2008 Woodie Awards
Community and World Literary Series Presents: Edwin Torres
Jackie Carbajal
Issue date: 3/25/08 Section: Entertainment
You have to appreciate a man who "MacGyver"s a tape recorder and microphone into a surround sound system.
After pesky laryngitis led to the cancellation of his originally scheduled reading on Feb. 21, contemporary poet Edwin Torres performed for students, staff, and faculty on Thursday, March 20 in Markstein Hall.
Critically known for his live performances, Torres is not your typical poetry reader. Ad libbing, singing and incorporating theatrics into his performances is par for the course. Not surprisingly, Torres has worked with many performing artists throughout his career. He even has a CD, "Holy Kid" (Kill Rock Stars Records). Some of Torres' books include I Hear Things People Haven't Really Said, Fractured Humorous, The All-Union Day Of The Shock Worker, and The PoPedology Of An Ambient Language.
It was an enjoyable night for all in attendance. The mood was light hearted as the audience often found themselves laughing aloud in response to another antic from Torres or a witty line in his poetry.
Torres explains his first encounters with poetry came from Mad Magazine.
"The song satires and stupid rhymes reminded me so much of Uncle Martin, my mother's brother. [He] lived a few blocks away until my high school years, providing comfort and support after my father died...He was sort of a Puerto Rican Benny Hill...Humor was a motivating force for me since there was always humor in the household," said Torres in an interview with Salon.com.
Much of his work was sung or rapped as well-potentially broadening his likeability among musicians as well as literary afficianados.
Consider the line from his poem, Exotic People, "Bohemians is a catch phrase thrown out by no-hemians," or the complete inability to pull out a single line from All Colors Not White. Torres' readings are clearly meant to be appreciated live or streamed online. Reading it as simply text just will not do.
The next Community and World Literary Series event will showcase writer Joyelle McSweeney in the M. Gordon Clarke Field House Grand Salon on Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.
After pesky laryngitis led to the cancellation of his originally scheduled reading on Feb. 21, contemporary poet Edwin Torres performed for students, staff, and faculty on Thursday, March 20 in Markstein Hall.
Critically known for his live performances, Torres is not your typical poetry reader. Ad libbing, singing and incorporating theatrics into his performances is par for the course. Not surprisingly, Torres has worked with many performing artists throughout his career. He even has a CD, "Holy Kid" (Kill Rock Stars Records). Some of Torres' books include I Hear Things People Haven't Really Said, Fractured Humorous, The All-Union Day Of The Shock Worker, and The PoPedology Of An Ambient Language.
It was an enjoyable night for all in attendance. The mood was light hearted as the audience often found themselves laughing aloud in response to another antic from Torres or a witty line in his poetry.
Torres explains his first encounters with poetry came from Mad Magazine.
"The song satires and stupid rhymes reminded me so much of Uncle Martin, my mother's brother. [He] lived a few blocks away until my high school years, providing comfort and support after my father died...He was sort of a Puerto Rican Benny Hill...Humor was a motivating force for me since there was always humor in the household," said Torres in an interview with Salon.com.
Much of his work was sung or rapped as well-potentially broadening his likeability among musicians as well as literary afficianados.
Consider the line from his poem, Exotic People, "Bohemians is a catch phrase thrown out by no-hemians," or the complete inability to pull out a single line from All Colors Not White. Torres' readings are clearly meant to be appreciated live or streamed online. Reading it as simply text just will not do.
The next Community and World Literary Series event will showcase writer Joyelle McSweeney in the M. Gordon Clarke Field House Grand Salon on Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.
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