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Wednesday, February 23, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Prominent poet inspires audience
By Cheryl Cadue Kansan staff writer
For Michael Harper, poet laureate of Rhode Island, the job of the poet is to disarm the reader.
"The poet's job is to embroider, to enrich a story, so its essential elements will be presented in a strong enough way to disarm," he said. "This allows you, the reader, to be taken out of your mode and into the poet's mode."
Harper spoke yesterday at a colloquium and poetry-reading of Every Shut Eye Ain't Asleep: An Anthology of Poetry by African Americans since 1945, which he edited.
Jack Oruch, associate professor of English, said the anthology of more than 200 poems was an important literary contribution because past anthologies of African-American poetry used older material.
Oruch said the University of Kansas was fortunate to bring Harper to speak because his work as a teacher and poet was widely known.
"He's a prominent poet and a good
poet," Oruch said. "He writes poetry about people he knows. As he puts it, he writes about people who have to go to work everyday."
Harper, who teaches at Brown University in Providence, R.I., said the anthology contained some of his own poetry, which he used to try to bridge the gap between white Americans and African Americans.
"Understanding poetry, like everything else, takes some effort," he said. "We are all Americans. People need to take the time to make the effort to understand."
Harper said everyone related to a poem in a different way, but the message of that poem could be powerful regardless of meaning.
"I'm trying the best I can to communicate," Harper said. "The best poetry is symbolic and concise."
Jennifer Williams, Topeka senior, said Harper's poetry reading was inspirational.
"For me, he is one of the most spontaneously inspirational people I have ever met," she said. "His storytelling ability is just phenomenal."
Michael Harper, poet laureate of Rhode Island, pauses to glance at a poem in the book Every Shut Eye Ain't A Sleep: An Anthology of Poetry by African Americans since 1945, which he edited. Harper spoke yesterday at a colloquium and poetry reading.
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THE END TIMES ARE NEAR
The re-establishment of the Nation of Israel in 1948 was one of the most significant events in history. Never has a nation of people been scattered throughout the world for thousands of years and then been re-united retaining their cultural and religious identity. One of the Bible prophecies regarding the end of this age is the re-gathering of Jewish people to their homeland. The Bible also is very clear that the generation that sees the re-gathering of Israel will also see the second coming of Christ. The international exodus of Jewish people has greatly increased. The odds are stacked in favor of Bible prophecy. Maybe you should know more.
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