Rich tribute
November 1st, 2012 | Uncategorized
The Adrienne Rich tribute last Sunday was really great. Here are some of the people–that’s Joanie Seager, of the New Words Remnants Collective (members of the erstwhile Cambridge women’s bookstore, New Words, who came together to make this event happen), hugging Evelynn Hammonds, who was one of the readers (and also Dean of Harvard College, and also someone who worked at New Words). That’s poet Robin Becker in the red-orange pants. And me, talking to Adrienne Rich’s son, Pablo Conrad. He also spoke briefly, which was really moving. Gilda Bruckner is next to him, and Laura Zimmerman, both of New Words. Poet Kate Rushin and activist/academic Cynthia Enloe are out of the frame on the left–they were two of the other readers.
2 Responses to “Rich tribute”
What a fantastic line-up. New Words was such a hub of my world when I lived in Boston in the eighties. And Adrienne Rich’s son was there? Such a powerful thing.
Oh, it was a soul-nourishing evening. A short documentary video was also shown, and the filmmaker was present, videotaping the evening, to be aired on YouTube sometime soon (search “Adrienne Rich tribute MIT” or something). You’ll want to hear those poems read aloud by these fabulous, soulful (and highly accomplished) women. It was so moving. Her poems. Her poems. Her poems….
My favorite story was told by Cynthia Enloe, who recounted Adrienne Rich’s fierce support for the women scholars at Clark University in the early 1980s, in the face of a very difficult sexual harassment suit – during a time when such a thing really had no name.
Thank you, Alison, for bringing such playful levity to the evening – you were fabulous (and I could tell that the four young women sitting in the row in front of me had come mostly to see you – by the simple fact that once you took the stage, their phones were all aloft “clicking” photos).
Her words. Her words. Her words….