Jules Gibbs, Anna Journey and Eric Miles Williamson all recited samples from their latest works at the Poetry and Prose reading Wednesday at the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library.
Gibbs, a poet and teacher, presented several personal poems and read a series of works that she referred to as ‘spam poems,’ or short compilations of beautiful language that she discovered in e-mails.’ Gibbs received them over a period of several months.’
One of Gibbs’ poems, ‘Disclosure,’ commented on a seller’s legal disclosure of all of the defects in an old house to its new buyers.’
With a delicately humorous style, Gibbs gave long and ironically candid details about the defective architecture that she was leaving behind.
Anna Journey, a candidate for the UH Creative Writing graduate program, presented poems from her book If Birds Gather Your Hair for Nesting.’
Journey read miscellaneously, but also focused on a series of poems that commented on Appalachian folklore and described several interesting superstitions.’
One poem asserted that a chill down your spine means a rabbit has run over the place of your grave, while another claimed that you will go insane if birds gather your hair for nesting.
All of the poetry extended juxtapositions of colorful sounds with a variety of unusual and idea-inspiring words.’
Most of her verses were beautiful, but cryptic; wonderful for the ears and magical for curiosity, but offered little to the pattern-recognizing computations of the average brain.’
One would likely find the poetry confusing, but give it the benefit of the doubt and label it ‘mysterious.”
Deep meaning surely would have been present in every work if one was given the time to study it. Every poem presented left one yearning for a second glance or a repeated phrase.’
For a stimulation of the more rational faculties, the prose readings of Williamson were a perfect supplement.’
A novelist, literary critic and an English professor at the University of Texas Pan-American, Williamson shared some of his wit.
Williamson read one of his critical essays, which he described as ‘an attack on John Updike and all his kind,’ in which he derided the acclaimed author Updike, accusing him of too much domesticity, too much perfectionism and too much Christianity.’
He also read from his ghost story, The Teachings of Don B., a work of short fiction describing how the ghost of his dead playboy professor and mentor, Donald Barthelme, returned to erotically haunt his girlfriends.’
Finally, Williamson read an excerpt from his novel, Welcome to Oakland, a passionately descriptive first person narrative detailing the triumphant transcendence of jazz music.
Williamson’s work offers the poetic zing of well-chosen diction, as well as the crisp and coherent complex commentary of a keen observer and philosopher.’
Combined with his bombastic personality and his comical intonations, Williamson’s performance was worthy of concluding the evening.
All of these authors are worth checking into for anyone who is interested in contemporary literature.’
The next reading will be hosted in the Honors College Commons on Nov. 18 and will feature first-year students from the UH Creative Writing Program.
