On Tuesday evening, the day after her 80th birthday — a wintry, glittering night — St. Paul Poet Laureate Carol Connolly hosted the holiday edition of her monthly reading series at the University Club in St. Paul.
Over the last four years, Connolly's series has raised $15,000 for Public Art St. Paul's sidewalk poetry program. On Tuesday night, she announced that beginning in January, donations will go to the St. Paul Almanac, a nonprofit book that publishes the work of established and emerging writers.
One by one, poets approached the podium to read and to wish Connolly a happy birthday. "A wonderful, wonderful lady," said Cary Waterman. "What would we do without her?" And Connolly piped up from the front row: "Oh, you'd do just fine."
Tim Nolan read a birthday poem and then seized the opportunity to ask for more time, for just one more poem.
But the evening's highlight was Dudley Riggs, who approached the podium slowly, with dignity, steadying himself with his cane. He wore a white shirt and a bow tie, and he carried with him poems by the late John Berryman.
"I knew John Berryman somewhat," Riggs said. "I knew him a little earlier, and a little later. When I knew him earlier, he was neat, clean-shaven, acerbic, anti-war, but he was cool."When I met him again, he was a burly, bearded bear. Still anti-war. Still cool."
And then he read two poems — "Dream Song No. 14," and "Mr. Pou & the Alphabet," a powerful and poignant poem Berryman had written for his son after a divorce. "N is for now, the best time of all … X is for Xmas where I cannot be."
