday, Oct. 3, the air was cool and crisp as passerby gathered to listen to poetry readings. Starting at 5 p.m., three renowned writers each read a collection of their work, courtesy of a special unplugged event by Mass Poetry.
An organization that focuses on bringing attention to local poets that would otherwise go unrecognized, Mass Poetry was founded in 2008 by Michael Ansara. Since its beginning, it has served to bring artists together, sharing everything from haikus and sonnets to limericks with one another and their audience. Tuesday night’s reading featured three well-known poets: Kathi Aguero, Maggie Dietz, and Anthony Fobe. The Prudential Center may be a point of bustle and hubbub, but it was impossible to miss the small crowd gathered to listen—and with good reason.
Aguero was the first to read, a petite woman with grey curls and a smooth, matter-of-fact voice. She is the author of five books, the most famous being her poetry collection “After That.” She has also served as co-editor for three other books, and as consulting poetry editor of Solstice Literary Magazine. She has won the Firman Houghton Award (2012), and currently works as a creative writing professor at Pine Manor College. Aguero also instructs an alternative-sentencing program that utilizes literature in rehabilitation. Her reading included poems inspired by her father, family, and daughter, her voice calm and soothing.
Aguero was followed by Dietz, who cast the audience a warm smile and promptly set her jacket down on the chair before beginning to read. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Dietz now teaches at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the Creative Writing Program. Past occupations include presiding over Slate magazine as assistant editor and teaching at Boston University, where she received her M.A. She read a variety of pieces from her work, ranging from her debut collection of “Perennial Fall” to “Kempie,” a poem dedicated to her daughter. Currently living in New Hampshire, several of her poems feature natural themes, particularly those of New England and her home state.
Fobe, a Lowell, MA native, was the third and final reader. A passionate slam poet, it was more of a performance than a reading, and a very good one at that. His works centered around race, and what it was like to grow up Puerto Rican in the United States. Accredited with the creation of Mill City Slam (the adult slam scene), as well as the college slam scene in his hometown, he collaborated with his contemporaries to found Freeverse!, a group geared toward the encouragement and expansion of youth voice. Slam poets are known for their dynamic, hard-hitting performances, and Fobe did not disappoint in his retro sweater and quintessentially New England L.L. Bean boots. He departs on tour with his friend Ricky Orng to perform their unique fusion of poetry and cooking in a popular act dubbed “Adobo-Fish-Sauce.”
Mass Poetry is responsible for bringing light to creative writing and cultivating an audience for it within Massachusetts. Tuesday’s event came to fruition with the help of the organization and its sponsors, enabling not only the promotion of poetry, but also making it possible for the artists to receive funding for their work. It is commonplace for poets, even renowned published ones, to go unpaid for their artistry despite their popularity. Upon exiting the stage, Fobe thanked the audience for “keeping the dream alive,” a sentiment shared by many artists featured by Mass Poetry.
The calendar for upcoming events in the Boston area is fully stocked, including various events such as the First Annual Festival of Major American Poets on Oct. 14. Many readings are hosted by local universities, and the grand majority are free admission. In an age where fast-paced technological entertainment has a firm grip on the public, there is Mass Poetry to thank for opportunities to witness creativity and passion amidst the hustle of every day life.