Molly Ayotte

For The Maine Campus

Sara Wintz and Megan Kaminski, both longform poets, were welcomed to Soderberg Auditorium on Thursday, Dec. 5. English department faculty Jennifer Moxley gave a brief introduction of the two writers, having handpicked them herself to speak at the final New Writing Series of the fall semester.

Wintz, a California native, was described by Moxley as “magic.” Wintz’s work evokes questions about “self, loneliness and love.” The author of recent publication “Walking Across a Field We Are Focused On At This Time Now” received her bachelor’s degree from Mills College, studied at Oxford and received her master’s degree from Bard College.

Wintz read excerpts from “Walking Across a Field,” which is “rooted in year by year searches of the 20th century through Wikipedia.” Her long poems were dotted with significant events in history, starting in 1901. She described the inspiration behind poem as “a moment where I was locating myself.” Events she incorporated in her poem include the birth of Gertrude Stein, Haley’s Comet and the birth of Frank Sinatra.

Kaminski read from “Desiring Map,” her collection of four long poems. She also read excerpts from her chapbook “Favored Daughter,” published in 2012. She concluded her readings of urbanity with a quote from Young Jeezy, “I put on for my city, on, on, for my city.” Kaminski described her poetry as “a way of thinking about the world.”

Kaminski is the author of “Desiring Map” and six other chapbooks. Her work has been compared to that of Willa Cather, giving a “haunting portrait of self through landscape.” Kaminski teaches creative writing at the University of Kansas.

A big question that came up during the Q-and-A session was what role researched played into the formation of their poems. Wintz’s answer spoke for all writers when she explained how “we are always reading and listening, that is the research that fuels us.” Currently working on a piece about fashion, Wintz finds herself researching a lot of avant garde and conceptual inspirations, mostly because it is a “space for reflection and ongoing narrative.”

Another question put forward was, “why long poems and not novels?” Both being long poem writers, as well as having other types of publications, both ladies had unique answers. Kaminski described her poems as her “letters to the world.” Whether or not anyone reads them, she uses them as an embodiment of herself. Wintz’s answer was a little broader in saying, “there are so many reasons to write a poem.” Long poetry allows a “creation of an entire environment,” without the difficulty that novels present.

The NWS will continue to feature many exciting new writers, as the spring semester is already in the works. You can also “like” UMaine New Writing Series page on Facebook or join the group for details on upcoming events next semester.

All NWS events are free and open to the public to enjoy.