Cathy Park Hong Reading

In keeping with the theme of this blog, I am going to try and focus on the negatives of her reading.

For starters: FINISH THE PIECE YOUR READING. I don't attend many readings, but when you stop half way through a poem to move on to the next one, it is extremely irritating. Thinking more about it now I understand that was a business tactic, and it was her attempt to get more broke college kids with no money to buy her book so they could see how each poem ended. But nonetheless, just finish at least ONE piece of your work so I can see how your conclusions are. Conclusions are what truly grab my interest, but seeing as how she never finished reading any of her poems I wasn't able to get an understanding of them.

Second: I truly did love the essay that she read, and how it definitely took a different look at writers of color and how their work is viewed by white people specifically, but gosh darn that was one long essay that took up more than half of her reading time. I love poetry, and I would have loved to hear more. If I had heard more of the poetry, I may have been inclined to do more research on her and possibly find more controversial pieces like the essay, but especially now I do not want to hear about politics. I know that the social mood of a country affects the art that is made, but for the time being I am avoiding all political nonsense as much as I can.

Third: Cathy Park Hong seemed like a wonderful lady, but I don't feel like she was comfortable reading in front of us, for as soon as she finished her essay she very hurriedly sat down and said no more. And so I do not know if the audience is to blame, or if it was her own nerves, but either way I honestly wish I could have heard more of her work.