Last year, Laura Bush's Poetry Symposium scheduled for Feb. 12, 2003 was cancelled due to a fear that the invited poets would use the celebration of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes, as an anti-war platform. One year later, this ban on free speech has inspired people across the nation to spread words of peace and their thoughts on war. On Thursday, Feb. 12, faculty, students, other members of the Brandeis community and a few visitors gathered in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall in the Goldfarb library for a late afternoon poetry reading for peace. The reading began with poet Rafael Campo's own wistful words. Many read poems by other acclaimed writers as well. English and American Literature professors, Susan Staves, Jayne Ann Phillips, Tom King and Mary Campbell shared writing from farces by Johnathan Swift, poems by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson and a speech by Senator Robert Byrd to Congress. Campbell also shared some of her own poems, which included her powerful words in "It Does Not Matter So Much About the Exploding Suns" and the humorous "To the Editor."

A celebration of poetry and peace obviously brought out faculty from English and American Literature, however the attendees were far from limited to that department. Prof. Faith Smith (AAAS), Prof. Angela Perez (ROCL) and Prof. Michael Randall (ROCL) also read pieces that tied their respective fields of study to the common inspiration of peace. From Langston Hughes, to a poem read in both Spanish and English, to a fable from 1531, these professors added much variety to the reading.

Along with esteemed Brandeis professors were resident poets, resident scholars, undergraduates, guest professors, a Brandeis graduate and a Brandeis librarian. Resident poets Olga Broumas and Kate Lilley read other works such as Vietnam and Israeli folk poems as well as their own works. Their poems were clearly inspired by the emotions the past few years have created. Resident scholar Naomi Myrvaagnes shared one of her pieces as well as the discomforting poem, "Hitler's First Photograph" by Wislawa Szymborska. Professor Mary Mason of Emmanuel College and Brandeis graduate Daria Donnelly read pieces by Longfellow, Dickinson, Myrvaagnes and a poem about a Sumerian princess from the Making Peace collection. Librarian Ann Frenkel translated a work by a Polish poet entitled "Giving a Hand to Wannabe Clocks." All of these readers affected the audience of about thirty people significantly.

One of the most powerful aspects of the reading, however, was the ability of seniors Cynthia Shur and Nicole Steinberg to read their own poetry in a formal setting amid published writers and professors.
At one point, the statistic of eight to ten thousand civilian deaths in Iraq was mentioned, trying to make the audience aware of some of the damage the war in Iraq has caused. The reading also reminded everyone that though there are a significant number of American troops in Iraq, we must not forget about those still in Afghanistan.

To end the evening of peace and poetry, Professor Laura Yim chanted a poem written by Noelani Arista and herself in the Hawaiian language called "He Kanikau Keia no ka Na'auao" or "This is a Lament for Na'auao." Hearing the chant in the acoustics of the Rappaporte Hall was extremely moving, and the mournful emotion she projected needed no translation.

The gathering of poets, professors, students and people just searching for peace seemed to be a success for those involved. Because the event took place on a Thursday evening, it was difficult to get a large mass of people together. However, despite the limited size of the audience, the impact of words and expression was something everyone could appreciate.