Participant readings fail to impress

Mundane poems and tales of death and drug use filled the John Waldron Arts Center Wednesday night.

As a part of the IU Writers' Conference, workshop participants recited their latest creative work, which included portions of short stories, poems and published books.

The IUWC began on Sunday and concludes on Saturday. In its 69th year, the IUWC allows participants to "join faculty-led workshops in fiction and poetry, and take classes in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction," according to their website.

This year, the IUWC faculty includes published authors, established poets, professors and even Tom Chiarella, the fiction editor of Esquire Magazine.

The workshop entails daily classes Monday through Friday. Also, faculty members take turns to recite free readings for participants and the public during this week at the John Waldron Arts Centers.

On Wednesday, participants finally got to share their personal work with fellow participants, faculty members and members of the public who attended.

Junior Kaleb Havens, an intern and participant in the writers conference, coordinated the night's reading. Garbed entirely in black, except for a bright red tie, Havens introduced the night's activities, and explained that each particpant would only have three to four minutes to read their work, in the interest of allowing all the writers an oppurtunity to read.

In total, 20 participants related their latest creative work. Standing in the middle of a barren hardwood floor, staring through bright show lights, participants spoke into a microphone for about 50 listeners and observers sitting in the stands.

From the very beginning, the sound system sabotaged the night's readings. When the first participant, Matt Beckham, took to the microphone following Havens' introduction, he mumbled away into a tiny microphone, producing nearly inaudible words and scratchy feedback. Yet, with some straining, listeners could hear Beckham's tale about a woman near death and her thoughts about how strange and unnatural it is.

Throughout the night, listeners were treated to varying levels of talent. A number of participants came from different backgrounds. Some came from the Middle East and some from Central and South America.

Sadly though, most did not impress. Only two speakers stick out in mymind: the poet Alan Green and the short story writer and junior Nikita Allgire.

Green, a theatrical reader who used his hands as much as his booming voice, recited a story about homosexuality and loyalty to his mother.

"Where have all the gay boys gone?" Green said, with a flourish. "I'm a call-my-mom-once-a-day lifer; the cordless umbilical cord..."

Allgire's story focused on self-examination. His story would have made Socrates proud. He opened his story by saying, "I'm a pretentious prick," but then went on to explain that the narrator maintained only a facade, and was actually deeply self-loathing.

"I don't deserve my girlfirend," Allgire said. "I am a self-aware glutton."

Those were the only two stories that got the audience reacting: sometimes wincing, and other times guffawing. In short, many readings were lackluster and easily forgettable.

Hopefully, the faculty will redeem the readings with their own original work.