Last week, at local coffee shop Milli Joe, the University English department continued its Master of Fine Arts Reading Series. The stars of the night, creative writing graduate students Annie Pittman and Helen Chandler, shared poetry and prose, respectively, with the community, receiving well-deserved respect and admiration.
The evening kicked off with an introduction by creative writing graduate student Quinn Gilman-Forlini, who made remarks about the event and thanked the serious crowd for attending. Everyone, especially those huddled around the back corner of the coffee shop, listened intently as the writers spoke emphatically and shared their stellar art.
Pittman introduced herself by expressing excitement about the size of the audience. She began her selected readings with her dark, poignant poem, “Defenestration; Crush,” and continued with other well-crafted works such as the brilliantly-titled “Sisyphus’ Sheets Aren’t Made of Silk” and the epigraph “After He Drinks.” Each poem conveyed elements of the human condition with grace. Before she left the stage, Pittman thanked her audience for its keen listening, but the audience seemed grateful for the chance to listen to her read such rousing literature.
When Pittman concluded, there was a five minute intermission in which everyone in attendance — mostly friends and other supporters of the creative writing department — gathered around, merrily drank coffee and enjoyed the fellowship.
After the intermission, Chandler took the stage with her story, “Men I Used to Love,” an excellent narrative of friendship, love and the phenomenon of mental association with a place. Her character’s experiences in Dublin ring true to anyone who’s experienced confrontations with old lovers or yearning dreams of past relationships. Her stinging wit was enough to garner chuckles from even those devoid of humor. Overall, the story’s elevated prose and sometimes-somber tone made it an engaging listen, and Chandler excelled at providing a voice for her cynical narrator.
Gilman-Forlini closed the night by again thanking the audience for coming and Millie Joe for providing such an excellent venue. The loving nature of the department shined following the event, as everyone congratulated the two writers on a job well done and a successful evening.
The English department has scheduled several more MFA readings between now and May 5.
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