Acorn

Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Arts and Leisure

Media Credit: Charlotte Hammond Acclaimed novelist Andre Dubus III reads excerpts from his new book "The Garden of Last Days."

Poet Gerald Stern and novelist Andre Dubus III read their work in Mead Hall Tuesday as part of the Writers @ Drew series, sponsored by the English department, Hillel and Insanity's Horse.

Stern is a distinguished poet and recently published a collection called "Everything is Burning," of which he read parts during the event. Dubus is a much-acclaimed writer, known for his book, "House of Sand and Fog," which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1999.

Assistant Professor of English Tiphanie Yanique, who was Dubus' student in a writing class at Tufts University, started the reading by introducing her former professor. "As a teacher, I seek to emulate him," Yanique said. Dubus read from his new book, "The Garden of Last Days."

The book is a highly detailed account of three people living in Florida. The first section was about an exotic dancer, April, and her troubles caring for her daughter, Franny. Then Dubus skipped ahead with a perspective change to April's landlady and baby-sitter, Jean. The section ends with Jean having a heart attack after April picks Franny up leaves to her job. "She doesn't die," Dubus said. The next part consisted of a young Saudi Arabian man sitting in the club that April works at and who, according to Dubus, comes to "this country to do great harm."

Assistant Professor of English Patrick Phillips introduced Stern, recalling the moment that he called the poet to invite him to the event. "I called him with fear and trembling, as one does when one calls his hero," Phillips said. Phillips met Stern in 1989 while Phillips was a sophomore in college after his professor "kind of shoved [Phillips] in Gerald's direction." He described Stern in a very sentimental way during the introduction. "[Stern is] not a poet for dinner parties or final exams, but a poet for me," Phillips said.

When Stern first came up to the podium, he thanked Phillips. "I was nice in 1989," Stern said. "But I'm a bastard now." The audience chuckled a bit as Stern looked around the room. "There's a couple of Tennessees and Keats in this room," he said. "Poor Keats. I hope you don't catch tuberculosis from him."

He first read a poem called "When I Have Reached the Point of Suffocation." He said that after he first wrote it, he hated it and threw it away. He said he disliked it because it was too obvious. "Then I fought with the garbage men the next morning," he said. "I won."

The next poem was called "The Dog," which was written from the point of view of a dead dog watching Stern pass him by. The poem was written for Dubus' father, Andre Dubus II, who died in 1999 from a heart attack.

Stern read many other of his works, but what was most memorable were his speeches in between the poems. "Let me read one poem you can't understand. If you can understand it, it's bad art. Cheap, vulgar," he said.

A political writer at times, Stern read some poems that could be classified as anti-war and anti-anti homosexuality. "Every culture has a race they hate," he said, as he introduced "Asphodel," an anti-war poem. "We hate dwarves in this culture."

"I thought he was hilarious," Amanda Brennan ('08) said. "I took a lot of notes. He was quotable. As a writer, it's really exciting to see someone so passionate about their writing."

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