Robert Peake

My friend and colleague Kelly Forrister (née O’Brien) stopped by this evening to hand me an autographed copy of Seamus Heaney’s New Selected Poems: 1966-1987. She studied with him and several others on a summer course at Trinity College, Dublin, and had pints with him after class. This was just after his appointment at Oxford, and before his Nobel Prize. I am touched that she would give me something so personally meaningful.

Funnily enough, although we only live a few pretty blocks apart in the sleepy idyll that is Ojai, she found out about my rekindled interest in Heaney from this website. Who says blogging doesn’t have its rewards? In the end I have only to say: thank you, Kelly. I will use it well.

“A writer is a reader moved to emulation”

I have been preparing notes for my upcoming talk on “Emulation, Originality, And The Writing Tradition” at the Ojai Center For The Arts. There is no better place than London to have spent time thinking about the English literary tradition. In this talk I intend to use concrete examples from my own relationship to the writing life, including poems and anecdotes, to show how emulation — as defined by a desire to imitate and transcend the spirit and tactical successes of works one admires — can actually enhance originality.

So many poets are concerned about losing their voice, and so many poets and non-poets hold the misbelief that art can exist in a vacuum — or that inspiration strikes best in a sealed cave, cut off from tradition. My hope is to inspire the audience into participating in the continuity of literary tradition through reading widely and responding genuinely to our rich heritage of literary arts.

“Everything changes except the avant garde”

Our new place is walking distance from Libbey Bowl, so we sauntered over last night to hear some world-class contemporary classical as the kickoff to the 2007 Ojai Music Festival. The evening was predominantly focused on works for two piano performed by Helena Bugallo and Amy Williams. The most accessible piece was probably the two-piano arrangement of Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks. Other works ranged from a piece composed exclusively of decorations (glissandi, trills and the like) to an electronic piece made from cricket chirps. The finale was this:


Though I am tempted to spend the rest of this tirade denouncing the attribution of the word “poem” to any piece of art in which the artist wants to convey a quality of elegance, I actually want to talk about something more important to me: when the avant garde fails for me, and why.

The 2007 Ojai Poetry Festival has come and gone. Whew! We started deep planning back in 2006 - and the day-and-a-half of readings and discussions, as well as all the between-the-lines schmoozing and feasting - absolutely flew by. It was great to have Sandra Alcosser in town. She teaches at Pacific, and I was really impressed, during the January residency, with her generosity and keen interest in each student’s development. She gave up her lunch hours to meet with us individually and discuss the larger project of our work as a whole. A truly delightful woman, and a force to be reckoned with in the intersection between environmentalism and art.

She gave a dynamite reading alongside Sherman Alexie on Friday night. Alexie is a natural entertainer and wry comedian. He interspersed observational humor into poems of deep pathos about growing up on the reservation. He rarely missed an opportunity to quip about the insular attitudes of white liberals or to denounce himself as a “bad indian” for his modern urban lifestyle. He is no doubt a complex person grappling with many issues both personal and universal, articulating through the funny and poignant, glib and sincere.

María Meléndez read from what can only be called the most experimental body of work in the group - involving song, audience participation, word fragments and pictograms (such as a hand with upraised middle finger) printed in the middle of her poems. Alongside Alcosser and Gary Snyder, she spoke about the intersection of art and science during the Saturday morning panel. This is a topic squarely in Alcosser’s domain as well, who is fresh from a project of choosing nature poems to display in Central Park - a project which is reputed to have raised environmental awareness by 48% among the park’s four million visitors per year.

A host of outstanding regional poets read on Saturday afternoon - equally eclectic and engaging. The festival closed on Sunday night with Gary Snyder reading at length from Danger on Peaks and discussing the environmental implications of poetry and Buddhist philosophy - including how hope and compassion can reign even in the face of death. Both evenings all four poets were joined by a chorus of spring peepers, crickets and birds. Sunday night we were also treated to Venus in almost perfect conjunction with a crescent moon - like a great question mark blazing in the night sky.

I am grateful for having played my small part in bringing this festival to Ojai for another season and, frankly, glad to know it is all done - and done well. Thanks to all four poets for gracing us with their presences, to the regional poets and all the tireless organizers and volunteers - especially Tami Haggard and Jim Lenfestey - for bringing another magical season of poetry to Ojai’s Libbey Bowl.

Strong winds swept through our little valley last night, pounding the roof with oak branches and tipping the mailbox post askew. Aside from one huge branch dangling above our front yard, our place is fairly unscathed. Others fared worse. Aerial wires are dangling like shoe string and power, internet, and other utilities companies as well as tree surgeons are doubtless finding this a busy day of cleanup. More winds predicted tonight.

In preparation for what promises to be an outstanding festival this coming May, The Ojai Poetry Festival just launched a newly redesigned website where you can learn more about the event that brings poets such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Galway Kinnell, Robert Bly, Jane Hirshfield, and Gary Snyder to Ojai every other year for readings and discussions. The festival is made possible through generous sponsors and loyal, fun-loving volunteers. If you are in the Ojai area and are at all interested in helping out, come check out the next volunteer’s meeting on January 8th at 7PM in the Ojai Library.

Also, if you or your company are looking to make some tax-deductible donations before the end of the year, why not support the literary arts? Contact the Ojai Poetry Festival for details on the benefits of sponsoring this organization, which brings poetry into Ojai Valley schools, sponsors spoken word events for local poets, and awards the Stan Brown Teen Poetry Prize to encourage local teens to see themselves as writers in the larger literary world. Sign up for the newsletter to stay current with news leading up to the festival and to be notified when tickets go on sale.

Had a great time with Lisa Snider this evening being interviewed for Radio Ojai. We talked about what Code Poet might mean, the writing process, where inspiration comes from and how it makes it to the page, and other fun stuff. I read a couple poems: Berkeley Hills Exodus and Neruda’s Grammar School Crush, and Lisa pointed out how much more impactful a poem can be when shared aloud. You can listen to it here.

I grew up here, went to school here, lived for awhile here and here, and finally moved here (well, techinically, now we’re out here).

I finally got around to checking out the one local poetry reading here in Ojai, and what happened? Nada. Stalking deer seems like it would be an easier hobby than trying to connect with local poets at this point. Maybe I just hit an unlucky night. But it’s getting a tad uncanny.

Last night I took up Tyler’s offer to become an author on The Ojai Post. It seems in line with my desire to make a positive contribution in poetry. What better place to start than my own backyard? So, be sure to check out The Post for poetry goings on in the Ojai/Ventura/Santa Barbara area.