He put his poetry book down, smiled at the audience, and walked across the room on his hands.
On November 14th, Steve Roggenbuck, poet and video artist, visited Hamilton as a speaker brought by Red Weather, Hamilton’s literary magazine. Little did I know that after attending Roggenbuck’s presentation, my eyes would be opened to a type of poetry that I would not have considered poetry, that I would question the very definition of “poetry,” or that I would think about this guy for a while…
Roggenbuck is associated with the Alt-Lit movement, an area of literature that involves or references internet culture. His poems were often one-liners, ending as soon as he began reading them; they were scattered with curse words and slang; his videos had flashing animals appearing as he yelled at the camera. Challenging the form of traditional poetry with every move, Roggenbuck was the epitome of 21st century poetry.
The absurdities – his poetry, his videos, and even his-written riddles – kept me intrigued for the whole presentation. I couldn’t wrap my head around who this guy was, what thoughts he had roaming around in his mind, or what his goal was in creating this art. But though it was art I would never have expected, it succeeded in making me think and making me question my definition of art, which in my book, is the work of a successful artist. I smiled at his sweet poem about loving the moon; I cocked my head at the line about choking “your dad”; I laughed at the Justin Bieber reference. Roggenbuck had me constantly laughing or cringing or thinking.
Roggenbuck told ARTnews that he wanted to make work that “helps a certain kind of person feel okay about the world,” which, I think, encapsulates his art completely. His poetry tugs at your heartstrings and isn’t afraid to make you comfortable – or uncomfortable – about your place in this world. After attending his reading, I can see how his words, as absurd and as humorous as they may seem, can give people the courage to embrace life and not take it too seriously.
His poetry reading even included a walking handstand, which he joked was “value-added” to the poetry reading. His style of writing and video creation is far from conventional; his blog-style videos and colloquial poetry could turn off an unexpected viewer, but others may relate to and connect with the everyday vernacular that Roggenbuck manages to turn into art.
Roggenbuck’s presentation was nothing like what I had expected, but it was just what I needed in the middle of a hectic school week to unwind and get inspired to create. Look up some of his work and let me know what you think of it!