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Anais Vionet Feb 2023
There are opportunities, from time to time, to see and meet influential people here at Yale - leaders in their fields. I write a little, so I started going to see the writers when they did readings and interviews. The writers I’ve seen so far are Ada Limón, Vijay Seshadri, Terrance Hayes, Alison Bechdel, Roxanne Gaye, Sheila Heady, Natasha Trethewey, Dasha Nekrasova and more.

Before I kick this rat's nest let me say that I’m not an English Literature major. I haven’t done “close readings” of these authors' works or performed any literary analysis. What follows are just my opinions or what I’ve overheard (and much of that I disagree with).

After the readings and greetings, I hang back in the crowd to hear reactions. Many of the Yale students attending these events want to seem intellectual and subversive - at the same time, they don’t want to be polarizing or say things that their peers will disagree with. I’m appalled at how little credit is given to writers for their earlier, groundbreaking work.

Some crowd reactions included: Roxanne Gaye “is so 2016,” Ada Limón’s presentation seemed “sanitized and censored.” Jia Tolentino, “no longer staking out controversial spaces.” Much of the criticism was that these authors were freer, as nobodies in their basements, to rage against the system but they’ve since been corrupted, tamed and rendered vapid, as it were, by the financial ties of fame.

At a reading by Terrance Hayes, he discussed the criticism that the “classics” represent the “white cannon” and don’t include alternative perspectives. Terrance Hayes argued that the “classics” are such because they present universal truths and that, like science, you don’t have to erase things to include new things.

I’ll cut to the chase - here are the three authors whose events impressed me the most:

Sheila Heady
Sheila Heady did a talk on her creative process. Which normally I’m pretty skeptical of because I’ve seen some vague, wishy-washy answers - but Sheila shared it all. She had spreadsheets detailing the time she spent writing, graphs on time spent researching, and even pictures of her desktop arrangement (which says a lot about someone). She was so open and vulnerable - almost indifferent to judgment - it was refreshing, honest and endearing.

Some days she would write for 2 minutes and on others for 10 hours. I think it showed that the creative process can be messy and we’re not failures if we don’t set out writing time every day.

Natasha Trethewey
I have a complicated response when listening to people read aloud about terrible things that happened to them - I question their motives, purposes and intentions. Natasha Trethewey however, used it as background for a discussion of her relationship to poetry and writing. It was beautiful to be in that room, it was inspiring rather than being provocative.

Dasha Nekrasova
On the flipside I absolutely loved Dasha Nekrasova who’s all about being a provocateur. Her event was chaotic and crazy. It was a Yale Political Union (YPU) event, and I don’t know what those people are on, but there was yelling, objections, people getting up, she was skipping around the stage. At first, I didn’t realize it was a debate because it had a freeform look and I came in a minute late, from chemistry class - but I liked her a lot in the debate format. I plan to attend more YPU events in the future.
BLT Marriam Webster word of the day challenge: Vapid: dull or boring.
Zywa Dec 2022
Facts are like bags, they

only stand when you fill them --


with your affection.
"Vexilla Regis..." ("The royal banner", hymn in honour of the Holy Cross, 1897, Luigi Pirandello)

Collection "Held True"
Cody Haag Dec 2022
you say that I'm wrong,
but you've never known right.
how pretentious of you,
to stay in my sight.


you're entitled to your opinion.
but truth is, no one gives a ****.
if we were all like you,
we'd all be full of it.
That moment when someone crosses a boundary to share their flawed opinion with you.
Zywa Aug 2022
People only change

when someone else forces them --


They can't change themselves.
"Het volgende verhaal" ("The next story", 1991, Cees Nooteboom)

Collection "Willegos"
Janna B Apr 2022
If that was a blast of love
I’d hate to see your hate.

Your blunt, forceful love
comes from fear,
rains in blows,
and leaves me -
smaller, sadder,
reactive—
reeling for equilibrium.
Just my mum, weighing in due to concerns.
Big Virge Sep 2021
'“Why Exactly, Do Some Hate It So Much ?”

A Poem written by Big Virge 16/3/2021

Now I Know That It’s TOUGH...
And Is Really NOT FUN... !!!

But.....

Why Exactly...
Do Some Hate It So Much... ?!?

Facing Up To The TRUTH...
And The Straight Talk That Proves...

That Sometimes You Must Choose...
To Simply Stay Cool...
In The Face of ABUSE...
And REJECT … Attitudes...

Cos' When You Give It Out...
You Have To … Take Some Too... !!!

Lines That Cast Doubt...
On The Words That You Use...
That Do Not Hold Values... !!!

Cos’ We All Have Our Moments...
Where We Say What Is POTENT... !!!

To People We Know...
Who AREN’T Always FOES...
Or... IGNORANT Folks... !!!

Sometimes It Is People...
You Place Upon Steeples...
That Have To Hear Things...
That Sometimes Do STING... !!!

Cos’ We Just Can’t Agree...
About EVERY Last Thing... !!!

We ALL NEED To LEARN...
To Take Turns Being Hurt...
By Words Well Observed...

And Some That Are NOT... !!!

Some Peoples Words SHOCK...
And Really Do Knock...
The Spots Off of Dogs...
Like Dalmatians Have Got... !!!

Sometimes They Are Wrong...
And Just Do Not Belong...
In Our Conversations...
Because Some Are BLATANT...
Forms of... DISRESPECT... !!!

But It’s Good To COLLECT...
Your Thoughts Before Threats...
Or Ignorance Lends...
Itself To The End...
of Speaking To Friends...
Because You’re UPSET...
Or Are Dealing With STRESS... !!!

But Sadly Some People...
Resort To What’s Feeble...

But... Why Exactly...
Do They Hate It So Much... ?!?

When THEY Are The Ones...
ALWAYS Running Their Gums...

When They Have To Hear...
Some Speech That Makes CLEAR... !!!

What Someone Else Thinks...
About Thoughts That They Bring...
Within... THEIR Lyrics...

As If They Will Sink...
Like... Titanic Ships... !!!

Because of Put Downs...
That Come Out of THEIR Mouths... !!!

And Now It’s Online...
That People Drop Lines...
That Really AREN’T Nice... !?!

Cos’ They Seem To Forget...
The Things That They’ve Said...
That Have Upset Their Friends...

Or People... They Don’t Know...
With All Their … Online Quotes...

FOOLISH Keyboard Gangsters...
Who Like To **** Hammers...
Well Really... KEYBOARDS...
With Their Ignorant Thoughts... !?!

Could They Be Insecure...
And Just Feeling … SORE... ?!?

Because of Comments...
That They Think Give Them Strength...

When The Comments They Bring...
Prove That They’re WEAKEST Links... !!!

Cos’ There’s Too Much Pretence...
Now On … Internet Threads... !!!

People Need To STEP BACK... !!!

INSEAD of... Just REACT...
Like A Child In A Pram... !?!

Come On What’s Up With That... !?!

Which Brings Me Right Back...
To This Question I Have...

About Chats That Go BAD...
When TENSIONS RISE UP... !!!

Over Talk That Can Run...
Where Opinions... DIFFER...

“ Why Exactly Do Some Hate It So Much ? “
Some people seem to think that only, THEY have the right to push peoples buttons, this was inspired by such an individual, who I thought was cool, and could deal, but clearly could not.
Everyone has an opinion, my son.
And their words will push and shove you
To the left and to the right,
Towards earth and towards heaven.

Should others be your root which holds you to reality,
You will have an anchor which sways with the tides,
A bridge timbered upon clouds,
And a house founded upon shifting sands.

Thus to pursue what is True and Good,
You must trust your own eyes.
For though they will lie from time to time
Another’s eyes cannot fit within your sockets
I added the schizophrenia tag, because being a schizophrenic I struggle with this
Thomas Steyer Jul 2021
When we see what some people are dishing out,
we know what Bertrand Russell was talking about:
"The stupid are cocksure, the intelligent full of doubt."

When you meet someone who thinks he's clever,
but seems much too confident in his endeavour,
and talks to you non stop and forever and ever.

When he acts like a prophet defying convention,
never admitting a lack of comprehension,
promptly has a cure for everything you mention.

When he hands out his advice on a silver platter
convincing you that his opinions matter,
you can be certain, he's as mad as a hatter.
There are people trying to convince you that the world is flat.
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