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Students, faculty and staff gathered in the Kathy Cashen Hall on Feb. 3 for Adrian Matejka’s poetry recital on cultural identity.
Matejka, author of two collections of poetry, appeared in several literary journals and magazines including “The American Poetry Review,” “Gulf Coast” and the “Indiana Review.” His first collection, “The Devil’s Garden” won the 2002 New York/New England Award. His most recent collection, “Mixology,” won the 2008 National Poetry Series.
Coordinator of Creative Writing Chad Davidson introduced Matejka, describing Matejka’s philosophical work by saying it “feels like spoken words.”
His poems explore cultural identity through musical allusions and metaphors. Inspired by the band Styx, “Domo Arigato Mr. Mulatto,” is one of the many music allegorical poems about Matejka’s desire to seek his identity as a mixed race among purebreds.
Matejka was inspired to publish his first poetry collection by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakka. Komunyakka was one of the first to have read some of Matejka’s poems. He strongly advised Matejka to make his collection known.
“If Yusef Komunyakka tells you to publish your work then you better listen,” said Matejka.
The program included readings by Matejka from “The Devil’s Garden.” Most of the poems in the collection focused on his childhood experiences around different cultures. “English Beat,” a poem about school, told listeners that “No matter what you do the man is always gonna try to keep you down.” Another poem, “Want List,” focused on a humorous look at some of his childhood desires.
“He conveys his real-life experiences into a prose that is a fun reminiscent of rap music,” said Wanda Whitley, a fan of Matejka’s poems.
The poet has also published a few poems about his encounters with famous entertainers. “Do the Right Thing” depicts Matejka’s confrontation with famous director Spike Lee, while “Pimp Limp” is a poem in which he describes rap artist Flavor Flave’s rise and downfall as an American icon.
Among the series of poems, Matejka shared experiences about unpleasant memories of the time the artist lived in Texas. His poem, “Flight Relax,” contained a line that said, “Winter in Texas is more like a bad spring.”
The recital ended with a few readings from “Mixology.” His second collection of poems focused more on race, politics and cultural identity as a whole.
His poem, “Language Mixology” depicted the same translation of phrases through different cultures. One line stated, “Like banging means ‘good’ and off the chain means ‘good’, the same way ‘off the hook forgets the phone, I’m forgetting the space.”
“His poetry isn’t just words -- it’s music!” said UWG sophomore John Whitley.
After the reading, Matejka’s books were available for signing and purchase. He currently teaches literature and creative writing at Southern Illinois University.
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