Seventeen-Eighteen » Wrap-ups

Laura Glenum wrap up!

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:54:20 +0000

February has been a great month for New Orleans, but let’s not forget the great 1718 reading that happened on February 2nd!

Although the room was not quite as packed as it normally is, the reading went very well; Lara Glenum has a great stage presence. Her poetry really came to life through the careful rhythm of her melodic voice. She brought a new perspective on life and organisms, relishing in the grotesque. She read from two of her books, The Hounds of No and Maximum Gaga, to the enjoyment of all.

After the intermission, we enjoyed listening to the fictional works of Tulane sophomore Sophie Untermann, followed by the fiction of Loyola senior Michael Truran. It was a great night, and if you missed it, then you should put 1718’s March 2nd reading on your calendar right now!

2009 Wrap-Up!

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:28:22 +0000

I hope you didn’t miss December’s reading! Joseph Boyden interspersed Canadian jokes–the repeating of which this American dares not attempt–between his readings: creative non-fiction and excerpts from two of his novels (part of a proposed trilogy). Perhaps this was to lighten the rather somber mood of his readings; the non-fiction pieces were tied together by car-rides and the power of birth and death, and the fiction held some of the horrors of war. To paraphrase Mr. Boyden from the question and answer session, it was not possible to make up anything more horrifying than what actually happened. Still, the overall result of Mr. Boyden’s reading was not chilling, but quite simply, captivating.

After the intermission, Katie McGinnis from Tulane read a collection of Jewish-themed poetry, followed by Britton Blackall of UNO, reading a miscellaneous collection of poetry, including a few that seemed to follow the Native American theme that had risen in Joseph Boyden’s fiction. Kathryn Bell, a senior at Loyola, finished the evening with a gripping work of fiction reflecting the bloody tale of a modern Prometheus.

That wraps it up for 2009, but 1718 is headed for a great year in 2010! Hope to see you next month!

Thomas Beller’s Reading a Success!

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:30:41 +0000

To say the evening began with a bit of excitement would be an understatement! Despite a few necessary furniture rearrangements, our dear Lesley staving off illness, and the appearance of a celebrity, the reading was quite phenomenal, and our beautiful room at the Columns Hotel was packed! Thomas Beller read an essay entitled “Ipod on the Tracks,” and we learned it is a matter of pride not to ask a man in a wheelchair for help, however un-handicapped that man may be. This was followed by the more risque short story, “The Baggage Carousel,” which had many comedic moments but also an undeniable feeling of tragedy. His reading was very engaging; Beller’s tone during dialogue really emphasized the tension between the characters, and the audience was hanging on every word. We’re so glad he was able to read!

After the brief intermission, we enoyed three very different styles of poetry from Loyola senior Nate Thacker, Tulane junior Betsy Porritt (1718 Staff), and UNO senior Bobby Ledoux. What a great night! Hope to see you at the next reading!

March: Jarret Lofstead Wrap-up

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:24:19 +0000

Though we were immediately greeted with tasks of room change/rearrangement on Tuesday night, the subsuquent reading went without a hitch. Our dear Britton opened the evening with a lurid piece by Bukowski, much appreciated by the audience. Jarret read various selections from the three books published by NOLAfugees: Life in the Wake, Year Zero, and Soul is Bulletproof. Interspersed through the reading, he shared his own experience of the hurricane and following years, telling the story of the satirical journalist in the face of tragedy with wit and compassion. The audience was engaged, and he answered all questions thoroughly, though he did refrain from reciting any of his dirty poetry–a choice bemoaned by all, but easily forgiven for the sake of such a great reader.

After the intermission, two Loyola students, Mark Burgunder and Megan Vonk (1718 Staff), and UNO student Ashley Clinton graced us with their poetry readings, all of which were excellent and thoroughly enjoyed by the sizeable remains of audience.

January: Andy Young Wrap-Up

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:22:09 +0000

Our evening with Andy Young started out with a burst of energy and just kept going. After Sam Jannenga’s stirring invocation, Ms. Young jumped right in, carrying us with her through her mesmerizing voice. This event was undoubtedly an “auspicious evening” for 1718 as well—a great start to our Spring series! Andy Young’s work had an international flair to it; this well-traveled writer has a gift of imagery that offers an eye into the elements of other cultures that are almost always lost in translation. The audience was treated with some of her new work, and the personality Ms. Young puts into her reading was not lost on the crowd. She threw in a few lighter, comedic notes, including one poem about Condoleeza Rice, and ended the evening’s traveling spree—which included Baghdad and the Gaza Strip—with a series of works in Egypt.

Andy Young’s reading was a great success, and she joined the audience to hear from the solo student reader of the evening—Daniel Stephenson of Loyola. Daniel’s first poem was a delight in itself, but his second and third pieces undoubtedly created an auditory sensation most of the listeners had not experienced before. His “vertical rhymes” were written for two voices, and the reading had the polished performance and perfect timing of a musical duet.

These two Appalachian readers led an enjoyable evening—thank you, all those that braved the cold to attend, and of course, the 1718 readers and staff for putting this all together.

If you could not attend, don’t worry! To borrow Andy Young’s favorite quote of unknown origin:
“It’s always morning somewhere in the world,” and every morning brings us closer to the rest of the great events 1718 has lined up this season!

November: Claudia Rankine Wrap-Up

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:54:15 +0000

Having flown in from across the country, Claudia Rankine gave her multi-media reading to a full house. Claudia began her reading by playing a DVD which consisted of slow visuals, such as a scene from the World Cup or strangers sleeping on planes. One of the more interesting pieces featured two layers of sound: phone calls from twin towers on 9/11, and Claudia’s slow, precise voice reading her work. After the DVD, Claudia continued to read from her book, Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.

As usual, a large crowd, including Mrs. Rankine herself, stayed for the student readers. From Loyola, Rachel Crosbie read her creative non-fiction piece about how she ended up in New Orleans; from UNO, 1718’s own Britton Troy Blackall read some of his poems (including one dedicated to ovaries); and Chanel Clark from Tulane read poems that silenced the room.

The entire reading was incredible, though we would expect no less from our amazing 1718 readers and staff. Thanks to everyone who came out, and be sure to attend the last reading of the semester on December 2nd with Amanda Boyden.

September: Brad Richard Wrap-Up

admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:54:32 +0000

Well, folks, we’ve proved this month that we are unstoppable in the face of not one, but two hurricanes. The belated event on September 16th brought in a remarkable crowd, thanks to Brad Richard, high school teacher, poet, and 1718’s September reader. We thank Brad for being patient and flexible with us (and Mother Nature). He read work from his collection, Habitations, and also some of his as-yet-unpublished poetry centering on Katrina.

As always, the Columns hotel bar was aflutter with gorgeous drinks; Amy from Garden District Books came to sell Brad’s collection, sipping champagne all the while; and, of course, we all had a blast.

Our student readers, Sarah Beth Ryther (Freshman, Loyola) and Philip Matthews (Senior, Tulane, 1718 staff) were fabulous. Sarah Beth took us out of the confines of the podium and performed her epic spoken-word piece; Phil gave us a wild ride and blew our minds with his quiet but powerful poetry.

On different(ish) note:

1718 is under new management! Ben Sines and Katie “KJ” Kelsch (both seniors at Loyola) have (peacefully) taken over the series and were proud to lead the fighting 1718th to yet another victory.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us, pack the house for Brad, and celebrate poetry! We love you!

March: Richard Siken Wrap-Up

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:16:48 +0000

Our March event, featuring poet Richard Siken, was amazing!

We were fortunate to have the biggest crowd we’ve ever seen, some knockout student readers, and a featured reader as talented and commanding as Richard Siken.

Richard gave an absolutely stunning and memorable reading from his Yale Series of Younger Poets winning book “Crush” (2004)–including “Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out,” “Unfinished Duet,” “Straw House, Straw Dog,” and “Saying Your Names”–as well as some new work. All but four copies of “Crush” were sold, the most copies of any book Garden District Book Shop has ever sold at one of our events! If you haven’t picked up a copy of “Crush” yet, be sure to scoot on over to GDBS at 2727 Prytania St. to get one!

Also, you can check out the poem “Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out” here: http://poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=177722.

Richard was followed by featured student readers Ben Sines (Loyola, 1718 Staff), Jonas Griffin (Loyola) and Kelly Grant (UNO), each giving a totally bang-up reading to a full house. They were each rewarded for their hard work and bravery with a surprise mini-workshop with Richard after the event ended! Good things happen in the Columns bar lounge!

HUGE thanks to all who came to this epic event–it was just wonderful! We have endless gratitude to our supporters and our community. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions regarding the series, need info or want to make a donation, shoot an email to kaitlinketchum@gmail.com.

We hope to see you next month at our April 1st event, featuring poet (and Loyola professor) Mark Yakich! It will be held at 7 p.m. at the Columns Hotel (3811 St. Charles Ave.), as per usual, and student readers will follow. Check out a sample of Mark’s poetry here: http://www.versedaily.org/2005/dearbirds.shtml

More photos of the event (thanks to Rosemary for documenting the event):

Greeters Philip and Sarah

1718 staffer Katie reads the invocation, Anne Sexton’s “Ballad of the Lonely Masturbator” (read it here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171282)

Introducing Richard

Richard gives his reading, with our student readers up front–from left: Jonas, Kelly and Ben.

The Columns, before the mayhem of the evening

December: Paula Morris Wrap-Up

admin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:39:00 +0000

Paula Morris

The final 1718 event of the season, hosted at the Columns on December 4th and featuring local writer (and Tulane prof) Paula Morris, was a HUGE success! Thanks to all who came out for the reading.

What a wonderful way to close our second season: Paula is a dynamite reader, Justin from Loyola media services was there to film the reading (more about that later!), there was delightful holiday decor everywhere, and we had standing room only! Paula read snippets from her books Queen of Beauty, Hibiscus Coast and Trendy but Casual.

Student readers from Loyola, UNO and Tulane followed, reading before a sizeable crowd. It must be said that we have been getting a fabulous amount of support from UNO lately and we are LOVING it! Not only have we been lucky to have some bright and talented UNO student readers, but they’re also showing up in droves to our events! Yay! Keep it up, UNO!

So, that wraps up our fall/winter 2007 season. Big thanks again to our featured readers Brenda Marie Osbey, Alison Pelegrin, Rodger Kamenetz, and Paula Morris!

Happy holidays!

Here are some photos of the event (thanks to our photographer/staffer, David!):

Kyle preparing to read the invocation

People in ties: Katie and Kyle, 1718 staffers

December’s crowd

The back of the crowd

Wish, Tulane mistress of 1718

Chris and David

The ladies of 1718

Maggie introducing the student readers

Erick–student reader from Loyola

Ashley–student reader from UNO

Alex–student reader from Tulane

Writer John Biguenet, past 1718 reader, came to the reading!