If you hear of an event called Poetry of Silence, you might be a little confused at first.
Silent poetry? What does that mean? How are we supposed to experience it if it’s silent?
Well, that’s not exactly what it means. Poetry of Silence, which will be presented at Gibson’s Bookstore on Wednesday night at 7, is an open mic to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
This was a dark time in history in which the Ottoman Empire exterminated between 800,000 and 1.5 million minority Armenians. The title of the presentation is a reference to all the voices who were silenced during that horrific period.
If you go, you should bring with you either one of your own original poems dealing with this theme or one from another poet you admire, perhaps one who’s been silenced.
Poets, artists in general, feel a moral obligation to speak out against injustice, give voice to the voiceless and bear witness to events too horrific for others to contemplate, Gibson’s says on its website. To remain silent does not seem to be an option for most. This is a courageous act and often they pay a high price, including death or exile.
To devote an “open mic” to the theme of silencing is very timely. This year marks the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turkish government ordered the execution of 250 leading Armenian intellectuals, poets, teachers and artists. Thus began the formal phase of the mass deportation and extermination of Armenians regardless of age or gender.
Among the 250 were the poets Daniel Varoujan and Siamanto. The latter is the poet who, in 1909, had chronicled the initial so-called “small massacres” of Armenians in the provinces of Armenia, which was under Turkish occupation as part of the Ottoman Empire. The collection is titled Bloody News from my Friend.
Eventually, nearly 2 million Armenians perished and tens of thousands, mainly orphans, became refugees. This is a huge number for a nation with a relatively small population. This horrific event is recognized as the first genocide in modern times, followed by others including the Holocaust in World War II, Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia.
Check out gibsonsbookstore.com/event/psnh-april-2016 for more details.
Insider staff
