As we near the third anniversary of Sept. 11, Americans prepare once again to remember the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the country. With this impending day of remembrance, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 still lingering in the theaters, and many loved ones still serving in Iraq, war is currently weighing heavily on the minds of most Americans.
Filmmaker Rick King has directed a new film that approaches the subject of war from a different angle — poetry.
Poetry in Wartime is a new documentary that explores the impact of war through the ages by utilizing the voices of both well-known and obscure poets. With the words of Homer, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, veterans, survivors of Hiroshima, soldiers who died in WWI, and contemporary Iraqi poets this movie offers a tragic and beautiful take on the hardships of battle.
The film is being shown for free across the country on Sept. 11.
M.L. Liebler, professor of English at Wayne State University and popular local poet, believes that Poetry in Wartime is an important film for all metropolitan Detroiters to attend, regardless of their experience with the written word.
“Poetry is for everyone,” says Liebler. “It’s not just for academics in universities. The real poetry in this country is happening in the streets, in clubs and bars, in church basements, in army barracks and on the battlefield. The community owns poetry; it is for everyone, regardless of job or education. This film will make this point perfectly clear, and it will give the audience something to contemplate as we reflect on 9/11, and on war as a means to a false end.”
Poetry in Wartime shows at noon on Saturday, Sept. 11, in the Bernath Auditorium at Wayne State University. Call 313-577-4023 for more info.
Sarah Klein is a Metro Times staff writer. E-mail [email protected]
