UA Creative Campus Explores Poetry’s Relationship to Visual Arts

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Creative Campus will host a poetry reading, “Poetry&,” at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, in Gorgas Library, room 205.

The event is free and open to the public.

Poets Robin Behn, UA professor of English and creative writing, and Dr. Hank Lazer, UA associate provost, executive director of Creative Campus and professor of English, will explore how their work relates to visual arts, including how they find inspiration in a painting and how they shape a poem on the page.

Behn recently wrote the book “The Yellow House,” an experimental novella rendered in poems, whose characters move within a shifting landscape inspired by, and in turn inspiring, visual art. Lazer recently published “N18 (complete)” of “The Notebooks (of Being & Time)” series.

Lazer and Behn each will read pieces from their books, accompanied by works of art that inspired certain poems. They will also use multiple voices to read the poems and visual aides that help express the themes of their poetry.

Lazer will be presenting his readings from “N18” through multi-voice performance at “Poetry&.” “N18” is an exploration of shape-writing on handwritten pages. He “sees” the page before writing. As with his other notebooks, Lazer created “N18” completely through improvisation –– one draft, no notes and no revision.

In addition, Behn draws inspiration from music. Behn plays the flute and penny whistle in a four-piece band called Waxwing. Creative Campus will present the experimental-traditional sounds of Waxwing in conjunction with a contra dance from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Smith Hall.

Contra dance is popular across the nation because it is easy to learn and requires no partner. The night will start with contra dance lessons for beginners, followed by Waxwing’s music throughout the evening.

Under the auspices of UA’s Office of Academic Affairs, Creative Campus is a collaborative system connecting students, faculty and community to nurture innovative thinkers who turn ideas into action. Creative Campus seeks to serve as a hub of collaboration and creative activity at The University of Alabama.

At the heart of Creative Campus is the undergraduate and graduate intern program.  For more information on Creative Campus, go to www.creativecampus.ua.edu.