Student reflects on Raab's poetry

Author: Justine Katzenbach

"I'd like to begin with poems that relate to Middlebury and the seasons," poet Larry Raab said as listeners gather in the Ross Fireplace Lounge while he read a poem entitled, "Happiness." It is hard not to identify with the poetry of Larry Raab, not only because he so often writes of his own experience as a Middlebury student, but also because of the honesty of his poetry. He peered thoughtfully into the audience, reading slowly and intuitively from his latest book, a collection of poems called Visible Signs.

He began with "a quartet of Middlebury poems," which reflect most lives on the Middlebury campus. His descriptions of the Vermont landscape and what it is like to be a student here grabbed the audience's attention. They seem entranced, perhaps imagining that these moments of happiness he describes are unique to us all. There were nods of agreement as he spoke of a Middlebury that existed for him 30 years earlier much as it does for us today.

Engaging the audience with ease, he told anecdotes about the Marquis Theater in downtown Middlebury before he read "My Life at the Movies." He laughed, remembering how on one particular rendez-vous, the ceiling of the theater literally started to fall on top of he and his date. He spoke of his old fraternity and walking down Otter Creek. When asked about memory in poems, he said "one of the pleasures of writing is you can create a poem which describes not merely nostalgia, but how can you use it - both in making something new and remembering what it was like."

As the night proceeded, I found myself sitting next to Raab at Tully and Marie's with a group of faculty members and his wife, Judy. He eagerly answered my questions, animatedly responding regarding the writing advice he gives his students at Williams College. "Teaching writing is about teaching students how to revise. Students seem extraordinarily unwilling to give up what they have," said Raab. "I encourage the idea that poems are acts of discovery. The excitement of writing is discovering language as you move through the poem."

As we discussed both his aesthetic and professional advice pertaining to the art of poetry, the attitude of the conversation took a slightly melancholy turn. "There is a certain sadness in feeling that American society doesn't take poetry seriously," said Raab. "The academic world takes poetry seriously, but poetry is a less than marginal activity in American life."

Yet as swiftly as the conversation turned gloomy, Raab returned to his humorous nature. He told me stories of his most influential teacher, former Middlebury Professor Robert Pack, who taught him the power of revision. "I remember working 100 times on that same poem," said Raab. "There was no phrase in it at the end of the year that had originally been in it."

At the end of the evening, I walked back to Starr Hall, the same dorm where Raab once resided, perhaps dreaming of poetry and prose. Despite the chilled autumn air, I was warmed by the thought that maybe someday, one of today's students may come back to Middlebury to read from his or her own book of poetry, inspiring others to believe that, in fact, they do have a chance.

The Ross Fall Poetry Series was conceived and organized by Ross Commons heads Stephen and Katy Abbott, in conjunction with Brainerd Commons. Poets still to come this fall are Billy Collins on Friday, Oct. 28 at 4:30 in Mead Chapel, the Tin Pan Caravan (four singer-songwriters who will play their music and talk about their artistic process) on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 in the Ross Fireplace Lounge and Gary Margolis on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 in the Ross Fireplace Lounge. Each event will be followed by a dinner with the poet. If you would like to join, contact Katy Abbott at extension 3341.