Photo By Nicholas Williams, Assistant News Editor
By Brianna Luby, Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor
On March 26, Cody-Rose Clevidence visited Isaac’s auditorium as a continuation of the Seavey Writers Series. They held both a Q&A and a reading of their work, sharing a great deal of their poetry process.
The Seavey Writers Series is a program run by the Writers Institute on campus, which brings established writers to Susquehanna. Dr. Catherine Dent, an associate professor of creative writing and English, praised the program for its ability to connect undergraduates with a variety of writers.
Dent said: “Writing often happens in isolation, although we always have the company of good books. Bringing living writers to campus allows us a break from that isolation in order to interact with people living the writing life. We have tried over the years to bring a great diversity of writers to campus to allow them to interact with all sorts of individuals to benefit their writing and their own lives.”
Cody-Rose Clevidence is a current resident of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas but grew up in New York City. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where they are currently a visiting assistant professor for poetry, their work can be found online at “PEN America,” “A Perfect Vacuum,” “VLAK,” “1913,” “Epiphany,” and “Versal and Diagram.” Clevidence is also a featured blogger for the “Poetry Foundation,” a metalworker, and a lover of animals.
They are known for their lyrical prose style, specifically their formatting that aids reading it as a “vivid and continuous” dream. Professor Matthew Neil Null had this to say about the event and series: “Thanks to the support of the Seavey Family and other donors, the Writer’s Institute is able to bring in nationally renowned writers every year to give public readings and interact with SU students, greatly expanding the circle of our literary and artistic community. Cody-Rose Clevidence writes fascinating, avant-garde nature poetry about trans identity and living in the rural space of the Arkansas Ozarks. The poems have a real sonic impact.”
During their Q&A session, the poet answered a variety of questions but mainly tackled aspects involved in their writing process. They expressed their process to many aspiring writers in the room by explaining that they often read to get inspired to write. When asked specifically about their relationship with ecological elements in poetry, Clevidence stated: “It seems to me that it [ecological aspects] has always been a function of poetry. I try to block my brain from branding myself as an eco-poet.”
Even if they do not see themselves as an eco-poet, many people praise Clevidence for the emphasis they place on nature. Clevidence explains that, when writing, they often do not pick a particular result but write about what they are currently passionate about. They stated, “I feel like I’m a pendulum swinging in opposite directions and the form just takes shapes.”
They also tied this into their overall mindset when writing long form poetry: “When I was writing my second book, I thought poetry books are small, can be read quickly, and are like 20 bucks. I decided to give people bang for their buck. Make it worth 20 bucks, and because of that, I put a lot of effort into what I produce.”
Clevidence also talked about their editing process, mainly regarding an interview made a few years ago. In the interview, the poet states that if there is something they are uncertain about, they cut it completely and do not bother saving it. When a few of the writers in the room looked horrified, they said, “You can make a new building, but the act of repairing a falling building is a whole different mess.” They went on to talk about how much it means to be in the writing community, not for sending drafts back-and-forth, but for enjoying the idea of reading and writing being combined. Clevidence explained, “We are all reading books in our little houses, and the writer wrote the book in their own little house, and we share an interiority only transmissible through books.”
The poet was a very celebrated addition to our visiting writers program, and the university looks forward to continuing the program. Dr. Catherine Dent emphasized how the program could be beneficial for all those interested in creative writing: “For the 14 years I have worked here, I have seen this as a tremendous opportunity for myself, my colleagues, and my students. We are proud to be able to offer additional role models for our students, as well as connections to universities, publishing houses, and careers they might not have previously imagined.”
So even if you are not interested in poetry, attending the Seavey Writers Series is a must for anyone trying to build connections with writing, and Cody-Rose Clevidence was certainly a great writer to host on campus.
