Ohio University Literary Festival

     This past week, Ohio University hosted it's Spring Literary Festival.  The festival brought in many writers including Bryan Doyle, Dorothy Allison, Marie Howe, Charles Johnson and Robert Pinsky.  This festival is awesome because it gives students, and facility, to see and hear from "real life" writers.  In class, we have read works from both Bryan Doyle and Dorothy Allison.  Getting to hear from these people live presents the opportunity to put a voice to the words we are reading in class.  It really makes the literature come to life and gives it more meaning.

     I am really excited I got to sit in to hear from Marie Howe, an incredible poet.  As she spoke, she read several poems from other poets and discussed how their writing techniques are effective.  She challenged everyone there to try to incorporate some of these techniques into their own writing.  One thing that I particularly liked was using a double negative to create a positive.  In the poem "Archaic Torson of Apollo" by Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke writes, "For here there is no place that does not see you."  Howe said that by saying there is no place that does not see you is more effective than saying everywhere you are seen.  That really stuck out to me and I am going to try to incorporate that into my writing.

     I think the literary festival is a great thing here at OU.  I am thankful I was able to attend and will try to go back again next year.  It was an awesome event.