Poets share friendship, verse on library stage

Poets Brian Bartlett and Michael Pacey have been leaning on each other through the writing process for over 50 years.

The two friends recited excerpts from their new poetry collections at the Halifax Central Library Monday evening.

An audience of about 30 people showed up to Paul O’Regan Hall for an evening of jazz and poetry at the event, which was called In Friendship.

“I came up with this theme,” says Bartlett, “because I thought with my friend having a new book out as well, it’d be nice to do some readings together.”

Both poets are 71 and have been friends since high school in New Brunswick, in 1968. They have been exchanging manuscripts and critiquing each other’s work ever since.

This year, they have both released new poetry collections, The Astonishing Room by Bartlett and Van Gogh’s Grasshopper by Pacey.

It was the first time the two men combined a poetry reading with the music of Lukas Pearse and Geordie Haley. The musicians have also been friends for 20 years, which Bartlett says keeps with their theme of friendship.

“It really opens up a new space in my mind,” says Pacey, “that musicians and poets can work together like this.”

Pearse and Haley played jazz guitar in between poetry readings. Their music is improvised on the spot as they play together.

The readings included four excerpts from Bartlett’s longest poem in his collection, Our Father in His Nineties, which is about a man facing the end of his life.

Pacey’s collection is inspired by insects, so the evening had no shortage of bug-inspired poems. During his readings, the audience laughed at the insect similes and metaphors. 

“I loved the insect poems,” said attendee Kate Porter.

After the readings and music, the audience had the chance to buy the poets’ books from Bookmark Halifax, the local bookstore that had a table of books available at the event. The poets stuck around to sign books and chat with the audience. 

The two friends will continue their tour with four more events in New Brunswick this month.