Audiences will be fooled as The Dorsky hosts a poetry reading on Tuesday, April 1 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The reading, appropriately named “It’s Folly!,” will feature poets and faculty associated with Codhill Press, reading works of their own that relate to the reading’s theme.
According to Lecturer Larry Carr, who will be participating in the reading, poets will be choosing poems to read that work in conjunction with the theme to display “how we as human beings become ‘the cosmic joke’ to ourselves, to others and to the universe.”
Many of the works being read will be debuted by the poets themselves, and will provide students with the experience of a real, vivid poetry reading, according to Professor and publisher of Codhill Press, David Appelbaum, who helped facilitate the event.
Carr said participating in a reading in the Dorsky will be geat because technically, the space is acoustically convenient, but it also “melds together the visual arts and the spoken word, which support and stimulate each other.”
Codhill Press remains a regional literary press based in New Paltz and is loosely affiliated with The Dorksy in that both organizations produce publications that are nationally distributed by SUNY Press.
According to Appelbaum, almost half a dozen of Codhill’s authors are faculty at New Paltz, several of whom will be present at the reading.
According to Neil Trager Director Sara Pasti, the Dorsky has been working with Codhill Press for a number of years to present various poetry readings in the museum’s space. Pasti said she “truly enjoys the partnerships, as they bring new audience members to the museum.”
Carr said he is excited for the reading because he enjoys interacting with the audience and having them understand what is said compared to what they hear at the same time. He also said readings create a joyful experience through the sharing of the spoken word.
“This reading will give students reflections on basic human realities, questions of everyday life and politics, exposure to the nature of literature and the literary object,” Appelbaum said. “Art is unique in the perspective it offers of our condition.”