Colgate University sponsored a reading by Paul Muldoon this past Thursday and a performance by his band, Rackett, on Friday.
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I sat in the front row next to Mr. Muldoon. He borrowed my watch to keep track of his reading minutes. Yes, he gave it back.
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The lapel microphone didn't work, and Mr. Muldoon refused to hold a handheld mic, so he stood in the middle of the stage and made his voice carry.
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He didn't read any of my favorite poems, but he did provide a lot of great scaffolding: poem context, jokes, explanation of specific poetic devices, etc.
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The auditorium was packed. Saw several of my students in the audience. Extra credit!
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Also in the audience: Julie Parker. She was one of my first poetry teachers at ASU.
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Click here to hear Mr. Muldoon read his own work.
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After the reading we headed off to a great dinner. What did I order? An amazing greens salad, two glasses of red wine, a surf and turf entree, white chocolate cheesecake and coffee. Thanks, budget code!
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I sat next to Bruce Smith. He's teaching the advanced poetry workshop this semester. He also had the surf and tuf entree.
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I didn't attend the concert. I was so tired!
About Me
- Eduardo C. Corral
- Eduardo C. Corral is a CantoMundo fellow. He holds degrees from ASU and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Beloit Poetry Journal, jubilat, New England Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, and Post Road. His work has been honored with a "Discovery"/The Nation award and residencies from The MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. He has served as the Olive B. O'Connor Fellow in Creative Writing at Colgate University and as the Philip Roth Resident in Creative Writing at Bucknell University. He's the interview editor for Boxcar Poetry Review. He won the 2011 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition.
1 comment:
I keep reading this as "Paul Muldoon's bits" but that would be something else entirely, and not something I'm entirely sure I'd want to read.
(He was here not too long ago, though there wasn't any concert. I haven't been a huge fan of his work, but I thought he was a terrific reader, very enjoyable. Made me want to go back and give his work on the page another chance.)
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