Michael Harper Symposium

So I went to one of the events at the Michael Harper Symposium.  In particular, I went to the panel on March 14th where I heard Edward Ahearn, Carol Beane, Kate Rushin, and Heather Treseler speak.  It was wonderful getting to sit and hear of their personal experiences with Michael Harper and how he has influenced them as writers.  Edward Ahearn retired from Brown University in 2012.  He talked about Harper's time at Brown University and how Harper sent him poems when he heard that Ahearn was retiring.  A poem of Harper's that he had a connection with was "Hawk on a branch in Wriston Quadrangle on a December wintry day."  This poem was written in memory of their close friend, Dean Bernard E. Bruce, Sr.  The second speaker of the panel was Carol Beane who taught at Brown University for seven years.  She talked about her personal experience with Michael Harper and how he influenced her to write and not be afraid of sharing her writing with others. She talked about how honest Michael Harper was with each student's work.  Also, until 10-12 years ago, she didn't show her writing.  One of the things that Michael Harper told her that I think is really insightful is that "everybody has at least one book in them."  Also, he said that it is not necessarily the book that you think it is going to be.  I really thought that was very wise because a lot of times we feel like there is nothing that we can write because we are stuck or have run out of ideas.  However, that doesn't mean that there isn't a new idea or inspiration just around the corner.

The third person that spoke at the panel was Kate Rushin.  Kate Rushin was at Michael Harper's graduate poetry workshop.  She shared a letter that she wrote to Michael Harper about her experience being in his poetry workshop and how he has guided her in her journey as a writer. One thing that really stuck out to me in the letter was when she shared an assignment that Michael Harper had the students do.  He had them go to the library and find a book that looked interesting to them.  I remember how she said that it was just her with a book, pen, and paper. During her time there, she began to write and she was finally able to see what it means to write with her own voice.  I think that would be a neat assignment to have anyone do whether they are a professional writer, an English major, or anyone who just has a love for writing.  Finally, the last person that spoke was Heather Treseler.  Heather Treseler was a student as well as a research assistant of Michael Harper's at Brown University.  She talked about her experiences with Michael Harper and how he has influenced her in her teaching. These are quotes that she was told by Michael Harper that I thought were insightful and wise.  

- "You have your own voice"

- "I am not here to create imitators or disciples - no one can imitate me" (I thought this was funny as well)

- "I'll find you in the art"

Overall, it was a great experience. I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to see him in person. However, in the middle of the panel, he came and it was great getting to see him in person.  It was neat seeing how he reacted to everyone as they were talking about him. I could tell that he truly cared about everyone that was there.  I was definitely able to learn a little bit about him from watching how he reacted to everyone's presentations.  He is definitely not afraid to give critique and say exactly what is on his mind.  He is blunt and to the point as well as spot-on.  It was neat to see that even though they were not in his workshop or classroom, he continued to teach them and give them feedback to make their presentation better. Since I plan on becoming a teacher someday, I hope that I have the ability to be connected with my students years later and teach them as well as influence them the way that Michael Harper has influenced his students.