Srikanth Reddy speaks for the International Poetry Forum

By Kaya Kozlowski

On April 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Carnegie Lecture Hall, Srikanth Reddy read his poetry and gave a talk for the International Poetry Forum. Reddy is the author of three complete works of poetry in addition to his scholarly work. He currently teaches at the University of Chicago and is a poetry editor of the Paris Review.

“Oh no, now I’m the Hell guy…” he lightheartedly lamented before diving into his first poem of the night, “Burial Practice.”

Other poems Reddy read included his “8th Circle,” “Voyager,” and selections from his most recent book, “Underworld Lit.”

Between poems, Reddy explained his writing process and how his poetry often has a lot to do with his fascination with the underworld, the afterlife, and the constant tension between life and death. In addition to reading his own poetry, Reddy broke up his talk by including “Commercial Dante Breaks” (his words, not mine) in which he recited excerpts from “The Divine Comedy” and “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” two of his foundational influences.

What intrigues me most about Srikanth Reddy’s poetry are his eccentric concepts. For instance, his second book, “Voyager,” is a redaction poem that spins Kurt Waldheim’s memoir on its head. Waldheim, former secretary-general of the United Nations, was exposed for his involvement in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. Ironically, the recording that is aboard the Voyager spacecraft (the one where we sent a bunch of human stuff to space for aliens to find), is Waldheim greeting the listeners. Reddy reckons with this paradox — a war criminal essentially being the representative voice for an entire species — by redacting Waldheim’s memoir and turning it into a Dantean narrative that re-examines identity, humanity, and the existence of evil within silence and complicity.

“Underworld Lit,” similarly unconventional, is a collection of pieces narrating Reddy’s experiences as a University of Chicago English professor. One section is a parodied version of one of Reddy’s literature course descriptions.

Much of Reddy’s later poetry is influenced by his battle with cancer alongside the birth of his daughter, so he also touched on how his daughter was his “Virgil” in his cancer journey, inspiring him and leading him through his personal Hell. After gracing the audience with his poetry, Reddy sat down with IPF President and Executive Director Jake Grefenstette. Grefenstette, also the poetry editor at the Carnegie Mellon University Press, asked Reddy about his writing process, influences, and any advice he could give to aspiring poets in the audience.

What is Reddy’s writing advice, you may be asking?

The best writing advice is reading advice.
Write until you feel like you’ve written something only you could have thought of.
Write until you think that the lines can’t possibly be anything other than what they are.
Highlight your eccentricity — highlight what makes you odd.
When faced with rejection, assume the system is flawed, not you.

Reddy concluded by pondering the nature of poetry, which helps us “define strangeness.” And where would we be without strangeness?

The International Poetry Forum’s next event is on May 31 — they’re welcoming Grammy Award-winning folk legend Judy Collins to celebrate her most recent poetry collection! Tickets are free, but will likely go quickly. If you’re interested in listening to Collins speak, sign up for the IPF’s newsletter to get access to tickets as quickly as possible.

SRIKANTH REDDY’S POETIC INFLUENCES AS THE BEATLES: