Spring has officially sprung after the Codhill Press Poets performed a selected reading titled “Another April” on Wednesday, April 19 at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.
Members of Codhill Press, a group of writers and publishers, shared excerpts of their poetry for students and faculty to indulge in while also promoting their publication.
“I feel as if poetry gives you the opportunity to capture a moment,” said second-year English and creative writing major Lauren Sirna. “You can capture an emotion and an image pretty eloquently, in a way that prose can’t.”
David Appelbaum, founder of Codhill Press, introduced the writers who were going to be reading and swiftly set the tone of the evening. In honor of the season, he established that the poems all revolved around spring and April, hence the title of the event.
“The reading went really well,” said poet and professor Larry Carr. “I think it [gave] a fine overview of the breadth and depth of what publisher David Appelbaum, and now Susannah Appelbaum, have and are creating.”
Carr was the first to read, followed by Dr. Harry Stoneback, Pauline Uchmanowicz, Dennis Doherty, Steve Clorfeine and lastly Appelbaum. Each poet enhanced the themes of the evening, which were the ideas of analyzing life, enjoying the little things and being in touch with one’s surroundings.
The poets each read three poems, which equated to about 10 minutes per author. They all used their own unique and creative styles to capture the beauty of the beginning of spring for the listeners. Touching upon the beauty of nature, youth and life, they created a light, airy and elegant atmosphere, welcoming everyone into spring.
The reading went from 5-6 p.m., with the poets stepping up to a podium and reading pieces from their published works, giving the audience insight into the work that Codhill Press creates and also how they individually embody and encompass spring.
“Codhill publishes such a diverse, eclectic group of writers and poets that there is truly something for everyone,” Carr said. “From the traditional to the experimental; from a more conversational, informal style, to a more formal, fixed form, literary style and formats. We also enjoy reading with each other because of this and value each other’s work.”
Appelbaum inducts new members into Codhill Press based on their works and how they tie into spiritual, literary and poetic thought. He has published a number of books of poetry and prose since Codhill Press’s humble beginning in 1998.
“I met Codhill publisher David [Appelbaum] around 2001,” Carr explained. “He’d come to a reading of a play of mine. We talked about poetry and I pitched a book idea to him which he accepted. That was The Wytheport Tales (poems and prose). I then did three anthologies for him and Codhill.”
The evening closed with Appelbaum sharing some of his pieces that were meant to help the audience capture the essence of the reading, which was to think about how they live and what they pay attention to in their lives. The audience walked out into the drizzling Wednesday evening with this impression left on their minds.
“I feel like poetry has the ability to be more subtle,” said second-year philosophy and English double major Kristen Myles, who attended the event. “You don’t have to spell something out to make your point.”
