Poets Stone and Gottshall Share Reflections

Author: Greg Duggan

About 45 people showed up in the downstairs of the Ilsley Public Library Thursday night to listen to award-winning author and poet Ruth Stone and local poet Karin Gottshall.
Both writers sat at a table in the front of the room, their presence commanding the attention of the entire audience. Nearly 90 years old, Stone could have passed for Gottshall's grandmother. Even so, she remained vibrant and lively all night, frequently compelling the audience to laughter with her jokes and poems.
The two writers expressed a mutual respect for each other - Gottshall for Stone's experience and reputation, and Stone for Gottshall's skill as a poet. Gottshall recalled writing a college paper about Stone and her work, and said, "I never would have imagined that I would be reading with [Stone]." Stone at one point mentioned how she recognized Gottshall's talent the first time she heard the younger woman read her poetry, and described her to the audience as "a great poet."
Gottshall offered to begin reading first, calling herself a "warm-up act" for Stone. Instead, Stone proposed that each poet take turns, reading three works before alternating. The strategy worked well, juxtaposing the older poet's work with that of the younger so that neither retained the spotlight for too long.
Stone, a professor at the State University of New York at Binghampton, has spent the latter part of her life in Vermont. She read from her latest book, a collection of poems entitled "In the Next Galaxy," which she published in 2002. For the book, her eighth collection, Stone received the 2002 National Book Award. During the same year, the American Poets Society also presented her with the Wallace Stevens Award, a $150,000 prize the Society describes as recognition of "outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry."
The Thursday night reading was organized by the Ilsley Public Library and the Vermont Book Shop to give Stone a chance to present her work to the public. Several of her books were available for purchase after the readings.
Gottshall has not published any of her own books, but has works in several poetry publications. She has received the praise of Stone, and also that of the audience, who listened to her poetry with approving sighs and nods of the head.
After Gottshall's first three poems, Stone began reading her poetry. She opened with "The Nose," a piece she called "an old one." Even so, the poem was filled with humor, and the audience laughed several times at the images and phrases, none of which seemed outdated.
When Stone finished reading her first set of poems, Gottshall pointed out the timelessness of the writer's work saying, "My poems seem frilly and old-fashioned compared to Ruth's."
The two read for a little under an hour before answering questions from the audience about their writing experiences. Gottshall's subjects ranged from her grandfather to the heart. In reference to one poem, "Story," Gottshall said, "I took my favorite novel and took all the people out of it." She later revealed the novel to be Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre."
Stone expressed her voice for humor with "The Nose" and also disclosed other aspects of her writing with works that were at times both more personal and more serious. In the poem "In the Next Galaxy," Stone dreams of a better world.
At a few points during the evening, Stone's worsening vision prevented her from reading her own poems. Instead of hampering the event, her vision problems gave the two poets the opportunity to work together. Gottshall read the elder poet's works, and Stone joined in when she could recite the poems from memory.
Both poets said they began writing as children, which has helped them nurture their skill. "Everybody is a real poet," said Stone. "The natural thing to do is to be a poet." When a member of the audience asked the two poets how often they write, Gottshall replied, "I write something every day, like grocery lists."
"I've written poems on the backs of grocery lists," responded Stone.
Both poets related their own work to other forms of art, particularly painting. Each of the writers has done her own painting, and both have painters in their families. Gottshall cited her mother's painting as one of the influences on her poetry. One of the members of the audience later remarked that her "poetry is full of color."
"All the art forms feed each other," commented Stone.
In addition to her mother, Gottshall pointed to teachers, Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Bishop as inspiration and influences. When asked about her influences, Stone joked that her mother would recite Tennyson's "In Memoriam" to her as a child, so perhaps the love of poetry rubbed off onto her as a young girl.
The night allowed for a wonderful opportunity to listen to two local poets, one older and established, the other young and full of potential.