By Jessica Brown
Published on October 24, 2007
Cornelius Eady, playwright and author of six books of poetry, will be a featured guest Nov. 12-14 at PJC. During Eady’s visit, the PJC theatre department will stage a production from his sixth book of poetry, “Brutal Imagination.” The poems, which are the basis for the play, concern an actual event that occurred a little over a decade ago.
“Brutal Imagination” consists of two cycles of poems, each one confronting the same issue: the black man living in white America. It centers around a mother, Susan Smith, who in 1994 killed her own children and placed blame on a fictitious black man. For nine days, the story captured America’s attention, until Smith eventually confessed to the murder. During this time, the public readily accepted Smith’s story of a black man abducting her children.
The music and theatre staff at PJC is excited about Eady’s visit, some might even say star struck. Program director of the music and theatre department, Rodney Whatley, is one of them.
“To me, Mr. Eady is a literary celebrity; it’s like a rock star [is] coming to campus,” Whatley said.
The play was initially chosen to celebrate African-American poetry. At the time, Whatley was unaware that the grandfather of the murdered children was a Pensacola resident. Three e-mails have been sent to Whatley casting “allegations of insensitivity” for deciding to stage the play.
“The protests [that] I personally have received seem to think we had some advance knowledge of this and chose the play for its sensationalistic, voyeuristic pleasures,” Whatley said.
Assistant professor in the English/Communications department Bill Fisher said there is additional controversy regarding the play, “because it involves race.”
“We stay in denial and attack anything suggesting our culture is racist,” Fisher said.
He emphasized that this play is for everyone as poetry itself is for everyone, saying, “All shapes, sizes, ages, [and] races” should attend and “experience the magic of the poetically spoken word.”
Fisher said that those who see the play might be able to explore their own reactions to the historical event and find out the truth within themselves, asking “Do you, too, have a “Brutal Imagination?”
According to biographer Alison Granucci, Eady has a true lyrical way of expressing his poetry, and titles that allude to conventional African-American hymns as well as modern musicians. Readers can draw a blues and jazz musical quality from most of Eady’s poems.
“Brutal Imagination” won the 2002 Oppie Award for the best first play by an American playwright when it opened at Vineyard Theatre in 2002. PJC will be only the second venue for the production.
Donald Snowden, department head, music and theatre department, is enthusiastic about Eady’s visit and the play too. Snowden noted that Eady’s visit and the play “have been on the agenda since last spring,” long before the department became aware of the local connection to the historical incident that forms the basis of the play.
Snowden highly encourages students to attend the play and hear Eady speak. He suggests PJC faculty promote and persuade students to go, with the suggestion, “give them extra credit.”
Eady is one of the most well-known and renowned authors of our time. He has received a variety of awards, including the NEA Fellowship in Literature (1985), a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry, (1993), and The Prairie Schooner Strousse Award (1994). His work also appears in many journals, magazines and some anthologies.
Along with poet Toi Derricote, he is also a co-founder of Cave Canem, which is a summer workshop/retreat for African American Poets. Currently Eady is the associate professor of English and director of the creative writing program at the University of Notre Dame.
Eady will be reading from his poetry at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 12, in the Hagler Auditorium, Building 2, Room 252. Admission is free for PJC students and ranges from $6-10 for others. Students must obtain tickets in advance, from the ticket booth in Ashmore Auditorium.
PJC offers three show times for “Brutal Imagination.” The first performance will take place at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13, in the Amos performance studio at WSRE; this show time is for students only and offers free admission. To reserve a seat for the Tuesday morning performance, contact Sandra Vick in the PJC English department, 484-1400.
The play will also be performed Nov. 13 and 14 in the Amos performance studio at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free for PJC students and ranges from $6-10 for others. Students must obtain tickets in advance, from the ticket booth in Ashmore Auditorium