Poetry often lives quietly on the page, waiting for the mind’s ear to give it breath. The Society of Classical Poets’ Spring 2021 event shattered that silence, transforming the solitary act of reading into a shared auditory experience. Hosted by James Sale, the virtual gathering brought together winners and highlighted contributors, proving that formal verse retains a pulse that beats strongest when spoken aloud.
Horace Delivering the Odes to Augustus by Vincenzo Morani
The Theatrics of Tradition
Formal poetry is frequently mistaken for a stiff, buttoned-up affair. Andrew Benson Brown dispelled this notion entirely. Adopting the persona of Lord Byron, he offered “How to Be Like Byron,” a performance that went beyond mere recitation. It was an inhabitation. Brown appeared with props—most notably a skull—channeling the flamboyant, darker romanticism of his subject. The performance underscored a vital truth: classical poetry has always possessed a dramatic, performative soul.
Rhythms and Meditations
The event shifted gears seamlessly. James A. Tweedie presented “A Poem about Tango,” where the meter itself seemed to sway and snap, mimicking the dance’s sharp turns. In contrast, Brian Yapko offered a cerebral anchor with “A Meditation on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.” His reading invited the audience to slow down, to consider the weight of Prospero’s choices, turning the screen into a space for quiet reflection rather than just display.
Award-Winning Verses
The winners of the season’s competitions took center stage, showcasing the technical mastery required by rigid forms. Susan Jarvis Bryant delivered “A Half-Baked Rondeau Redouble.” The form is notoriously difficult, demanding a weaving repetition of lines that can easily become tedious in lesser hands. Bryant, however, managed to keep the wit sharp and the flow natural.
Sasha A. Palmer’s “Connected,” which took first place in the Friends of Falun Gong category, was read by James Sale. The poem explored invisible threads between people, a theme that resonated deeply in a format where participants were physically distant yet digitally unified.
A Community of Voices
Mark F. Stone contributed a softer tone with “Speak with Gentle Kindness,” a parenting poem that served as a reminder of the moral weight words carry. It wasn’t about complex rhymes or historical impersonation; it was about the simple, devastating power of tone.
The event concluded not just as a series of videos, but as a testament to the endurance of meter and rhyme. In a world often shouting in prose, these poets proved that there is still a profound hunger for the disciplined music of verse.
Horace Delivering the Odes to Augustus by Vincenzo Morani
