On Friday, March 30, poet laureate of the Commonwealth Kelly Cherry spoke in the Janet D. Greenwood Library for its Friends of the Library event. Cherry read published and unpublished poems as well as a published essay called "Why I Write Now."
Cherry has authored nineteen works, including novels, short stories, poetry, essays and more. At the event she read a few of her published works, including from her book, "The Retreats of Thought." Cherry's work has been reprinted in Best American Short Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, The Pushcart Prize and New Stories from the South, according to the Kelly Cherry Books website.
Cherry mentioned that her works have been influenced by a myriad of subjects, including Madonna and Child painting, a quote by Ian Forrester, a very hot day in Richmond she had encountered one day in 1955 and more.
Dean of Janet D. Greenwood Library Suzy Szasz Palmer noted how unique the event was while welcoming Cherry to speak. "This may have been the first time a Friends event featured a poet reading from her work," she said.
Palmer further stated, "It was fascinating to learn that for her, writing is a true calling - some- thing she does because she loves it and can't imagine doing anything else. For the few students in the audience, it was a lesson in listening to one's own heart and to do work that brings meaning to your own life."
Cherry said, "I just love to write. I think it's just the most exciting way to live a life. Every time you write something, you're headed somewhere different. You don't know where it's going to be, but it's an amazing journey and poems will take really sudden turns and detours, and suddenly you reach right off the map." "I would say I try to be musical," said Cherry, addressing how she would describe her works, adding that "I'm also very interested in ideas." "If any of you listen to opera, you probably know there are words that are spoken," said Cherry. Similarly, Cherry chooses to write her works similarly for each to be "a speaking song."
"To write your own work, what you have to do is be true to your own vision, and I think of it in terms of the world view," said Cherry, later stating, "What you're trying to do is to recreate that feeling in your reader."
Discussing the current style of poets, Cherry said, "A lot of poets have taken too seriously know why that should be the case now." Cherry is currently working on a book of poems focused on things not capable of being seen by the eye. "You can write poems about love and loss for borrowing from other people's poems ... and I don't a long time, but ultimately you want to move on to something else," she said.
Additional awards Cherry has received include the 2012 Rebecca Mitchell Taramuto Short Fiction Prize, the 2011 The Bravo Award by the Chessterfield Public Education Foundation, the 2002 Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine and many more.
Cherry continues to travel to various locations and college campuses to present lectures and poetry readings from her own works.
