Going by the calendar, the 1970s began on Jan. 1, 1970, and ended on Dec. 31, 1979. But sharply defined starts and endings mean nothing when viewing an era through a filter of art, or politics. Did the ’70s begin with Altamont, or with the Ramones? Did it end with Reagan? When HIV/AIDS was first identified? The first time someone shouted, “Disco sucks”?

At the Poetry of the 1970s conference, set for Wednesday through Sunday at the University of Maine, all such avenues will be explored – as seen through the lens of the poetry that emerged from that decade.

More than 150 poets and scholars from all over North America and the United Kingdom will assemble in Orono for the event, sponsored by the National Poetry Foundation and the UMaine English department. Though the daytime panels and discussions are closed to the public, the evening readings and celebrations are open to all interested parties.

“I’ve been saying that the ’70s began in May 1968, and ended in ’81, with Reagan. It’s hard to really define such a tumultuous era. It was as much punk rock as it was John Travolta,” said Steve Evans, associate professor of English at UMaine and the conference coordinator. “Much of the focus of the conference is not to answer questions, so much as pose them.”

For the ’70s conference, the interconnectedness of that decade’s poetry with both politics and with visual arts is a major theme. The poetry associated with particular social movements – civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights – is represented during several panels and readings, featuring, among others, African-American poet Jayne Cortez, feminist poet Nicole Brossard and gay poets Dodie Bellamy, Kevin Killian and Eileen Myles.

“The poetry of the ’70s was about radical transformation. It was a vision of what America, and in the case of our Canadian poets, with North America, could be,” said Evans. “If there was some naivete during the ’60s regarding politics, many of those beliefs and ideologies were clarified and strengthened during the ’70s.”

The lines between poetry and visual arts became very blurry during the ’70s. Particularly during the early part of the ’70s, many poets were artists, and many artists were poets. Bernadette Mayer, a widely acclaimed experimental poet who will read at the conference, was initially a conceptual artist before deciding to devote herself entirely to poetry.

“The entanglements are so thick. Are you a poet? Are you an artist? Everyone was all things at once, in many ways,” said Evans.

The visual arts-poetry connection is further underscored by the art exhibits that accompany the conference. The “Art of the ’70s” exhibit on display at the Lord Hall Galleries on the UMaine campus features a number of selections from the University of Maine Museum of Art’s permanent collection, as well as a 1971 image and sound installation by the aforementioned Mayer, titled “Memory.”

Additionally, UMaine and Colby College in Waterville collaborated on an exhibit at the Colby College Museum of Art, featuring 1970s work from Alex Katz and a special display of the outrageous drawings by poet and artist Joe Brainerd, titled “If Nancy Was.”

Finally, another line of discourse is the poetic trends in both the mainstream and in the avant-garde. While poetry examining race, gender and sex was thriving, experimental poetry such as the Language School was in its fledgling years. The conference will look at the nascent experimental scene, and how it developsed in tandem with other poetic movements of the era.

The poetry of the 1970s is a particularly relevant time period to look at in 2008, considering the analogous social, political and economic situations of that time and today.

“It’s an interesting time to examine that era, since there are so many parallels with our contemporary circumstances,” he said. “The gas crisis, the current economic situation, the war. There are elements that rhyme with each other.”

As with the previous, similarly focused conferences, the National Poetry Foundation and the UMaine English Department worked side-by-side to organize the event – though this is the first time they’ve brought in the visual arts element. However, considering the recent deaths of longtime English department faculty and NPF members Burton Hatlen and Sylvester Pollet, there was some question when they died about whether to go ahead with the conference.

“We thought about it, and we settled on that idea that Burt would have wanted us to do it,” said Evans. “We want to show that the NPF will go forward with the good work Burt started. This is a transition year for us as an organization.”

Besides, though half of the conference will consist of rigorous academic dialogue, the other half is the fun part – getting to socialize with a bunch of poets of all different backgrounds and styles, and to read and talk about each other’s work.

“It’s part of the tradition of these decades conferences. We have the conference during the day, and then the festival at night, where everyone reads and carries on until 2 a.m., or until people pass out,” said Evans. “Whichever comes first.”

For a complete schedule of events for the Poetry of the 1970s conference, visit www.nationalpoetryfoundation.org.

eburnham@bangordailynews.net

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