On April 9, UW-Eau Claire hosted the 19th annual International Poetry Reading (IPR) in the Ojibwe Ballroom in Davies. The event was sponsored by the Center for International Education (CIE) with support from the Department of Languages, the International Student Association (ISA) and Thomas and Deborah King. 

The event was first organized and held in 2006 by Audrey Fessler and Jeff Vahlbusch. Fessler is a former English and women’s studies professor and Vahlbusch is a former director of the university’s Honors Program and an associate professor of German.

The married couple was inspired by their experience with a similar reading at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, where they taught prior to coming to UW-Eau Claire. In an interview with the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, the pair revealed that they felt the IPR was a gift to introduce to Eau Claire.

“We arrived here at UW-Eau Claire and thought ‘This would be a wonderful kind of gift and tradition — perhaps we could institute here,’” Fessler said in the interview.

The organizers for the event this year included Kaishan Kong, associate professor in Chinese, Josh Bauer, LTS digital accessibility coordinator and ISA members Prakriti Adhikari and Iryna Levada. 

Prior to the event, the organizers selected students, staff and community to read from a pool of applicants. At the event, participants read poetry in 22 different languages. 

Prior to starting the readings, Kong recognized and introduced Paul Hoff, a soon-to-retire Spanish professor in the languages department who has attended 17 of the 19 readings.

“Every year when we send out the call for readers, Paul is always the first one to respond and say, ‘I’ll be more than happy to read. But if students want to read, prioritize students first,’” Kong said. 

Following the recognition by Kong, Hoff took the stage to say a few words about attending the event and the hope that people will take something away from it.

“Some of us are loyal attendees who attend every year because of our love of languages and poetry,” Hoff said. “There are different things that bring us here. And whatever brings you here, I hope that you have a great time and I hope you can leave tonight with a favorite poem or a language that you would like to study after hearing it this evening.”

Following Hoff’s speech, readers took turns making their way to the stage to introduce their poems and read them, as well as introduce the next reader. 

Languages read included Spanish, Mandarin and Icelandic, as well as less common languages such as Michif, a mixed language spoken by the Métis people, and Klingon, a fictional alien race and language from the Star Trek universe.

Michael Gehrke, distance education coordinator and annual reader, read “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” by Matsuo Bashō. 

“Every year I try to do a short Japanese haiku,” Gehrke said. “My wife and I got to live in Japan for two years. It was an amazing experience, so a lot of these little poems are about the places we lived.”

Douglas Pearson, a community member, decided to read “Allegro” by Tomas Tranströmer, a Swedish poet, psychologist and translator. Tranströmer won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2011. 

“Allegro appeared in a 1962 collection called ‘The Half-Finished Heaven.’ He refers to the music of (Joseph) Haydn,” Pearson said. “I think the poem has the impact of an anthem for peace.”

The poem explores the transformative power of art, particularly music, to find freedom and resilience even in difficult circumstances.

The event put an emphasis on the importance of hearing and learning languages different from those native to people. Jessica Miller, chair of the languages department and professor of French, shared this sentiment, as well as that it benefits the community.

“It’s an event that brings people together. When we’re so busy and kind of in our bubble, it’s an opportunity to see how diverse the world is,” Miller said. “Just to stop and listen and hear different voices. It allows us to slow down a little bit and enjoy the community.”

Kong, who joined the team of organizers after participating as a reader, said attending and participating in the event is just the start of understanding the world and its diversity.

“Language learning nurtures someone’s curiosity. The more you learn about the language you learn, you want to learn about the culture,” Kong said. “And then you’re more and more curious about the culture and the people.”

Braun can be reached at [email protected].