Only later, when a series of English teachers gifted in Elizabethan theatrics began to read serious poetry aloud in class, did I hear the music and encounter the Word within the words. Hearing's the thing, and poetry readings are concerts of sheer joyous sound. But to make life a marvel, that is the role of poetry. I used to think of the poet as living a lonely existence, waiting in solitude for the Muse to appear on beads of sweat coaxed from a secret chamber deep in the soul. That is true in a way, but it is not the whole truth.
Poets love each other's company, and they love an audience.
The festival is a biennial event, sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation as part of an effort to reconnect people to poetry through classroom workshops and public events. Nowhere will you find language more verdant and vibrant, an atmosphere more festive. There are moments rich in humor and wisdom, transcendent moments after which one sees the world differently, and moments when the play of language dazzles the ear as fireworks delight the eye on the Fourth of July. The New York Times covered the most recent Dodge Festival as if it were the epitome of poetry's resurgence on the public stage. Poetry performances are held at over 150 places in the New York area alone.