Marie Howe Reading

There were many qualities of Marie Howe that stood out during her Sunday, October 17 reading at the Silver Cultural Arts Center, but perhaps the most striking was her humility. She stood before the audience in a long-sleeved, black, v-neck shirt and knee length skirt above thin legs and beneath a carelessly comfortable looking mass of long, brown, wavy hair. She shared her work with the audience while frequently making contact through her brown-rimmed glasses. The selections Howe shared spanned the various categories of her largely autobiographical style. The first cluster of poems she read showcased her smooth and melodic, conversational observations. Her voice filled the small theater with ease and warmth. The slight rasp on her alto gave a sense of familiarity and that motherly tone that gives authority and believability to her work. Next she shared four poems from a collection of sonnets she has written in the voice of Mary, mother of Jesus. She quoted Meister Eckhart, philosopher and preacher from the 13th and 14th century as an inspiration, “Meister Eckhart said, Jesus is the fruit of Mary’s enlightenment” Of the twelve poems she shared with the adoring and intrigued audience, several were acknowledge by Howe to be works in progress. Some of these poems may be included in her next book; also a work in progress. This is perhaps one of her more admirable and striking qualities. By reading unpublished poems Marie Howe captured not only the listeners respect, but also their trust and curiosity; appealing to their intellect by asking for help. She introduced a new poem written in memory of her good friend and painter Elise Asher, who died in March of this year at 90 years old, by saying “It helps me to read it to you and I want to share this, it still needs some work, and the ending is wrong, it doesn’t sound believable. So help me with that too.” The poem titled “The Spell” spoke of how a child’s imagination and prodding into the adult world with their innocent questioning can help us to uncover our own sadness. The subtly elegiac piece was framed by a story about Howe’s 4 year-old neighbor, who won’t leave the house without his Harry Potter cloak and wand.An audience favorite was a poem titled “Reading Ovid”, a witty and contemplative reaction to reading the Ted Hughes translation of the Roman poet’s tales from Greek mythology. The poem also alludes to several of the myths specifically, drawing parallels to things we still struggle with in modern humanity.After the reading, Howe was graceful and attentive to the line of fans seeking her autograph in their copies of her books. There was coffee and birthday cake (Howe’s birthday was also Sunday). Her 4 year-old daughter entranced the mingling students and teachers with her friendly, confident chatter and cake serving with frosted little fingers and a big grin.Howe has been teaching writing at Sarah Lawrence College in New York since 1993, and her work as a poet does not run short on praise. Accolades she has received are not limited to: a Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, selection of her first book of poetry The Good Thief by Margaret Atwood for the National Poetry Series, her poetry has been published in The New Yorker and The Atlantic among other prestigious publications, and contemporary artists such as Mark Doty and Stanley Kunitz are not reserved in their admiration.