Meeting Nikky Finney and Patricia Smith, or, Most Well Known Poets Aren't Scary

Two quick stories.  (And yes, I've basically given up on believing that this will blog will fit neatly into a paragraph a day.  Let's say that is still currently the goal for how long the average one will be, shall we?)

Back in May I was volunteering at the Mass Poetry fest, leaving a restaurant in a group of young writers when someone points out "isn't that Nikky Finney there?"  She was the 2011 National Book Award Winner and was a keynote poet for this fest, so of course we were all excited to see her.  After I walked two Salem blocks saying "Excuse me! Ms. Finney" till I had got her attention, she was so kind!  She signed my book, was happy to talk briefly on her way to the reading where she would be the night's headliner, and once everyone else was caught up with her and I, told us, and I paraphrase: "that's the way to do it.  Don't be afraid to talk to the poets you respect.  Be polite and most likely they'll listen and respond well."  That moment made me look cool.

A moment three years earlier that made me look like a total loser was at the Dodge Poetry Fest.  As I had grown up in New Jersey, senior year I had been one of twenty or so state winners of a poetry contest and part of the prize was getting to read/perform at the next Dodge Poetry Fest.  Uber excited to be in the green room on the first day and excited to hopefully meet some of the poets I admire, I noticed Patricia Smith, who had just put out her best book thus far, "Blood Dazzler," and was an integral part of creating the Boston Poetry Slam Scene.  Like some kind of excited puppy, I called her name out and while walking towards her stumbled over a chair and nearly face planted into the dirt.  Not as good of a first impression.

The point is, and one of the things I think I learned in between those three years, is poets are people.  Some amazing people and there are ones whose work I really admire and have grown from knowing, but poets are people.  Most of the world, even if they respect poetry as a concept, can probably not name five poets putting out work in the past thirty years or maybe any contemporaries at all.  There really is no such thing as "celebrity" in poetry.  There are poets who are better known, but to be able to write as well as they do most must be extra conscious of how human they are, so try and talk to the people you admire.  Worst comes to worse, they just ignore you, but if you are graceful and kind and treat them as fellow human beings, chances are they'll do the same for you.