There were no giggles, coughs, or cell phones ringing during Nathaniel Mackey’s Wednesday night reading at Russell House. Instead, students sat in respectful silence and experienced an intense evening of surreal poetry that dabbled with jazz rhythms.
All readings came from Mackey’s fourth book of poetry, “Splay Anthem,” published earlier this year.
“As you can hear, these poems are very much about transit and placelessness, and finding names for one’s condition during a journey,” Mackey said.
Mackey evoked this journey by selecting pieces that formed part of a larger work, “Song of the Andoumboulou,” reading sections 44, 48, 50 and 58 in succession.
Mackey’s uncompromising artistic style was epitomized by the brief and enigmatic introductions he gave before each poem. During these occasions, in which he addressed his solemn audience, Mackey seemed more interested in challenging his listeners to create their own meaning rather than provide them with easily digestible explanations for his work.
“’Nub’ is the name of the section of the book from where this poem comes from,” Mackey said. “Nub – it’s the name of a phantom limb, something that’s fallen short of where it should be. It could be the American Dream, almost.”
The surrealism of Mackey’s work didn’t faze his audience in the least. Instead, it seemed to only add to their overall experience.
“I realized I was having a good time just hearing the words read out loud,” said Tessa Williams ’08. “This made me think that maybe meaning or argument doesn’t have to be the most important thing in poetry, or at least can come after it’s established that the words sound cool. I thought Mackey definitively knew how to put words together.”
Mackey’s reading also emphasized the importance of musicality in his work, which most students took note of.
“Hearing it read aloud was a lot more different than just reading it,” said Adam Schlesinger ’10. “It seemed meant to be read aloud.”
While reading, Mackey’s words and phrases echoed and created subtle rhythms. During a question-and-answer session with the audience, Mackey cited both jazz and flamenco as major influences.
“There’s this sense of affinity between certain modes of flamenco singing and certain modes of African American styles,” Mackey said. “I remember reading somewhere once that flamenco is pretty much Spain’s version of the blues.”
Most students enjoyed Mackey’s delivery of his work.
“I thought he’d be much more driven on rhythm,” said Emily Rabkin ’08, “but he resisted the urge to overstate things while reading. I really liked that.”
Mackey admitted that principles of jazz formed an important part of his artistic process.
“You listen to what you play and what you play influences where you go next,” Mackey said. “There’s a kind of insularity and feedback. It’s all about plays of possibilities, the variations. A given melody is just the beginning.”
For many students, the reading was also just the beginning of their relationship with Mackey’s work.
“I bought the book, I was so impressed,” said Chaz Ganster ’08. “I’ve never done that before.”
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