Ishion Hutchinson

Phillip McField
Staff Writer

    Born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, Ishion Hutchinson not only wanted to make a career but a life out of literature. To him, the exact time where he knew that poetry would become a main staple of his identity was in high school; after submitting an essay to his teacher, his teacher handed it back to him, and said that it was a “long, boring narrative poem.” Luckily, the teacher decided to give Hutchinson a chance to hone this, inviting him to come afterschool to get it out of his system. “It was a punishment,” Hutchinson said, “that turned into a blessing.”

    And what a blessing it turned out to be. With his talent and drive, Ishion Hutchinson earned a B.A. at the University of West Indies, a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) at New York University and a Ph.D. at the University of Utah.

    His works have appeared in The Common, Poetry Review, Granta, The Huffington Post and other journals and anthologies. Several of his works went on to secure him the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, a Whiting Writers’ Award and the Academy of American Poets’ Larry Levis Prize.

    On Sept. 18, the Honors Committee and the Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation brought Hutchinson to South Campus. Guests entered the Student Life center, some with journals and pens in hand and the rest with just the shirts on their backs, for a live reading from this award-winning author.

    Barbara Nightingale, the South Campus Coordinator, introduced the renowned poet to an applauding audience. He greeted the audience and presented his book, “Far District: Poems,” to everyone before beginning.

    For the next hour, attendees were treated to pieces from his book and brand new ones as well. Each of the 12 poems felt like they had weight behind them; the free verse style he chose for each poem conveyed the character’s emotions in an unrestrained way, making the stories feel genuine and real.

    One poem, called “The Mother Tortured,” was a powerful catharsis about a boy’s sick mother. The boy watches helplessly as his mother goes mad before him and his sister. The mother is bound to the bed, grunting and screaming, and frothing at the mouth. In the end, the boy begs for his father, who abandoned them for the streets of England, to give his mother back.

    The end of every piece was met with satisfied applause from the audience. Whether the guests came just to listen or to take notes from a professional, they got more than they expected that night. “I really enjoyed Mr. Hutchinson’s performance, even though I don’t really [indulge] in poetry myself,” said Michelle Barnett, a biology major. “I do listen to music, though.”

    Demitrey Johnson, a music technology major, expressed interest in having the poet come back for another performance. “I thought it was refreshing to hear somebody with a different perspective than other poets, like his life growing up in Jamaica. I would definitely want him to come back here again.”

    Barbara Nightingale found the event to be a success, and when asked about future literary events on South Campus, she wanted to have a few next semester. “We’re having several events planned, all the way until Poetry Month in April.”

    Ishion Hutchinson is the Assistant Professor of English at Cornell University and a contributing editor to the literary journal, Tongue: A Journal of Writing & Art. His award-winning poetry anthology, “Far District: Poems” (2010), costs $15.99 on his website, www.ishionhutchinson.com.