On Monday, September 23, several professors from the English department and a student gathered together to read both original poetry, poetry from authors they admired, as well as excerpts from novels, and a monologue. The event took place in honor of Chancellor Gora’s inauguration this week, though the Chancellor was not present at the event, many students and fellow faculty members were there to listen and enjoy the readings.

Eight faculty and one former student read to an audience of eager listeners. The faculty readers included Pam Annas, Kevin Bowen, Askold Melnyczuk, Edie Aronowitz Mueller, Thomas O’Grady, Joyce Perseroff, Lloyd Schwarz, and Taylor Stoehr, as well as alumnus Janet Kenny, now a student at Boston University.

The themes of the readings ran from Kevin Bowen’s three poems dealing with his Catholic upbringing to Pam Annas’ poems of pregnancy to Joyce Perseroff’s poem from her book The Hardness Scale, which conveyed feelings of unconditional love.

Some highlights of the readings occurred with Thomas O’Grady’s original poem about unruly and degenerate neighbors. The work describes O’Grady’s confrontation with his loathsome neighbors, followed with an explosive outcome.

The most dramatic moment yet happened during Janet Kenny’s monologue. This narrative was written from the perspective of a person who had been severely burned but was rescued by firemen. In this piece, the speaker tells of the hardships she’s gone through since the accident. She sarcastically “thanks” the fireman who saved her life, giving the sense that she almost wished she had never been saved.

Taylor Stoehr’s poems, translated from East Asian writers, were a refreshing change of pace. The pieces he read were many in number, authored by three different poets. Though short in length, each brought deep insight into topics such as war and alcoholism.

On a lighter note, Stoehr, who looked like he was going to be a no-show, walked in and started chatting with a colleague, oblivious to the fact that everyone was waiting for him. He was forgiven though, as his readings brought a cheerful conclusion to the event.

Thanks need to be given to Askold Melnyczuk, who organized the event and acted as presenter. The occasion was well-planned and relatively free of distractions despite the steady influx of stragglers in the course of the event. However, even these were forgotten due to the quality and talent of each reader.