maplElEafpoEm

Last night I headed over to Mercer Union for an installment of Test, a favorite series of mine. The Mercer Union is a centre for contemporary art, and upon arrival it became immediately apparent that we were to be spending the evening in the company of a rather large and interesting piece of art. This piece was constructed from sheets of yellow paper rolled into cylinders and placed to protrude at varying heights from corrugated cardboard boxes. It seemed to glow from inside,  putting me in mind of stressful jobs and crystals formed under intense pressure.

The first reader was Diana Fitzgerald Bryden. She read primarily from her current poetry manuscript Self Help. The poems are short pieces which often question a second person, a mysterious 'you' - perhaps a friend, lover, adversary? the reader? herself?
Just enough was said. Just enough was unsaid.

The second reader was Jason Christie, reading from his recently published iROBOT, a collection of prose  poetry exploring a world where every machine containing a computer chip gains sentience. I wasn't sure what to expect, but quickly fell in love with these quirky, unreliable machines and their sorrows over 'purpose' and 'existence'.

I enjoyed the evening immensely.
Consult the website for more information about last night's readers & next month's installment.