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 Last night I attended Julia Alvarez' performance and talk at BMC.  The first part of this much anticipated event consisted of listening to some of Alvarez' poems set to music.  To be completely honest I really disliked this part of the performance.  While the music itself was pleasant to listen to I wasn't too fond of the lyrical portion of the performance.  When reading poetry I like to openly question the poet's interpretation of his/her work.  In doing so I am free to interpret the work from various perspectives.  However, when I heard Alvarez' poetry set to music it was clear to me that only one perspective was being presented.

On another note, I truly enjoyed having the opportunity to hear Alvarez give a reading of some of her favorite poems.  Of all the poems that she read I was really intrigued by Alvarez' series of poems that focused on "the household arts."  It was interesting to see how household chores were such a significant part of Alvarez' childhood.  By discussing the importance of knowing how to perform certain household tasks (i.e. ironing, folding laundry etc.) Alvarez was in a way granting homemakers a sense of agency.  It became clear to me that Alvarez truly values housework as a medium for expressing love for one's family.  Overall, I was particularly inspired by the manner in which Alvarez incorporated memories from her past (her childhood in the Domincan Republic and her life as an "all American girl" in the U.S.) into her literary works.  Alvarez' recollection of her past was portrayed in such a touching and beautiful way that I look forward to actually reading some of work over break!