The last few years I’ve taken advantage of the free public readings by guest poets and writers at the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. It’s free and open to the general public.
A few years ago I heard Marianne Boruch present a lecture discussing ars poetica in contemporary and American poetry. It opened my eyes to the poetic process. Another year I heard a poet deliver a lecture for the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and then, months later, discovered an essay based on that lecture printed in a notable literary journal. I thought to myself, I heard it first before it made print!
One evening [1] I heard Mark Jarman, Stephen Dobyns and Percival Everett read new and or forthcoming work. And yet another time, I heard a lecture by Maurice Manning [2] that continues to haunt me. I think back to some of the other notable readings, [3] notable to me at least, and chart the influence [4] of some poets in my work.
One poet who was a regular guest of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College was Steve Orlen. He passed away recently [5] [6] [7] and I’ll miss hearing him read “I Love You. Who Are You?”? [8]
What I find amusing is that the public readings don’t attract larger crowds. Maybe this is one of Asheville’s best kept secrets.
[1] The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College public readings — Winter 2007 [2] The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College public readings — Winter 2008 [3] The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College public readings — Winter 2008 [4] The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College public readings — Summer 2010 [5] Arizona Daily Star [6] Best American Poetry Blog [7] Laura Hope-Gill’s Tweet [8] Anthologized in Best American Poetry 2005
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