"Citizen," by Aaron Shurin

At a recent event at the University of San Francisco, I heard two fellow faculty members, Aaron Shurin and Micah Ballard, read their poetry. I have mentioned Shurin’s work before (e.g., on 3/18/11), and will focus on his reading here. (I also enjoyed hearing Ballard’s poetry.) Aaron read from his latest book, “Citizen” (City Lights, 2012), a collection of prose poems. As he read, I was mesmerized by the brilliant imagery, one image following another in a gorgeous cascade. I was in awe, and grateful for the chance to hear it read aloud, always the best way to experience poetry. And I felt again how fortunate I am, working at a university, to be around such creative and inspiring writers and artists.