AUTHOR: Erika Haxton
COPY EDITOR: Eishvinder Gill
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Victoria Cha
After attending the ChamberSonic and The Middle, New Canadian Poetry, held at the Toronto Metropolitan University, I observed the craft of writing and the importance of performance in poetry. Stephen Collis, a Canadian poet and professor, whispers within his poem, adding depth and enhancing the poem’s imagery within his performance. Oana Avasilichioaei, a Canadian poet and translator, creates a performance for her work, as seen when she makes her poem on a musical staff and matches her pitch to the designated notes.
I thought the idea of the words being placed on the staff alone was fascinating, but when she began to perform the words in the pitch and they were on the staff; I was blown away. For me, this made the poem more emotional; you could feel the words shifting across the staff as she performed. I also enjoyed her other work, as her pacing was very effective. She would have a slow, calm voice and gradually increase volume and speed. This caused a wave of anxiety through my body. I think her approach was very effective and engaged the audience in her readings.
Similarly, Collis engages his audience through performance in a different, yet compelling way. He started looking out the window, talking about what the world has come to; while he looked out the window, everyone looked out with him; it turned into a collective experience. Then he dove right into his reading; this humanized the poem for me. It connected every word he said to reality; his use of a real-life experience grounds his ideas and makes them feel more plausible and connects the audience to the reading more.
This event is a powerful reminder of the impact that poetry holds and highlights the impact of poetry, and showcases it as an evolving tool that people use to further express complex feelings. Performance in poetry helps shape the poetic world that the readers are entering. Poetry lives off the page and is in sound, movements, and shared experiences. Poetry surrounds us, even in places we wouldn’t expect.
