There was a sweet sound – music to an English major’s ears – floating from the Bowers Writers House on the evening of Jan. 31. That, of course, was the voice Daina Savage sharing some of her own poetry. She selected and read twenty of her poems, gracing both Elizabethtown College students and members of the public with her work.
Savage generously dedicated the entire evening to Etown. She’s quite busy, after all, as poet laureate of Lancaster County and a feature writer for AAA World, Central PA Magazine and Susquehanna Style magazine. She’s also the co-founder of Lancaster’s annual Spoken Word Festival, which is now in its tenth year.
Despite the heavy load already filling her plate, however, she still had time to conduct a poetry workshop and a reading at the College. The workshop began at 4 p.m. Savage shared her own story on making a life and a living as a writer – something that the seven students present, myself included, are quite interested in. We all realize that the English major isn’t the most heavily sought after type in the work world, so it was refreshing to hear from someone who’s made it work.
Savage discussed the path that led her to be Lancaster’s poet laureate: her first job at a newspaper, pitching to magazines, her introduction to Lancaster’s poetry scene, etc. She’s been involved with all facets of writing – cold, hard journalism, news features, colorful advertising, and, of course, poetry. She struggled with her first job in journalism, as she was not so accustomed to the research aspect and found many events quite intense. What she did, though, was take the last half hour of her workday to write poetry and de-stress. This enabled her to practice using her “eye for details, eye for what’s poetic about something,” that she emphasized over and over during her workshop.
She also mentioned her past opportunities as a traveling writer. For example, she’s spent time in Florida and Brazil covering stories. “Traveling writing is the best!” she said. “The venues are less, you won’t make any money doing it; but it gives you access – backstage passes for things that the public never sees.” Talking to different and new individuals is one of her favorite parts. It’s never hard to get people to open up, she says, because, “when you put your writer hat on, everyone wants to tell you their story.”
We gushed over her career as a writer, asking for any and all tips to land similar success. She offered advice willingly, saying, “You need to pay attention. It’s the details that connect with people; it’s the details that bring humanity into writing. Making those human connections will elevate your work.” She stressed the use of the aforementioned “poetic eye,” seeing the different feelings present in a situation, and “being able to allow a metaphor to happen.”
I found Savage’s workshop to be beneficial and enlightening. When it was over, I couldn’t wait for her 8 p.m. poetry reading. She had discussed her processes, I knew her background and I was ready to experience her magic.
I knew Savage was excited to read aloud, too, based on her earlier statement: “There’s just something different about reading your poetry aloud. You can feel the words in your mouth.” That feeling was certainly shared with the audience. As Savage stood in the Bowers Writers House, reading her pieces, I could see her words floating out into the crowd, being absorbed by everyone present.
She went through twenty of her poems, pausing between each to smile and provide the context of the work. Some encompassed personal tragedy, others nature and others family. Regardless of the theme, each poem consisted of vibrant images that played in a film in the minds of audience members.
There was no question that Daina Savage deserved her poet laureate title. She was not only capable of bringing the minutest details to life in writing, but she was also able to share her secrets with the curious students at her workshop.
She told all present at the workshop to submit, submit, submit. “Fear and excitement are really just two sides of the same coin. Do you want to be excited and submit your work? Or fearful and hide your work? It’s your choice.”
We walked away from her workshop with new perspective —new eyes that seek the poetic aspects of every place we go. We walked away knowing that, if we can find those aspects and work to find the right language to express them, we can make art. We walked away with a new courage to submit our work. Thanks to Daina Savage, we walked away knowing that, even though it might be tough, it’s not impossible to make the dream of becoming a writer a reality.