At 7 p.m. on Monday, March 25, I had the pleasure of attending "An Evening with North Carolina Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti" at the Laurel
Forum in Karpen Hall of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Dr. Bethanti is the author of seven collections of
poetry, three books of fiction, and a book of non-fiction, and has won many
awards for his hard work and dedication. Additionally, he is the creative
writing professor at Appalachian State University as well as the Director of
Writing in the Field and Writer-in-Residence for the Watauga Global Community.
Many of the poems and
short stories he read incorporated serious issues with entertaining and
humorous descriptions of everyday life. His pieces cover everything from gross
restrooms encountered during road trips to mothers in prison reuniting with
their children living on the outside. The pieces of poetry he recited include
“Drought,” “Peaches,” “Wheeling,” “Knocked,” “JoJo,” “Women in Prison,” “Dogs
of Salsbury,” and three poems from his latest book Sonnets of the Cross: “Jesus Carries his Cross,” “Jesus Falls I,”
and “Shooting Pool with Samuel Becket.” In addition, he read the short stories
“Driving” and “Actavia.” He concluded the event with a questions & answers
session with the audience, comparing his mentally demanding career as a writer
and professor with his father’s physically stressful and dangerous job in the
steel mill, discussing how he avoids writer’s block, and explaining the process
of being selected to be a poet laureate. Overall, it was a fascinating and
enjoyable evening made complete with an excellent presentation of quality
literary works.
In the clip below, Bethanti gives us a glimpse into his personal life and relationship with poetry.
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