The Clackamas print., March 06, 2002, Page 8, Image 8

8________
WedNEsdAy,
M arc I h
A&E
6, 2002
TM e CI ac I camas P r I nt
Poet rings writing bell for Clackamas students
ELISABETH MEYER
Staff Writer
Poet Marvin Bell’s visit to
Clackamas quickly turned from
a traditional reading into a dis­
cussion about his life, mean­
ing of specific poems, and ad­
vice for writing poetry.
“I’m going to dogpaddle
along, read a few poems, and
then we’ll see what questions
you have,” he greeted stu­
dents. He said he borrowed the
term dogpaddling from late Or­
egon poet William Stafford,
with whom he worked. He also
used Stafford’s definition of
poetry to explain where he
gets ideas: poetry is what hap­
pens when you pay special at­
tention to words.
Bell’s work with language
has produced nine books of
poetry.
Bell discussed in depth the
poem he wrote for his wife, “To
Dorothy.”
“I wanted to write a poem
that wasn’t like all the other
love poems in the world, so I
started with ‘You are not beau­
tiful, exactly.’ And when you
start with a line
like that, you
damn well better
write a second
line.”
-
He also dis­
cussed
his
“Dead Man” po­
ems. He has writ­
ten two books of
poetry from the
perspective of
the Dead Man.
“The dead man
isn’t me,” he
clarified. “He just
knows a lot about
me.”
After learning
that many stu­
dents present
were in writing or
poetry classes,
Bell dispensed a
ELISABETH MEYER / Clackamas Print
lot of advice.
You can write Ryan Scariano, a long-time Marvin Bell fan and CCC student, gets his copy of the book "Night Works" signed.
about anything.
It doesn’t matter what (sub­ sea that are no good at sea: he said simply, “is that they’re gardening or long distance run­
ject) you start with,” Bell said. anchor, rudder, oars, and a fear people who~can’t stand not to ning, everybody needs some­
“It’s the quality of attention of going down.” When you write.” Bell stressed doing thing that they would do whether
you pay to it.”
write, he explained, you what makes one happy. “Ev­ someone paid them or not.”
“Here’s the thing,” he said, should let go of a desire to erybody needs something that To reach Elisabeth Meyer e-mail
quoting a Spanish proverb. control.
they can talk to themselves hereswhatimthinkin@hotmaU.com
“People possess four things at
“My feeling about writers,” about. Whether it’s writing or or drop by B-104.
Poors corner
■
“To Dorothy”
By Marvin Bell
You are not beautiful, exactly.
A child said it, and it seemed true:
You are beautiful inexactly.
“Things lost are all equal.”
You let a weed grow by the mulberry
But it isn’t true. If I lost you,
And a mulberry grow by the house.
The air wouldn’t move, nor the tree grow.
So close, in the personal quiet,
Someone would pull the weed, my flower.
The quiet wouldn’t be yours. If I lost you
Of a windy night, it brushes the wall
and sweeps away the day till we sleep. I’d have to ask the grass to let me sleep.
6 weeks, 6 credits, as low as $2,690 (based on typical costs
of tuition, room & board, books, and estimated airfare)
Term 1: May 28-July 5 • Term 2: July 8-August 15
www.summer.hawaii.edu • toll-free 1 (800) 862-6628
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Summer Sessions
Marvin Bell at a glance
in August of 1937.
- Born in New Yor
and Port Townsend,
- Lives in Io
Washing
- lowamai
tein
2000.
- He is the
"The Boc
in Bell
e Volum
Reader,"
Dreams" (winne
I.)
- Currently teaches for the W’rltfers’ Workshop
at the University of Iowa.
Information compiled from http ://www.74thstreetcom/
marvinarticle.html