By Natalie Swanson ’13, Staff Writer

On Monday, October 3, IB English students were given a wonderful opportunity to attend a reading by Seamus Heaney  at the 92^nd Street Y in New York City. The performance aligned perfectly with the beginning of the students’ study of Heaney’s work. Heaney is an Irish poet who wasborn in 1939. Ironically, this is the same year that the Unterberg Poetry Center in the 92^nd Street Y was opened. Heaney has a way with words, writing vividly about life in Ireland. He has been extremely successful, winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 1995.

A group of 10 students, along with Mr. Griffin, Mr. Scerra, and Ms. Galvin boarded a bus to the city after school. Some students had never been to a poetry reading before, and looked forward to experiencing one. The bus was full of excited chatter about Heaney. The students and teachers stopped for a quick Thai dinner before walking a few blocks over to the 92^nd Street Y.

Heaney was the opening poet for the 73^rd season at the Unterberg Poetry Center at the Y. A program was handed out and inside was a copy of a manuscript page from Field Work: Sonnet VII of “Glandmore Sonnets.” Heaney actually marked the manuscript in pen, allowing the audience to glimpse at this creative process.

The auditorium was crowded, full of Heaney fans anxious to hear him read his poetry. Atsuro Riley, a poet, introduced Heaney. Heaney took the stage, and for the next two hours, spoke about his personal life experiences and how they influenced his poems. He read poems from his most recent collection, Human Chain. He chose certain poems to read aloud to the audience, emphasizing each word exactly how he imagined it.

When asked about her favorite poem of the evening, Nicole Andrzejewski ‘13 replied that she enjoyed Heaney’s reading of Oysters. “It was full of vivid imagery and sounds, and I enjoyed hearing Heaney’s personal story that influenced him to write the poem.”

The first stanza begins with “Our shells clacked on the plates/ My tongue was a filling estuary, /My palate hung with starlight…” These rich, expressive, words are quintessential to Heaney’s poetry.

The entire audience enjoyed Heaney’s readings, and after many of his poems, there was a hum of satisfaction among the crowd. Heaney connected to the audience, providing just enough personal back story to each poem. His thick Irish accent made listening to him read even more enjoyable. Emma Brown, also a Junior IB English student, commented that Heaney “was really down to earth, and the way he read his poems really reflected the sort of ‘earthy’ feel of his poetry.”

A day later, students who went to the reading shared their experiences in one of Mr. Griffin’s IB English classes. All of the students agreed that the experience was a positive one. Everyone enjoyed hearing Heaney read his own poetry. This unique experience of mixing curriculum with an expressive reading proved to be very successful.