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In its final event of the semester, the University of Maine New Writing Series welcomed New York poets Allison Cobb and Brenda Coultas to the Soderberg Auditorium last Thursday. The poets presented equally impressive performances, which, conveniently enough, complemented each other rather nicely, due in part to their similar interests in history and the mysterious.
Cobb, a Los Alamos, N.M. native, set her first poetry book, “Born 2,” in her hometown. She began by expressing her gratitude to be reading with Coultas, a poet, as Cobb stated, “I really admire.” Her reading focused on her latest project, “Green-Wood: A Meditation on the Meaning of America.” The poem is based on blending the history and her present-day experience of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, which was established in 1838.
In it, Cobb tore down temporal walls and fused past and present in a captivating poem that brought the stories of history to life, conceptualized by Cobb’s own experience in the cemetery. One audience member commented on this blurring of time, saying that Cobb, in a beautifully paradoxical manner, writes about “absent present people.” When asked about whom she chose to write about, Cobb denied any specific motive, stating that she is merely “looking for and experiencing the living presence of the cemetery.”
Coultas’ reading echoed many of Cobb’s references, as in one poem when she addressed the “tear in the fabric of time and space” in which the legacy of the past creeps into the present. She too, spoke of cemeteries, mysterious happenings in haunted houses and incredible abductions by UFOs.
Following the presentations, an audience member noted that, at times, Cobb’s and Coultas’ poetry “didn’t sound like poetry,” to which Coultas responded, “I consider myself cross-genre.” Cobb seconded that for her own work. Coultas, who is interested in language on another level, specifically its sound and beauty, leans more towards poetry.
Poetry, Coultas stated later, represents “a way of thinking and looking at the world,” a way to “process experience.” Cobb expressed similar sentiments concerning poetry, stating that poetry is a “way of figuring out life,” describing “how I feel about things and exploring them through writing.” It is, as she concluded, “a way of living.”
“I think it was a good year,” stated Steve Evans, the coordinator of the New Writing Series. “[It] feels good to have ended with writers who are still in the process of emerging.”
Next year, Evans plans for an equally strong series, with at least the same number of events and intends to bring, among other poets, Joanne Ryger and Michael Davidson. “I’m really excited about it,” he said, glad to being able to offer the university community and the public an opportunity to experience and discuss modern poetry.
