Runcible Spoon offers enjoyable poetry

Until this point in my life, I never had the experience of attending a poetry reading. I had a stereotypical image in my mind that all poetry readings were held in the basements of dark coffee shops and the readers were young, bongo-playing, beret-wearing "artsy" people. I carried this impression with me until I attended the Runcible Spoon poetry series April 23. It was there that my image of poetry readings was forever changed. I had my doubts that I would enjoy the reading, having a self-inflicted disinterest for poetry. But it didn't take long to see stereotyping people before you meet them often leads to incorrect assumptions. \nInstead of entering a dark, seedy coffeehouse, the room where the readings were held was bright and cheerful, complete with handwritten poetry on the walls and stocked bookshelves. The participants were not dressed in black and not a single one wore a beret. Instead, there were people of all ages and backgrounds gathering to share their love of poetry, and there was a definite sense of camaraderie between the readers. Sitting in a corner in the back of the room, I was approached by several participants, each asking friendly questions and welcoming me to the event.\nTony Brewer, senior editor of Matrix magazine and a featured reader, was one of my favorite readers of the evening. While all featured readers had uniquely original works, I found myself relating more to Brewer's poetry. With references to everything from the Amish to the Gulf War to Jill Behrman, Brewer's readings were more like social commentary over current events than poetry. By simply hearing Brewer's introduction, read by Patricia Coleman, it was apparent that his sense of humor and interests in producing a unique story would make his readings enjoyable. Using tonal inflections and dramatic gestures, Brewer's love of poetry was apparent as he whole-heartedly threw himself into his performance. The fact that Brewer used current events as his inspiration rendered his poetry more realistic and consequential to students, making it less artsy and more personal.\nMy favorite of Brewer's readings was a story about a young Amish girl titled "The Colonists." The poem told the story about the girl being faced with a decision to make: either choose her Amish home or life in the outside world. "The Colonists" may have seemed at first glance to be a simple poem; instead, it was a complex and emotionally thought-provoking poem that still crosses my mind.\nSarah Graub, a graduating senior at IU, was also a featured reader at the event. An avid musician and poet, Graub recently released her first album titled "Stories and Metaphors: Slightly Offtune in 2003." Graub's unique style of integrating music and poetry heavily influenced her performance, as she incorporated the use of a guitar and tambourine into her readings. With a beautiful singing voice and haunting lyrics, Graub's readings were very theatrical, yet not entirely different from the previous one. One poem in particular about a Ku Klux Klan pin she found in her Grandmother's jewelry box struck me as being very flippant. She stated she had written it after being "disturbed" by what she had found. The tone of the poem seemed to be rather upbeat for dealing with such a serious event and conflicting period of history. \nMy overall impression of the poetry series was one of enjoyment. The readings were as unique as the performers presenting them, and the atmosphere was very welcoming. While I did enjoy myself, I don't see myself picking up a pen to try my hand at poetry anytime soon.