The Writers at the University series commenced on the night of Sept. 23 with Poet Nin Andrews’ reading in the Scarfone-Hartley Gallery.
Nicknamed the “Wonder Woman of poetry” by Entertainment Weekly, Andrews read highlights from her many poetry collections.
Her works are winners of awards including the Pearl Chapbook Contest for Spontaneous Breasts, the Kent State University Chapbook Contest for Any Kind of Excuse and the Gerald Cable Award for Why They Grow Wings.
A diverse cast of students and faculty attended to hear Andrews’ distinctive poetic style, which walks the fine line between prose poetry and very short storytelling.
Despite the difficulty of defining Andrews’ work, she carries with her a reputation as a provocateur. “I heard Nin Andrews is a crazy sex writer,” said senior Cody Waters.
Such an expectation is understandable. One of Andrews’ most notable and well known works, The Book of Orgasms considers the orgasmic bliss extant within everyday life.
But Andrews refuses to let herself be known as “the orgasm lady.”
She avoided reading from Orgasms, and instead recited charming poems that recalled innocent youth in an essentially dirty world.
Her sweet Southern drawl made each poem a distinct performance, rather than a simple narration.
Those who attended were charmed by stories of a superstitious father, a bickering mother, the Virginia family farm where they lived and all the growing pains in-between.
A closing series of poems titled “Dear Professor” describing fictional student-professor emails, elicited so much laughter that the atmosphere became more like a comedy club than a poetry reading.
And those expecting the more orgasmic side of Nin Andrews got it by way of “Bathing in Your Brother’s Bathwater,” a poem from her latest work, Southern Comfort.
A definite highlight, the poem described a Catholic schoolgirl fearful of becoming impregnated by taking a dip in her brother’s dirty bathwater. “As crazy as it sounds,” said Junior Liza Pichette, who particularly enjoyed the poem, “that was the kind of paranoid lunacy I was fed at early sex ed. talks in Catholic school.”
Along with Nin Andrews’ accessible reading style, the Scarfone-Hartley Gallery’s artistic atmosphere was well-received.
“Isn’t it great that we are in an art gallery instead of a classroom?” English Professor Dr. Mathews asked the crowd during the introduction.
The audience agreed with a healthy applause.
The event was sponsored by the UT Department of English and the Florida Literary Arts Coalition.
Despite some scattered empty chairs, the reading hopefully laid the groundwork for larger attendance at future Writers at the University events.
Thai-American writer Ira Sukrungruang will be the next author hosted.
The reading will take place at Reeves Theater on Monday, Oct. 18. Doors open at 7 p.m. and attendance is free to the public.
Mikey Rumore can be reached at mrumore@startans.ut.edu.