Words brought Kina Viola ’14 and Marty Cain ’13 together several years ago in the Dwight Lounge Reading Room, where they had one of their first conversations over text at a poetry reading. On Fri., Dec 1, the couple was together in the Dwight Lounge Reading Room once again, now to read their own published poetry. Cain graduated Hamilton College in 2013 with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Poetics and Viola with a B.A. in Creative Writing in 2014. Now married, the couple currently resides in Ithaca, New York. Viola also revealed that Cain is currently obtaining his P.h.D. in English Language and Literature at Cornell University where he is studying experimental poetics and the pastoral. Viola also mentioned that Cain’s work has been published in multiple journals.
Together, Viola and Cain co-own a micropress called
Garden Door Press
, also located in Ithaca. Cain read several of his poems aloud for the group on Friday. He began with a reading from his hybrid manuscript called
The Wound is (Not) Real
. Cain read the manuscript with great passion and at points was shaking as he appeared to describe his own juvenile confusion about his brother’s seizures. The rest of the manuscript seemed to focus on ideas about contamination, destruction, sexuality, and many other topics. Cain then read from his published book, “Kids of the Black Hole.” In this book-length poem, Cain appeared to reflect upon teenage lifestyle, wrought with drugs, alcohol, reflection, sexual exploration, and self-discovery. The poem seemed to bring to life many issues that one would face as a teenager and projects them into the world at large. To steal a line from Cain’s poem, “this poem is [his] living organism.” Full of passion, despair, anger, and a desire to continue growing, Cain’s reading of “Kids of the Black Hole” had the audience on the edge of their seats.
After Cain, Kina Viola took a stand at the podium, smiling as she admitted, “it is difficult to do a reading after Marty.” However, Viola exceeded her own expectations as she read her poetry, which was incredibly honest and moving. Her poems also appeared to refer to very relevant and current issues. The first piece she read, called “Lantern,” seemed to refer to the human body and connect it to the concept of oil, and what seemed to be a concern for global warming. Viola wrote that “what’s real is real” and “what scares us scares us.” She then said that, “the body needs to drain,” alluding to the idea that this cannot go on forever. Another piece she wrote with a similar theme is called “I Am an Animal so I Prepare My Animal Body for the Apocalypse.” In this piece, Viola seemed to allude to the concept of sustainability, writing that “the human is meat too” and “we [the human race] [is] so stubborn about survival.” Viola’s next piece, “How We Got Away,” appeared to refer to past relationships and how to stop focusing on the past; how to move on after losing a baby, after being sexually assaulted, and after being hurt by someone whom you once trusted.
One of the most powerful lines in this poem was Viola’s message that seemed to be to those who have been harmed by someone they once depended upon: “don’t climb back into that bed, don’t swim with sharks.” Viola’s last piece, “Skin Cells” is a piece that she wrote at Hamilton College. She defined it is “a tiny poem slash essay.” “Skin Cells” appeared to refer to Viola’s relationship with her father and refers to a time when he had pieces of unhealthy skin removed from his body. Viola expands this piece into the concept of skin and the human body, eventually seeming to reflect on the concept of death and how “we don’t talk about [it]. Only the aftermath.”
It is extremely satisfying when Hamilton alumni return to share their current work and successes with students and faculty. We were very lucky to have had the opportunity to see Cain and Viola share their inspiring work.
