Yesterday, I was part of a weeklong effort by OccuPoets Boston to support the Occupy Boston movement. Organized by Peter Desmond, the weeklong series of afternoon poetry readings were held in support of the hundreds of people camping out, talking to passersby on the street, serving food, organizing events, talking to media, etc.
About 15 poets read to a crowd of 40-50 people, including Fred Marchant, Martha Collins, Molly Lynn Watt, and me. I was incredibly nervous—I never know how my work will be received. But the audience was warm and appreciative of the support from the Boston-area writers community. Four of the five poems I read are from the new manuscript, all of which have to do with the downturn in the economy.
This Occupy effort is centralized at Dewey Plaza at South Station in downtown Boston. What was once a park is now a tent city. Except for the musicians in the background and the city noise, it was relatively calm there. And clean. A little smelly but very organized and orderly. There's even a library on site, that now has a copy of
Underlife on its shelves. I definitely got the sense that these 99 percenters are 100 percent committed to change by any (peaceful) means necessary. And with our first winter wallop of a storm coming, the occupiers were readying themselves with tarps and blankets to gut it out.
The contrast of tents and the towering banks in the background just blew me away. As poet Jennifer Badot put it, “How exhilarating to be there!”
 |
| Fred Marchant |
 |
| Martha Collins |
 |
| Molly Lynn Watt |
 |
| Organizer Peter Desmond |
 |
| The Occupy Boston Library |
Comments