“Poems that are read aloud come to life,” said Robert Fagen, a contributor to the literary and arts journal Cirque. “There is a grand tradition, especially in Russia, of reading poetry aloud for an audience. It’s a whole new dimension, ‘another world, alive with silver and gold.’ It’s hard not to go home inspired from a reading and with a want to be up there some day to share new work with others.”
On Tuesday, Cirque had its first reading in Juneau, with more than 10 Southeast Alaskan residents reading work they published in the journal. When Sandra L. Kleven, one of the journal’s editors, met Emily Wall, a local poet and a University of Alaska Southeast Associate Professor of English, at a writing conference in 2014 the idea of a reading in Juneau began to take shape.
The conference of the Associates of Writers and Writing Program, or AWP, brings together more than 12,000 attendees each year. Participants include publishers, students, teachers, editors and writers. Kleven and Wall met during Cirque’s onsite AWP reading, “A Contemporary Theatre,” or ACT.
Wall was excited to meet Kleven and to later hear about Cirque coming to Juneau. As an audience member, Wall reflected on the satisfaction she feels listening to others.
“A reading, like a gallery show or art opening, is an invitation for us to come together and immerse ourselves in literature for an evening,” said Wall. “Sometimes at a reading I feel as if I’m at a beautiful feast—we get to sit and swallow images and stories and ideas — and it’s so fulfilling. “
Wall also spoke about the reading from a writer’s perspective.
“I like my solitude in front of the desk. I’m not a performer by nature. Standing in front of a room of people is not easy for me. But one thing I’ve learned to love is how it shapes my own writing and revising. When you read, you get a strong, immediate feel for how an audience is reacting to your work. That’s not something you can get from publishing—we don’t see our readers respond to our work.”
Michael Burwell, the founder and co-editor of Cirque, made the reading possible by starting a small journal in 2009. The poetry journal Ice-Floe stopped publishing in 2006 and Burwell felt that poets within the region lost an important platform for their work.
Over the course of three years the journal took shape and became regional, accepting plays, fiction, interviews, reviews, nonfiction, photography and poetry. Ice-Floe restarted, but Burwell could see there was still a need for a journal like Cirque.
The first issue of Cirque was published on winter solstice, 2009. Since then, the journal has grown to receive about 300 submissions per issue from the North Pacific Rim region. The journal receives frequent submissions from Juneau, Portland and Bellingham, and has received submissions from Canada, Idaho and Montana as well. Cirque averages about 140 pages per issue.
The journal is unique because it is entirely independent. Cirque is not funded by any art grants or universities, but instead builds a small $1500 budget through advertising, sales and donations. Its editors volunteer their time, and it prints on demand or can be read online.
The journal is published twice a year on winter and summer solstice. The submission deadlines are on the fall and spring equinoxes. The next submission deadline is March 21, 2016.
Kleven said he’d like to host a reading in Juneau every year.
“There are many Juneau writers who I felt a familiar connection with, but whom I had not met… . I want to be instrumental in creating a way to bring their writing to the public both live and in print,” he said.
Sarah Isto, a local poet and contributor to Cirque, helped organize the reading by locating the venue and also provided Kleven housing.
“The sound and music of a poem, not just its appearance on the page, is important to me,” said Isto. “I think journals like Cirque are vital in introducing poets and artists to each other within an area, and in this case, introducing North Pacific Rim writers to the larger world.”
For more information about the journal, visit www.cirquejournal.com.
