The following comments are excerpts from the introduction to my poetry presentation at Innisfree Poetry Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, July 14, 2015.
…I used to live here—not in this building, but a few blocks south on University Hill, when I attended summer school at Colorado University. My haunts were Tulagi (a nightclub selling 3.2 beer on University Hill where the Astronauts entertained) and the Sink.
http://www.coloradomagazineonline.com/Music/The_Astronauts_Tulagi%27s/The_Astronauts_Tulagi%27s.htm
I looked forward to a good time at C.U. I was not disappointed. As a student without transportation, for quite some time I didn’t even know there was a town of Boulder north of the hill. I thought University Hill was it. I have many good memories, but my grades suffered at the time.
…In my book, Butterflies, Scarabs and Secrets, I write about creativity, intent, and meaning-the artist’s statement and interpretation of the art. I comment in my book, “Once art leaves the artist, there is no control over the way a viewer will interpret the work.” The same may be true of poetry—we cannot alter the listener’s intuitive sense. As you hear the poetry, meaning becomes dependent upon your experiences, even though you may know the poet’s intended meaning.
Literary critic E. D. Hirsch said that the author’s intention is the meaning and what it means to you is the work’s significance. If you wish, I can discuss the intended meanings after you hear my poems.
…I am now researching material and interviewing people to bring forth their memories for a new book I am writing about the emigration of my grandfather from Moravia to Nebraska in the early 1900s. In between research, I write poetry. This evening I will introduce you to five short poems of mine.
If you are at all creative, have experienced deep or unexpected sorrow in your life, or have lost passion for what you are doing and are trying to recover it, perhaps my first two poems “Captive” and “Resurrection” http://www.bettytlavelle.com/poetry.html will resonate with you.
Many people tell me “I bet it was cathartic writing your book.”
I have to reply, “No, it wasn’t.” But writing my poems is cathartic to me; their meanings emerge from my heart. You may hear my soul speaking in my first two poems.
http://www.coloradomagazineonline.com/Music/The_Astronauts_Tulagi%27s/The_Astronauts_Tulagi%27s.htm
I looked forward to a good time at C.U. I was not disappointed. As a student without transportation, for quite some time I didn’t even know there was a town of Boulder north of the hill. I thought University Hill was it. I have many good memories, but my grades suffered at the time.
…In my book, Butterflies, Scarabs and Secrets, I write about creativity, intent, and meaning-the artist’s statement and interpretation of the art. I comment in my book, “Once art leaves the artist, there is no control over the way a viewer will interpret the work.” The same may be true of poetry—we cannot alter the listener’s intuitive sense. As you hear the poetry, meaning becomes dependent upon your experiences, even though you may know the poet’s intended meaning.
Literary critic E. D. Hirsch said that the author’s intention is the meaning and what it means to you is the work’s significance. If you wish, I can discuss the intended meanings after you hear my poems.
…I am now researching material and interviewing people to bring forth their memories for a new book I am writing about the emigration of my grandfather from Moravia to Nebraska in the early 1900s. In between research, I write poetry. This evening I will introduce you to five short poems of mine.
If you are at all creative, have experienced deep or unexpected sorrow in your life, or have lost passion for what you are doing and are trying to recover it, perhaps my first two poems “Captive” and “Resurrection” http://www.bettytlavelle.com/poetry.html will resonate with you.
Many people tell me “I bet it was cathartic writing your book.”
I have to reply, “No, it wasn’t.” But writing my poems is cathartic to me; their meanings emerge from my heart. You may hear my soul speaking in my first two poems.
RSS Feed