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The ClAckAMAs P rìnt
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WEdNEsdAy, M ay 1, 2002
Blue-collar poet
returns to writing
ELISABETH MEYER
Poet Joseph Millar got a warm
reception from students and fac
ulty at his reading Tuesday,
April 23. The latest guest in the
series of visiting poets from the
Mountain Writer’s Center
brought an informal atmosphere
to the Forum while he shared
poems about blue-collar work
and of raising children as a single
father and told whimsical in
jokes for English majors about
modern-day situations.
Millar lives in Eugene and
teaches poetry at Mount Hood
Community College two days a
week. It’s quite a departure
from his former jobs, which in
clude commercial fishing in
Alaska and working with phone
line installation in the San Fran
cisco Bay area. Although Millar
got his Master of Arts in cre
ative writing from Johns
Hopkins in 1970, he worked in
unrelated fields until 1997.
“I got my degree and decided
I needed to, you know, do some
adventurous stuff,” he said.
“What happened was I kind of
got trapped in the blue collar
world. I was making pretty
good money. I had some kids.
(To just write poetry) I would’ve
had to take too big a cut. I got
stuck.”
Besides taking up his time,
working put unorthodox re
strictions in Millar’s poetry
writing. “The guys worked
with had no idea what I was
doing. I used to be in the
truck writing and if they came
over, I’d hide it. I would
cover it with the sports page.
It was okay to be reading
that,” he said. “I was fore
man by the time I quit, so I’d
put my crew to work. I’d say,
‘You guys do this, that, the
other thing, and I’ll be back.
And then I’d go sit in the
truck and write.”
Many of his poems talk
about the daily survival mode
we function in: his poems are
studded with lines like “If I
don’t get this electric bill
paid/ something bad will hap
pen”
from“Hansel
and
Gretel’s Father” and “What
would we do if I got fired, I
wonder/ listening to the wind
outside and the evening’s
lead story about more layoffs
in the South Bay” (“Sole Cus
tody”).
Although drinking, heart at
tacks and single fatherhood
comprise much of the subject
matter, Millar’s enthusiasm
and energy makes the switch
from the depressing specifics
of everyday life to more
imaginative themes seamless.
“Me and Herrick are down at
the end/ of the Turf Club bar
drinking gin and limes,” he
reads to us from “At Bay
Meadows . with
Robert
Herrick.” He wrote the poem
trying to know what a day at
the races with the 16th cen
tury author would be like. “I
haven’t had a winner all
day,” he read, “playing a combi
nations of speed-ratings and
chalk,/ while Herrick can’t
miss,/ betting fillies whose
names end in a."
Millar began writing po
etry because “I loved writing
but I couldn’t develop a plot
to save my life. I was pretty
good at describing things,
To reach Elisabeth Meyer e-mail
her at saladlass@hotmail.com or
drop by B-104.
Aries (March 21-April 19): Let
go of your anger. It’s time to
move on. You can't change the
past, take charge of your future.
Your lucky food: Roasted
chicken.
Taurus (April 20-May 20):
Open your eyes and look
around you. It’s time to get out
and enjoy life. Your lucky
food: Tofu.
Gemini (May 21-June 20):
There are people you just
shouldn’t get involved with.
Stick with people you really
trust. Your lucky food: Potato
soup.
Cancer(June 21-July22): Re
member that some things you
see on TV are not to be re
peated at home. You might get
upset about people on Thurs
day. Your lucky food: Spa
ghetti.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): You might
experience a strange appetite
this week. Try to eat more fruit.
Your lucky food: Tuna.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Let go
of your anger. Enjoy the sun
shine outside and think happy
thoughts. Your lucky food:
Pizza.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): People
might be rude to you. It’s not
your fault. You just happen to run
into the wrong people. Your
lucky food: Organic Soy prod
ucts.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t
ignore people around you.
Maybe it’s time to attend a little
party and have some fun. Your
lucky food: Apple flavored sau
sage.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Take a deeper look. Problems
will get resolved with a little bit
of patience. Your lucky food:
Apple.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You
should spend more time doing
homework. Your lucky food:
Candy.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb 18): You
are ready for vacation. This
would be a good time to just
leave everything behind and go
on a little trip. Your lucky food:
Tofu.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): It is
important to let others know if
something is bothering you.
Try to get more sleep. Your
lucky food: Salad.
Staff Writer
*
&
J.J. PEARSON / Clackamas Print
Joseph Millar greets Emily Orlando, English department chair, and instructor David Mount
while Amanda Coffey, Instructor, buys Millars book, "Overtime."
M
though.”
“I always feel good when I
write a poem,” he said. “You
know, it’s okay that I’m a
little behind in my bills and
my kid’s pissed off at me; I
wrote a poem.”
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