Poetry reading at Runcible Spoon focuses on ‘male words’

Early Friday evening, a small group gathered at the Runcible Spoon for June’s installment of the Runcible Spoon Poetry Series, a monthly poetry and music event at the restaurant. \nFriday’s reading, “A Celebration of Male Words,” focused on men’s voices in poetry. Jumping from serious topics, such as the Iraq war, to whimsical ones, such the hunt for the perfect rake, the evening’s selections touched on a wide variety of topics. \nDavid Keppel, a Bloomington poet and winner of the Iraq war poetry contest run by prolific New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, read a series of poems on the Iraq war, including his winning 2004 poem “Broken Interrogations.”\nKeppel also focused on the voice of Iraqi poets, reading selections by Iraqi poet Salem al-Asadi, translated by Salih Altoma, IU professor emeritus of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.\n“In most countries, poetry is a very public thing, a very political thing,” Keppel said. “Being a poet is giving a voice to your people. It gives each of us a chance to be a part of that voice.”\nJack King, a native of New York, was also featured in “Male Words.” His poems embraced the idiosyncrasies of life in both his home state and his “Hoosierland.”\nEric Rensberger, the last of the three featured poets, peppered his reading with comedic irony and self-deprecation.\nMusical duo “Chapman and Brown” built upon Renseberger’s comedic air with French drinking songs and early-20th century Hawaiian tourist songs, using guitar, ukulele and unique sounds.\n“These events are very friendly and open for anyone,” Keppel said. \nKeppel heard about the Runcible Spoon’s poetry readings when he arrived in Bloomington in 2001. \nJesse Morelock, a Bloomington resident and nursing student at Ivy Tech, heard about the series and has attended the event every month this year.\n“It’s really the only (event) I know of in Bloomington like this,” Morelock said. He read an excerpt from his most recent literary endeavor during the open-mic portion of the evening.\nMorelock started writing as a creative outlet for “all the thoughts and problems” inside his head, he said.\nEqually poetic in character is the Runcible Spoon itself, a house-turned-restaurant that still holds a cozy-home-library feel. A hodgepodge of chairs filled the tiny room where the poetry series took place, enclosed by bookshelves stuffed with a rainbow of bindings.\n“It feels like I’m in someone’s living room,” said Bethany Scharnowske, a server at the Runcible Spoon. \nShe also commented that events such as the Poetry Series and the atmosphere are two reasons why she enjoys the Runcible Spoon so much and why others do, too.\nThe Runcible Spoon is located at 416 E. Sixth St., and is open 8 a.m. - 11 p.m. daily. The Runcible Spoon Poetry Series will close its season July 27 and resume in September.