Larry's to seize the day by reviving dead poets

As Halloween quickly approaches, the dead come alive for a night at Larry's annual dead poets reading tonight.

The event has been held at the off-campus bar Larry's for 19 years, and is always held on the Monday closest to Halloween.

Steve Abbott, a coordinator of "The Poetry Forum at Larry's," said the evening arose from the idea of having a poetry night where no one could read their own work.

The idea evolved into having a night dedicated to poets who are already dead.

"If people want to read their own poetry, they have to meet the criteria," Abbott said.

The evening is open to anyone, and any dead poet is fair game to read from. If someone comes to watch but ends up wanting to participate, a selection of books are provided to the audience, Abbott said.

Though the numbers vary each year, Larry's usually has about 15-20 people who get up to give a reading, and who occasionally come dressed as the poet they are reading to liven up the work.

Abbott said Larry's usually gets a good audience for the event, and the blend of the bar's neighborhood clients and the Ohio State community make for a nice mix of readings.

The bar is garnished with a touch of the macabre, complete with dry ice for a witch's brew.

Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson are popular choices, Abbott said.

"We prefer Homer not to show up and perform an epic. He could do an excerpt, though," Abbott said.

The change of pace in "The Poetry Forum at Larry's" style is enjoyed by poetry lovers. Cori Stevens, a senior in German, has been to Larry's to listen to poetry as part of the dead poets reading.

"I've been to the dead poets readings a couple of times, and it's a great atmosphere to listen to literary works," Stevens said.

The event encourages readers to adopt personas and think outside themselves, Abbott said.

Paula Hess, a junior in human development and family science, has never read poetry in front of others, but now is considering doing so for Larry's dead poets night.

"I never really thought about doing it, but reading a work from someone else with that Halloween correlation would be interesting to participate in," Hess said.

"The Poetry Forum at Larry's" has been funded by grants from the Ohio Arts Council since 1985. The grants match the donations given by the forum participants.

The reading will begin at 7 p.m. tonight at Larry's, 2040 N. High St. Abbot said "the dead have no sense of time," so latecomers are still welcome, but anyone wanting to perform a reading should be at Larry's no later than 7:30 p.m.