Nikki Giovanni, poet and VA Tech prof, quoted below in the NYTimes. To her credit, she did boot the shooter from one of her classes for making others uncomfortable. But that doesn't rescue her from being pretentious and desperate for recognition. To wit:
"Still, she said, her job was easier than others. She would not need to write much new material, because her department asked her to deliver her poem, “We are Virginia Tech,” again."
"She presented that poem during a convocation in the days after the shooting, and it became an emotional turning point during that ceremony, bringing a somber crowd to its feet in clapping and chanting."
Here's the clinker:
"Saturday’s commencement address will be the last time she reads the poem publicly, she said, because she does not want it to become the defining voice of the tragedy."
What an awesomely transparent bid to ensure that her cleverly-titled poem *is* the defining voice of the tragedy! It's just like Oasis refusing to ever play "Wonderwall" or Pearl Jam "Black" for really deep emotional reasons. Bravo, Nik!
"Still, she said, her job was easier than others. She would not need to write much new material, because her department asked her to deliver her poem, “We are Virginia Tech,” again."
"She presented that poem during a convocation in the days after the shooting, and it became an emotional turning point during that ceremony, bringing a somber crowd to its feet in clapping and chanting."
Here's the clinker:
"Saturday’s commencement address will be the last time she reads the poem publicly, she said, because she does not want it to become the defining voice of the tragedy."
What an awesomely transparent bid to ensure that her cleverly-titled poem *is* the defining voice of the tragedy! It's just like Oasis refusing to ever play "Wonderwall" or Pearl Jam "Black" for really deep emotional reasons. Bravo, Nik!
