The poet Hal Sirowitz has been living with Parkinson’s disease for over twenty years, but he continues to be vibrant and creative. He was one of the most popular poets in the United States in the 1990s and a regular on MTV and one of the original performers at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe. Hal and his partner -- the writer Minter Krotzer -- have become advocates for people and families struggling with Parkinson’s disease.
There will be a free virtual poetry reading on Sunday, September 20, 2020 from 3:00pm to 4:30pm EDT. This virtual reading with hal Sirowitz will also feature Bob Holman, Susan Brennan, Dennis Nurkse, Maria Gillan, and Philip Fried.
This a cause that is of particular importance to Maria because her husband, Dennis, suffered from Parkinson's disease. Maria has written about that difficult period in their lives, particularly in her collection, The Silence in an Empty House.For many of my earlier poems, I put a screen between me and the world. I tried to get simpler and more direct in order to build a bridge between me and other people. But often I was afraid to be that vulnerable. Sometimes, I’m afraid of all I reveal in my poems. An example would be the poems I wrote about my husband’s early onset Parkinson’s disease and his 25-year illness. I tried to be honest about the complexities of that situation, and I still find some of those poems difficult to read without crying. They are poems I felt I needed to write, and they illuminate what it was like to live with a debilitating illness for a long period of time. I hope my poetry gives the people who read it the courage to open all the secret compartments in their own lives.
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| Maria and Dennis |
A project incorporates Hal’s poems into a web voice reactive interface and people with Parkinson’s disease who spend 30 minutes a day reciting his poems with the interactive tool will have dramatic improvement with their vocalization and speech. More information on the project’s website: www.parkinsonspoetry.org
Parkinson’s disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. Over 6.2 million people suffer from it, and more than 50,000 Americans are diagnosed every year. There is no cure, but treatment can improve their lives Often people with Parkinson’s disease lose their verbal skills, but this can be alleviated through daily vocal exercises. Many people read aloud popular children’s books or poems in front of a mirror. The improvement is immediate and stunning.
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The event is a COVID-19 Rapid Response project funded by the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund for U.S. Alumni sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Partners of the Americas. Event is made possible in part with public funds from the Creative Engagement grant supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC, and also a grant from Poets & Writers. The event organizer is Rattapallax. More at https://www.rattapallax.com/hal
excerpt from a documentary about Hal and Minter
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