For any literary lover in Oxford who has never attended Broken English, you need to change that status. The first Wednesday of each month that school is in session, 2 MFA students, usually one poet and one fiction writer, reads aloud from their work at the Jubilee.
They advertise that they start at 8:30 pm, but rarely do. Except this past Wednesday night when I actually had a babysitter but didn't arrive until about 8:45. So, I missed the first reader, Wendy, who I was curious to hear because I'd met her a few months ago and you always wanna hear the work of people you know.
But, luckily, I did get to hear Tim Earley. I had no idea he was even reading, so it was a surprise and delight to hear his poetry. Tim was my T.A. for Shakespeare last year, and I knew he had an MFA, but never read any of his work.
There were no books for sale, of course, but after hearing his poetry and learning he had an out-of-print collection of poetry, I decided I definitely wanted to buy a copy of Boondoggle someday. I even managed to find two copies on Alibris.com for $12 each.
My favorite was one of the country poems in which he used the line, “ a chandelier over our garden tub, makes me believe in me and you”. I love the subject matter because I can definitely relate to people who have formaldehyde smell in their home because their trailer is new and “we were rich”.
That one Wednesday a month is always a treat, and Tim did not disappoint.
