The vibe of Viento y Agua on Thursday evening remained cunning, yet fierce as Patty Seyburn, an English professor at Cal State Long Beach, revealed some of her own poems during a dry read.
“We have a big treat for you tonight,” the announcer explained as Seyburn gracefully took the stage.
A veteran of gigantic proportions, the published poet stood tall with unmistakable poise. She shared poetry that reflected the beauty of life in terms of all of its flaws along with everyday experience.
Some of her poetry possessed a deep friction, which the audience seemed to pay close and undivided attention to. Some of the crowd members closed their eyes as she read, as if to internally soak in something much deeper than just the words. Others seemed entrenched without any sort of movement, maintaining complete focus upon Seyburn as she worked from one poem to the next.
“It was a different feel than normal,” explained Shane Eaves, a CSULB student who has taken three courses with professor Seyburn and has watched her perform live on numerous occasions.
Eaves explained that, “the pace was much quicker than normal and the mood seemed much more relaxed,” however he said he was still impressed with everything Seyburn had to offer.
Seyburn explained how playing at a smaller venue, such as Viento y Agua, created a better connection with the audience overall. Seyburn, who is used to reading at larger venues, said that knowing in advance that many of her students and colleagues would be attending her dry read made the challenge that much greater because she knew first-hand what sort of poetry they could handle.
“Poetry students are used to being read to,” she explained. She went on to say that certain audiences are trained to think deeply depending on how much poetry they have already read and assessed. This ideal allowed her to choose which poems she would read, along with what kind of mood she would ultimately try to create for her audience that night.
Seyburn says she enjoys reading her work aloud because she wants to reveal her art to the audience in order to benefit them as a whole. She explained how she was never intent on creating this immense effect on people; she merely seemed willing to explain how poetry is significant because it is uncontrolled, similar to our everyday experiences.
If she could leave any sort of profound message, it would be to “give [bizarre] experiences a chance,” and that, “poetry welcomes people in, and you might even benefit from it.”
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