Former U.S. poet laureate speaks about poetry, history at KU

Aspiring writer and poet Beth Fox said there is much to learn from the stories passed down through individuals or through cultures.

“I think storytelling is the fabric of our lives,” she said.

Tuesday night, Fox sat in Kansas University’s Woodruff Auditorium to hear former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey speak and to see what she could glean from listening to Trethewey’s experiences.

Trethewey spoke largely about race and gender issues throughout history. She opened up about her experiences as a woman, being raised in the South and born to a white father and a black mother.

Audience members sighed audibly as she described memories from her childhood, recalling strangers mistaking her mother for her maid as they walked together.

Sally Utech, associate director for KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities, said she worked to bring Trethewey to the university because of many of the themes, such as class, gender, geography, inequality and racial injustice, commonly found in her work that are still relevant today.

“I think she creates poetry that is both beautiful yet accessible,” Utech said in an email.

Reading from her past works, Trethewey’s voice reached a cadence that struck a note with listeners. She spoke often of drawing inspiration from past paintings and images and discussed the “music” both in her works and the works of others.

Fox said she learned more than she expected about Trethewey’s methods, and in turn found new inspiration for her own writings.

“I loved it,” she said. “Talking about the music and rhythm and the fact that she’s so inspired by paintings — it gave me more ideas.”

Trethewey said her current project, a memoir, has forced her to confront even more of her memories and experiences as a biracial woman growing up in the often-bigoted American South.

Contrasting her own past with the prejudices of world history has given way to many personal insights, she said. Trethewey read:

“When he laughs, I know he’s grateful

I’ve made a joke of it, this history

that links us – white father, black daughter –

even as it renders us other to each other.”

Trethewey’s appearance at KU on Tuesday was the latest in the university’s Humanities Lecture Series. Trethewey will also participate in a less formal discussion at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Hall Center Conference Hall. The event is free and open to the public.