Murder, mermen, family, funerals, war pigs and words.
Words most of all.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, eight Guilford faculty members shared their creative works. The Academic Skills Center (ASC) and The Piper. (Guilford’s literary magazine) sponsored the event. They named the event “A Fugue of Voices.”
“It’s interesting to have a free noncommittal mini-exploration inside an artistic corner of the minds of familiar, formal faculty,” said senior Elizabeth Laird, editor of The Piper.
The smell of Kim Sellick’s brownies and lemonade from the refreshment table tinged the room as people began arriving.
“I wonder what the turnout will be?” asked English Professor Rebecca Gibson, her eyes roaming the empty seats. Gibson was one of the poets who read that night.
She needn’t have worried. Not only were the seats filled, but people began to drag chairs in from the next room. Then they began to sit on the floor. Over 80 people attended.
The room hushed when the half the lights went out. It remained quiet throughout the two-hour reading, interrupted only by occasional laughter, applause when people finished reading, and the sporadic jangle of forgotten cell phones.
“We wanted the reading to celebrate the mystery and grace of language,” said Professor Douglas Smith, who teaches English and tutors in the Academic Skills Center.
The evening began with a moment of silence. Sue Keith, Director of the ASC and one of the event’s organizers, welcomed the audience.
The reading began. Smith began by examining his father’s funeral with a poem called “Narrative Containing a Sentence from the Book of Job.”
Like Smith, speakers revealed parts of themselves that might not emerge in class.
Assistant Professor Eleanor Branch spoke about her fascination with mothers killing their children. Director of the First Year Program Shelley Crisp showed her interest in nature, family, and children; Dean Ann Lundquist, her study of what it means to be a woman.
Not all the readers were solemn. Professor Jeff Jeske read a section from his novel, Return of the War Pigs, about Sergeant Snout’s ambush of three Guilford students. Lecturer Caroline McAlister’s children’s story told how the boy who loved words defeated the Blue Men of Minch, mermen who drowned sailors.
The evening ended with Gibson’s reading, which spoke from the view of a 7th century Abbess talking about the people in her convent, and Part-Time Lecturer Jenn Brown’s poems about home, relationships, and her grandmother.
“I finished high as a kite,” Keith said, “like I’d had a good scotch or something, because I really think it was that successful.”
“I went back to my room and tried to write some poetry,” said junior Aryeh Rosenblatt, who attended Wednesday night. “Unfortunately the fuse was a little short, but I’ve got some started.”
The ASC is always open to help him and all students with their creative writing.
The Piper and ASC hope to hold readings after fall break that will include students. Contact Douglas Smith or Sue Keith if interested.