Poet Chris Abani Visits CLC for “Verse Like Water” Series

Chris Abani, a poet who was born in Nigeria and lived there until 2001, has won many awards for his books of fiction in both Nigeria and the United States. He visited Central Lakes College in Brainerd to tell his story and shed more light on poetry.

The visiting poet program at Central Lakes College, called “Verse Like Water,” is gaining traction. They have set a record by having six area high schools in attendance to hear poet Chris Abani speak.

Before staff and faculty arrived, the Chalberg Theatre on CLC’s Brainerd campus had 200 seats filled with students from places like Crosby, Pillager, Long Prairie, Grey Eagle, and Nevis. A majority of those students were listening to a poetry reading for the first time, and professor Jeff Johnson, who is the Verse Like Water program director, hopes they understand how impactful the words spoken can be.

“We misteach poetry, I think, in American English classes in high school,” said Johnson. “[Poet] Billy Collins said that high school classes install something that he calls “anti-poetry deflector shields,” and I’d like to see those dismantled today, or at least some of them, by Chris Abani.”

With much to learn from poetry, Abani spoke of one word that comes out of the African culture of Zulu.

“‘Ubuntu’ basically says it is possible for me to be human, because you’re human. So the idea is that we learn how to be human by observing each other and imitating what we’re shown,” explained Abani.

Abani also compares the word Ubuntu to a form of musical art.

“There’s nobody who hears good music and then doesn’t dance because they doesn’t like who made the music, right? Your body just does what it does,” said Abani. “It’s the same with poetry, the same with painting, you know, no one’s heard a good drum beat and then sort of been like, ‘I don’t know if I like that because,” nobody has that reaction, that comes later.”

He emphasizes that in poetry and life, the most important thing is to have fun and to fail – but not in the way you may think of it.

“I use that word not in the way people think of it, ‘oh, failure,’ but simply, you’ve got to learn to walk,” explained Abani. “Everybody falls down. So that’s the important thing – expect to fall down, but expect to have fun doing it, and anything is possible.”

With the hopes of inspiring young and old throughout his career, Abani wants the audience to see poetry for more than just words on paper.

“I want them to feel touched, if that’s the right word to use, to feel like they have connected with a vital part of themselves that perhaps they didn’t even know they were carrying around.”

More information on Abani’s work can be found on his website.