AUBURN - From rhyming verse to evocative images of prose to the beautiful simplicity of a haiku, poetry comes in all forms.
Thursday evening a group of more than 40 writers gathered at the Cayuga Museum of History and Art for the third annual spring poetry reading, sponsored by the museum and the Auburn YMCA Writers Voice Group.
James Delaney, who not only organizes the readings but also instructs in the Y's writing program as well as writing programs at Cayuga and Onondaga Community Colleges and also sits on the board of trustees for the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, said that he wanted to create an event that would combine both facilities in some capacity.
“We started in the fall of 2005,” Delaney said. “I wanted to find a way to promote both organizations and ... as well as include creative writing and literature in some way and I thought this would be a nice way to do both.”
Almost from the start, the event was well received.
“The very first time we had 20 or 30 people here,” Delaney said. “And it has just kept growing each year. We get people not only from Auburn, but also from Skaneateles and Baldwinsville and Ithaca and the surrounding areas. People hear about this and I think it has really grown by word of mouth. Tonight we had a lot of returning readers and we also had some new faces too, which is always nice to see.”
The reading offers something crucial to all writers: an audience and an opportunity to have the feeling of immediate feedback only available at a public reading.
“A lot of people write and no one but their immediate friends or family will ever read it,” Delaney said. “And I think that even the shyest writer, the one who says they will never get up and read in front of people, a part of them writes for other people and they want to share that and not just keep what they write to themselves, and this gives them that opportunity.”
It is this kind of opportunity that many writers thrive on and that has made them avid fans of the readings the museum hosts in both the spring and fall.
Kevin Cool, of Auburn, attended his first reading in the fall, reciting a song he had written. This experience inspired him to continue writing and he has started to study creative writing at CCC.
“What I read was well received,” Cool said. “It was really rewarding. I was a little nervous, but it was also energetic to perform and recite in front of people. This has really inspired me to keep writing, not only for here but also for oneself.”
Many of the poems read touched on various themes, ranging from politics, to love, to personal feelings and observations on things such as the weather and beauty of the Finger Lakes region.
“There is such a wide variety,” Delaney said. “I think that is one of the great things about this. You get so many different types of poems and you get to see the variety of subjects people write about.”
Mark Drabicki, of Auburn, might arguably have had one of the more unique poems, written on the tag of a tea bag.
“Late night dwelling in a restaurant there aren't too many things to do,” Drabicki said. “So I decided to try to see if I could write a poem for this evening, and that is what I wrote.”
But no matter the subject matter, Delaney hopes that readers and listeners alike can take away a common experience.
“I hope those that read can gain more confidence and inspiration,” Delaney said. “And that they will write more. When it comes to literature I believe what Nabakov said, you read a little with your heart, a little with your mind, but really you read with your spine. And I want everyone to feel that.”
James Delaney, who not only organizes the readings but also instructs in the Y's writing program as well as writing programs at Cayuga and Onondaga Community Colleges and also sits on the board of trustees for the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, said that he wanted to create an event that would combine both facilities in some capacity.
“We started in the fall of 2005,” Delaney said. “I wanted to find a way to promote both organizations and ... as well as include creative writing and literature in some way and I thought this would be a nice way to do both.”
Almost from the start, the event was well received.
“The very first time we had 20 or 30 people here,” Delaney said. “And it has just kept growing each year. We get people not only from Auburn, but also from Skaneateles and Baldwinsville and Ithaca and the surrounding areas. People hear about this and I think it has really grown by word of mouth. Tonight we had a lot of returning readers and we also had some new faces too, which is always nice to see.”
The reading offers something crucial to all writers: an audience and an opportunity to have the feeling of immediate feedback only available at a public reading.
“A lot of people write and no one but their immediate friends or family will ever read it,” Delaney said. “And I think that even the shyest writer, the one who says they will never get up and read in front of people, a part of them writes for other people and they want to share that and not just keep what they write to themselves, and this gives them that opportunity.”
It is this kind of opportunity that many writers thrive on and that has made them avid fans of the readings the museum hosts in both the spring and fall.
Kevin Cool, of Auburn, attended his first reading in the fall, reciting a song he had written. This experience inspired him to continue writing and he has started to study creative writing at CCC.
“What I read was well received,” Cool said. “It was really rewarding. I was a little nervous, but it was also energetic to perform and recite in front of people. This has really inspired me to keep writing, not only for here but also for oneself.”
Many of the poems read touched on various themes, ranging from politics, to love, to personal feelings and observations on things such as the weather and beauty of the Finger Lakes region.
“There is such a wide variety,” Delaney said. “I think that is one of the great things about this. You get so many different types of poems and you get to see the variety of subjects people write about.”
Mark Drabicki, of Auburn, might arguably have had one of the more unique poems, written on the tag of a tea bag.
“Late night dwelling in a restaurant there aren't too many things to do,” Drabicki said. “So I decided to try to see if I could write a poem for this evening, and that is what I wrote.”
But no matter the subject matter, Delaney hopes that readers and listeners alike can take away a common experience.
“I hope those that read can gain more confidence and inspiration,” Delaney said. “And that they will write more. When it comes to literature I believe what Nabakov said, you read a little with your heart, a little with your mind, but really you read with your spine. And I want everyone to feel that.”
