MN Poetry Out Loud winner Mary Hu talks about her inspiration in performing verse

Grants | NHPRC | Special Collections | Fitzgerald Theater Event | Topics | Arts & Culture | Minnesota Books and Authors | Types | Interviews | Poems, Poets, and Poetry | Reading |
March 10, 2008
Jeff Jones - Producer, Tom Crann - Interviewer, Mary Hu - Interviewee
Listen: poetry kid (Hu) -8802
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MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Mary Hu, high school poetry champion of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest held at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Segment also includes clip of Hu performing a Thomas Hardy poem.

The students recited poetry of old -- by Longfellow, Poe, Kipling and Browning -- as well as new, like Maya Angelou, Billy Collins and Sharon Olds. After three rounds, Morris Area High School student Mary Hu emerged as this year's winner.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) I guess I like the flow of it. You know, I I'm a singer. So I just thought that was you know some interesting and I really like singing and poetry the thing is I guess poetry a lot of things could be done by people all different diversities, you know, but I think through poetry out loud. I really get to see different points of view like because the poets are all really different their Styles and what they want to carry across so I just thought that was I really Trouble one day and I guess that kind of helped me start seeing different things
(00:00:35) for a lot of students your age and a lot of adults who to get up in front of meeting of five people would be terrified. So how do you overcome that? You're on stage at the fits and there what hundreds of students in the audience? What do you do to get past that what might be terrifying for a
(00:00:51) lot of people do you really want to know?
(00:00:55) Yeah, I do. Well like
(00:00:58) it varies from time to time, especially when I have a well like I start out when I get really nervous I pretend for that people are certain fruits. So it works it works though. And then later I realized I need to be engaged in the audience. I can't just put in there like fruit. So I started kind of scanning the krauts a little bit. I don't focus on one person because that might freak me out and I try to look at a judge. Suppose someone judges freak you out. So when there's a large crowd, I guess you have to be observed in your own in the poem. Then you don't get too freaked out. So that's basically how I do it.
(00:01:35) In the final round you chose a poem by Thomas Hardy hap, he's a sort of 19th century Englishmen, right? What's it about?
(00:01:44) Well Thomas Hardy one-year-old this he's kind of a character in the character that's complaining about fate and how it's not fair that things just happen. You know, it's like, you know and from a poem it says well if but some vengeful God would call it to me. There's some God have this all plan and I'll know and I'll deal with it if it's bad. Bad, but real life fate you don't know so he was just complaining and I don't know I wanted to do this poem using a you know, how teenagers like to compare complain. My peers are the complain about things and I thought well, maybe you'll fit into this to put a little of that attitude in that poem that help me understand a lot
(00:02:27) sort of whiny
(00:02:29) not. Whiny actually it's more
(00:02:31) bitter. Hap by Thomas Hardy if but some vengeful God would call to me from Up the Sky and laughs now suffering thing know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy that die loves lost is my hate profit e then what I Barrett clench myself and die steal by the sense of iron unmerited have he's in that apart Fuller than I had willed and meted me too. Here's I shed. But not so how arrives a joy lies slain and why I'm glooms the best hoped ever sewn crass casualty obstructs the Sun and rain and dicing time for gladness cast Simone these purblind. Umm stirs had as readily strong blesses about my pilgrimage as pain.

Transcripts

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SPEAKER 1: I guess I like the flow of it. I'm a singer, so I just thought that was similar to singing. I really like singing and poetry. The thing is, I guess, poetry, a lot of things could be done by people all different diversities.

But I think through poetry out loud, I really get to see different points of view because the poets are all really different, their styles and what they want to carry across. So I just thought that was-- I really want to travel one day. And I guess that helped me start seeing different things.

SPEAKER 2: There are a lot of students your age and a lot of adults who to get up in front of a meeting of five people would be terrified. So how do you overcome that? You're on stage at the Fitz and there are, what, hundreds of students in the audience, what do you do to get past that, what might be terrifying for a lot of people?

SPEAKER 1: Do you really want to know?

SPEAKER 2: Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER 1: Well, it varies from time to time, especially when I have a-- well, I start out when I get really nervous, I pretend that people are certain fruits. So it works. It works though. And then later I realized I need to be engaged in the audience. I can't just pretend they're like fruit.

So I started scanning the crowds a little bit. I don't focus on one person because that might freak me out. And I try to look at the judges, but sometimes judges freak you out. So when there's a large crowd, I guess, you have to be absorbed in the poem. Then you don't get too freaked out. So that's basically how I do it.

SPEAKER 2: In the final round, you chose a poem by Thomas Hardy, Hap. He's a 19th century Englishman, right? What's it about?

SPEAKER 1: Well, Thomas Hardy, when he wrote this, he's in a character that's complaining about fate, and how it's not fair that things just happen. In front of the poem, it says, well, but some vengeful god would call it to me. Some God have this all plan, and I'll know, and I'll deal with it if it's bad.

But real life fate, you don't know. So he was just complaining. And I don't know. I wanted to do this poem using how teenagers like to complain. My peers like to complain about things. And I thought, well, maybe you'll fit into this to put a little of that attitude in that poem. That helped me understand a lot.

SPEAKER 2: Sort of whiny?

SPEAKER 1: Not whiny, actually. It's more bitter.

Hap by Thomas Hardy. If but some vengeful god would call to me from up the sky and laugh, "Thou suffering thing, know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy, that thy love's lost is my hate's profiting."

Then would I bear it, clench myself, and die. Steeled by the sense of ire unmerited, half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I had willed and meted me the tears I shed.

But not so. How arrives at joy lies slain, and why on blooms the best hope ever sown? Crass Casualty obstructs the sun and rain, and dicing time for gladness cast a moan. These purblind Doomsters had as readily strown Blisses about my pilgrimage as pain.

[APPLAUSE]

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