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Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Suzanne Buffam, filled the room with silent attentiveness, on February 25th, as she captivated an audience of eager students, engrossed professors, and inquisitive members of the community, with her stereotype defying poetry. Her charm and cadence of speech made listening easy as she read from her Gerald Lampert awarded collection, Past Imperfect, as well as her up and coming work, The Irrationalist (which is to be released April 1, 2010). While her presence was more reserved and soft-spoken than that of her contemporaries, Christian Bök and Di Brandt, the power of her words were no less effective.
Having had the opportunity to meet with Suzanne prior to the reading, I was able to gain some insight into the thought process of this Montreal born poet. When asked what it was that made her want to become a poet, Suzanne wittily responded that it certainly wasn’t for the fame or the money. She followed this remark up with a more serious comment however, in which she quoted Michael Harper, “you don’t choose poetry, poetry chooses you.” For Buffam, poetry is just a way of thinking and so it makes sense for her to express herself through poetry.
Her words, which take a tone of inevitability, echo the fact that not all can be controlled. They focus primarily on the elementary bewilderments that are central to humanity. Her poems are written like confessions, each one with something important to concede. They are not self-pitying or self-elevating, but rather just raw expositions of central confusions. Buffam writes in this manner as a way of fervently inviting her readers to be a part of the experience. She wants the reader to be able to experience the perturbation alongside the individuals in her poetry.
Buffam also tries to make her work relatable through addressing everyday issues. While some may see her writing about the mundane to be cliché, and too rooted in tradition, Buffam has a different view. She feels that nothing is truly new, even poets like Christian Bök who think they are doing something truly avant-garde, are following a tradition of sorts. She believes that the key to good poetry is the element of surprise. A surprise does not necessarily have to come from doing something “new”, but can for example come through the way a poet uses tone, rhythm, or form. Suzanne does make sure to distinguish however, the important difference that exists between a poem that surprises and gives something unexpected, and a poem that is just strange and nonsensical. Just because a poem is bizarre does not mean it surprises. Thus, Buffam does not see the label of traditionalism as negative, but rather seeks to prove that she can surprise her readers even through everyday, ordinary topics.
Despite the fact that Suzanne likes to surprise her readers, sometimes the greatest surprise is left to her. Suzanne confides that often readers have a different interpretation of her poetry, than what she first intended for the piece. While many poets cringe at this reality, Buffam openly embraces it. She says it is fascinating to see the way that different minds work, and to see the varying ideas individuals may have about her poetry. This was a large relief to hear, after having just finished discussing the multiple interpretations that my classmates and I had had about her poem “Two Hands,” with her. Buffam continued to display this acceptance of varying interpretations through the question and answer period that accompanied her reading. Buffam addressed each individual’s interpretation of her work with grace and humility, embracing the diversity of each individual’s mind as she tried her best to answer the question at hand. Buffam’s politeness yet utter honesty made her a delight to both listen and talk to. We at Redeemer are very fortunate to have hosted such a fine poet, and look forward to her return in the future.
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