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Question of the
Dougherty kicks off semester's Creative Writing series
by Erin McCarty
news editor
The Creative Writer Speaker’s Series
brings acclaimed writers from all over
the country to read their works for
students, but the first reader for this
semester didn’t have far to travel. Sean
Thomas Dougherty, renowned poet and
author of six books, teaches creative
writing at Behrend, and students and
professors turned out in droves Thursday
to see this dynamic member of the
Behrend community ignite Bruno’s with
A hearty crowd greets poet and Behrend professor Sean Dougherty in Bruno’s on Thursday.
his energetic performance.
Dr. Diana Hume-George, who taught
creative writing for many years at
Behrend before taking her leave after last
semester, returned to introduce
Dougherty. She recalled that before she
had even met him, she heard that he was
teaching freshman composition as
ethnography and was raising money for
the Neighborhood Art House with a free
poetry reading. His immersion in the
culture of Erie includes editing “Along
the Lake: Contemporary Creative
Writing from Erie, PA,” reading at the
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Friday, January 24, 2003
jazz festival, and writing several poems
inspired by Sixth Street, where he
resides.
Dougherty has been the recipient of a
number of prizes and awards, and his
work has earned him an impressive
seven nominations for the Pushcart Prize.
Hume-George praised his work both for
the unique voice he presents and,
conversely, the choral feel of his works.
She described him as observant,
passionate, and curious, and noted that
his poems are often laced with laughter
and sadness and always convey a deep
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sense of compassion
“Dougherty gathers up all the broken
pieces and makes them whole again,”
she concluded, quoting a review on the
back of one of his books.
Dougherty had the opportunity to live
up to those descriptions with his
reading, which consisted of a dozen
poems whose subjects ranged from
religion to romance and from food to
factory work. He quickly established a
rapport with the members of the crowd,
many of whom already knew him.
“1 wanna read some poems with food
in them because we’re reading in a
cafeteria,” he said, after opening with a
poem combining basketball, alcohol,
and the sacrament of communion. The
first of the poems featured generous
usage of the word “booty,” which he
described as one of his favorite words.
“I'm gonna get fired,” he quipped, the
first of many times he would say this
throughout the reading. The second set
a scene reminiscent of an Edward
paietittg, wi>th customers
straggling into a diner in the early
morning hours for free coffee and
doughnuts.
One of his lengthiest poems was a
monologue in whieh the speaker comes
to grips with the dreariness of his
The Behrend Beacon
factory work and the harshness of his
father. Another was inspired by an early
morning phone conversation he had with
a despondent student.
Passion w as the subject of many of his
poems, including a short poem delving
into the metaphysical aspects of passion
and a poem written in a form with a
mirrored rhyming pattern. Another
common subject was his own
neighborhood. Three of his poems
contained detailed descriptions of the
places and faces near his home. He closed
with one of these, which had been written
to complement the poem of one of his
thesis students.
His performance-driven reading and
comfort level with the audience
contributed to a very successful event, as
evidenced by the enthusiastic applause he
received.
“He kept saying he was going to get
fired, but I think his students are going to
make sure that he stays forever," said
Hume-George, inspiring a fresh round of
applause from the. audience.
Students will have another opportunity
to witness the talents of Behrend faculty
at the next event in the series. Behrend
Reads, a yearly event during which
various faculty read their works, will take
place in Bruno’s on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
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