Reviews and comment from the Demon Crew - creative writers at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

"Don't buy one, buy two"

Before I started the course, I had no interest in poetry. I thought it was something that was full of flowery nonsense, but after studying it properly for the first term, I love it. This made the decision to go and see Michael Heller a very easy one indeed.

He's written about 20 volumes of poetry, memoirs, essays and novellas - much more than I'd ever aspire to create. 
 
He started off with a gentle joke encouraging us to buy his book, "Don't buy one, buy two - in case the first gets nicked!" This created a comfortable environment for the audience and, along with his calm American accent, it was perfect for an evening of poetry.

He was animated and willing to tell stories, before his poems, about friends such as Harvey Shapiro who have passed away, and his Jewish upbringing. He allowed his life as a teacher of English as a second language influence him, as well as his family members - in particular there was a poem he wrote to his uncle as a birthday present. 

His use of imagery was creative. It wasn't the same clichéd ideas used so many times before, but new images which were unusual for his subject matter. He spoke about, art, landscapes, politics; but I wasn't ever sidetracked or uninterested, his views were always different and explained. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole hour, and intend to buy his latest collection of poems.


Abigail Barter

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