On the evening of October 5, poet Matthew Porto captivated an audience at the Dartmouth Cultural Center with readings from his latest work, “Moon Grammar.” The event featured candlelight and the glow of the moon, creating an intimate atmosphere for Porto’s poetry.
Porto shared the stage with Charlie Riggs, a history professor at Bentley University, for an engaging poetry reading and discussion. Porto explained that the inspiration for “Moon Grammar” arose from his experiences as a reader. “It’s reading and it’s other writers that get me writing,” he said. He emphasized his unique approach, stating, “I like to write ‘into concepts.’ Once I have an idea and I have sort of sketched a book, I like going, ‘OK, I’m going to write a poem that fits this book.’”
His creative journey for “Moon Grammar” was sparked by a tetralogy from the German author Thomas Mann, which focuses on the biblical figure Joseph. Porto described the ideas in Mann’s work as “compelling” and “fascinating,” saying, “I stole the term ‘moon grammar’ from him and then it all kind of fell into place.”
Riggs reminisced about the moment Porto received the call from Slant Books, the publishing company for his work. “He was visiting with my family at the time and he got this phone call, then disappeared for a few minutes,” Riggs recalled, highlighting his long-standing friendship with Porto during the book’s development.
Throughout the reading, Riggs and Porto engaged in discussions about the themes behind some of Porto’s poems and the nature of poetry itself. Recognizing that poetry readings can sometimes be “taxing” for audiences, Riggs and Porto infused the event with informal conversation to make it feel more accessible. “The concept was just to have a somewhat informal conversation about his poetry, about poetry in general, about poetry as a public art form,” Riggs explained.
Maura Nolan, who has been involved with the Cultural Center for over a year, organized the event. She saw an opportunity to “open this place up” and bring diverse art forms to the center. Knowing Porto through Riggs, she described both as “really interesting, fun, smart, wonderful guys.” Nolan aimed to make the Cultural Center “a little hipper” by starting with a poetry reading.
“I think that poetry isn’t heard, seen, or experienced in public nearly as often as it should be,” Riggs said. He expressed hope that events like this one would help change that narrative.
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