Stockbridge Redux

 

In the age of Zoom, some things seem more possible. For example, Steiny (a.k.a. Karren Alenier) was invited to give a second reading for the Stockbridge Library. The recording had failed to render for the first reading, but the producers of this series that gives laser focus to the poet with a generous introduction, a 30-minute reading, and a Q&A, thought enough of her reading to want to capture what had been missed.

 

John Gillespie said it would just be Wendy Pearson, himself and Karren Alenier. However, Karren asked if it would be ok to invite a few people and so she did. The advantage of having some outside people in the audience was that Karren had audience reaction as she read and the Q&A became more intense. Barbara Goldberg asked about poems that depict family members and likened them to a cannibalistic action—“You eat them up.” (them being family members.) Karren said poems help her process things on her mind and said, “it’s not like they are revenge poems, but yes, it does lend to chewing on the actions of the family.”

 

The reading includes 10 poems and can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq5xK0TBZXc&t=8s