Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Alexander Stawinski Alexander Stawinski/Senior Photographer Poet William Olsen recites poems from his collections during a reading with Nancy Eimers Tuesday in the Charles V. Park Library Baber Room. [Click to enlarge]

The neighbor's pinwheel, a walker and a night at the grocery store were just some of the unique subjects expressed at a poetry reading Monday night.

Western Michigan University professors Nancy Eimers and William Olsen, a married couple, read selections from their published anthologies of poetry to a crowd of about 50 people in Charles V. Park Library Baber Room. The poems used a more contemporary approach inspired by events or everyday activities.

"It's very refreshing to read," said Lakeport senior Joe Kane. "(The poetry) is not too typical. It's more on the relaxed conversational side where they have a meter, not so much a formal meter, but a meter of people speaking."

Eimers and Olsen held an informal sit-down prior to the night's poetry reading. Students had the opportunity to ask the poets questions about their writing and poetry. The intimate setting gave students a chance to have some insight on the poets' inspiration and backgrounds before the reading.

At the end of the reading, the floor was opened for questions to the guests about the poets and their lives. One guest asked if the poets' works were inspired or influenced by one another.

Eimers said her poems sometimes are shaped by her husband, but her style has not changed.

"We show each other our work when we finish it and talk about it," she said. "We both grew as poets separately, so not much changed when we married."

Marshall freshman Erin Fitzpatrick found Eimer's poem about her neighbors a little unsettling.

"I started to wonder - are my neighbors writing a poem about me?" she said.

Kane was impressed by both poets. He said they chose interesting topics and the flow of writing.

"They show a big vein of the contemporary style coming out, which has the tendency to relate (poetry) to day-to-day experiences," Kane said.

Those interested in that contemporary style could purchase Eimers and Olsen's published works during and after the reading. The two remained available after the reading for questions, discussion and a book signing.



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