CWS brings writer and readers together
By Lydia Reyes
Staff Writer
benakittie@yahoo.com
California State University, Bakersfield welcomed well-known poet, Frank Bidart on Oct. 20.
Both young and old packed the Dezember Room located in the Walter Stiern Library to the point that some students had to sit on top of tables.
Bidart was born in Bakersfield, attended Garces High School and graduated from University of California, Riverside. He continued his education at Harvard University and currently teaches at the University of Massachusetts. All four of his grandparents came to Bakersfield as immigrants. His uncle John and father founded the Dark Brothers Ranch and Farming Operation in the 1930s, and it is still operating today.
Bidart has published eight books; his book, "Desire" was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critic Award.
English professor Marit MacArthur, helped organize the public poetry event along with the California Writers Series, which is sponsored by the English Department and Sigma Tau Delta, also known as The English Honors Society. Previous readers in this series include: Kay Ryan, Wanda Coleman, Joe Wenderoth, Susana Chavez-Silverman, Pam Houston, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Brian Turner and Aimee Phan.
"I like when I can bring readers and writers who are actually from the area, who grew up here because I think it can be inspiring to students," said MacArthur.
The primary goal of CWS is to help lessen the divide between reader and writer and provide an open communication and understanding as well as inspiration to both. Through these encounters, students are able to ask questions and gain advice with living writers in California.
"I don't know that anyone expected such a crowd; that was great! There were minor technical difficulties, but overall it was a success," said John Davies, co-chair of CSUB's Gay Lesbian Straight Student Network.
GLSSN is an on-campus club hoping to make their existence better known not only to students, but within the Bakersfield community. It was a great opportunity for them to become involved with the event.
Bidart read some of his poems from his novel, "Watching the Spring Festival". Some of these poems were "The Old Man At The Wheel," "Seduction" and "An American in Hollywood." He proceeded to answer questions from the audience ranging from his ideal writing setting to his personal thoughts on the future of art culture.
"I don't think people will ever cease to care for making something in words that encapsulates something central to them," said Bidart.
Like CWS, Bidart notices a break between writers and readers.
He states that Modernism taught people about the poetic elements and how one should fully appreciate a poem that left the audience less confident in experiencing a poem. In effect, people have forgotten how to hear the voice within a poem.
Bidart encourages aspiring writers not to feel discouraged and talked about his own struggles on becoming a poet.
According to Bidart, successful writing is achieved while trying to figure out how to apprehend one's personal method of communicating meaning through structured words to embody its individual significance.
He believes reading other writers' works can help writers discover their own unique style.
"If we never start with zero and if we think we're starting zero, it's because we don't recognize all the poems we've already heard," said Bidart. "Change the container and you will change in the process. You will become someone different by the fact that you made that."
Next quarter's reader will be Alex Espinoza, a fiction writer who teaches creative writing at Fresno State.
Students who want to get involved should contact either MacArthur or Dr. Case and contact other members of ∑T∆.