Art against the war

Madison musicians, poets, and actors wage peace

By Erin Martin   The Insurgent   March 2003

"Poets don't sip tea and chat while W raves war," read a pointed sign made by Fred Bergmann at Mad Poets Revolt! a February 12 event which hosted outspoken declarations of peace. Over 125 people filed in from the cold to pack Mother Fool's Coffee House where poetry, music, speeches, and an impromptu picket took place in solidarity with an international day of Poetry Against the War. Speakers at Mad Poets Revolt! included Wisconsin Poet Laureate Ellen Kort, local activist and Vietnam War veteran Will Williams, and Progressive editor Matthew Rothschild. Said Rothschild,"This was an incredible event. The energy, enthusiasm, and passion the poets brought to their readings captivated the audience. And the evening proved that Madison poets are not sitting still for war."

The crowd also had a chance for literature distribution on local and global anti-war efforts as well as direct action. The audience filled envelopes with rice to be mailed to President Bush in an attempt to encourage him to feed Iraqi people instead of bombing them. Donations were collected at the event and $245 was raised to be shared by Madison Area Peace Coalition (http://www.madpeace.org) and Voices in the Wilderness (http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw) for their anti-war efforts. Mother Fool's co-owner Jon Hain was impressed by the turnout and the tenacity of the crowd: "It showed me how passionate people are about peace, even on short notice. We planned this whole thing in less than a week."

Mad Poets Revolt! was formed as resistance to Laura Bush's cancellation of a poetry symposium with Sam Hamill once the First Lady discovered Hamill was collecting anti-war poetry for the event. Hamill called other poets to action and started a website devoted to protest poetry at http://www.poetsagainstthewar.org. Since the website's appearance on Janurary 28, 2003, over 10,000 people have submitted original writings to protest the war. Submissions come from all over the world and from all sorts of poets; both amateur and award-winning poets including Adrienne Rich, Stanley Kunitz, Joy Harjo, and Naomi Shahib Nye have submitted poems. The poetry community is using the power of the voice to lend a creative, human component to anti-war efforts: "The one complaint that I have about the current anti-war movement is that the artistic voice is missing," says Yogesh Chawla, an organizer of Mad Poets Revolt!. "Poetry creates harmony and human understanding so peace and the desire to create more peace are essential components of poetry," adds Chawla. Another organizer, Miriam Hall, asserts further parallels between poetry and peace: "Just by working for peace through poetry my vision of poetry has expanded greatly, and vice versa. My visions for both have mutually expanded as my work for each join together."

The February 12 event ran on momentum garnered from earlier open mics and anti-war demonstrations but is far from being the culmination of peace efforts among the poetry community. As more consciousness-raising events happen across the world, more voices add their dissent to the chorus of peaceful poets. Activism in the form of poetry appeals to many because it requires only an opinion and the courage to speak it. As activists, writers and readers have the power to "raise awareness and help people to develop human connections with one another, both of which are essential first steps in activism," says Hall.

The very act of creating poetry is rooted in a long tradition that protests the acquiescence of silence. "No matter how many poetry events Laura Bush tries to cancel, it is not in our poetic nature to be silent," says organizer James Lee Phetteplace. He adds that poetry works by creating a bridge of empathy between the writer and the reader: "Poetry requires a person to obey the poetic impulse and empathize with others which makes it impossible to commit acts of violence." Many view poetry as a means of elucidating a truth obscured by the euphemisms and doublespeak of those in power. "Our leadership is more likely to use words to confuse and obscure their intention. So, in contrast, it's very refreshing to see poets use the full force of their words to express the truth of their mission," says Hain.

Everyone who attended Mad Poets Revolt! hopes that the event inspired and will continue to inspire further anti-war efforts, both en masse and on a personal level. "Photocopy 50 copies of a poem, go to a rally and hand them out. Get a soapbox, stand on a corner, and belt poetry. Send your writing to elected officials, to your friends, your family. Go to an open mic and express yourself, even if the thought of that makes you sweat," says another organizer, Jodi Vander Molen, encouraging everyone to participate no matter how small they fear their role may be.

To learn more, visit the Mad Poets Revolt! website at http://www.pgink.com/local/revolt/madpoets.html