As poet Ken Waldman’s voice lessened in intensity, the sound of snapping fingers gradually filled the room when he finished reciting one of his five poems that he wrote for Trinity Prep.
Over the years, Waldman has continued to maintain close relationships with faculty. His relationship with English teachers Susan Lilley and Robert Boerth bridge as far back as eight years. Through the “Trinity Prep Sestina,” Waldman expressed his gratitude for both teachers by dedicating the poem to them.
Waldman is able to write as if he is a part of the Trinity Prep family because of his familiarity with our community. As the writer with the most visits to the school, Waldman has performed and taught workshops here three times.
Waldman’s performance on Oct. 4 was not what one might expect from a visiting writer. Instead of having readings and discussions with the audience, Waldman used the time to not only read poems and play his fiddle, but also to interact with guests and perform with them. Among the guest performers were three students: junior Hannah Lindvall, senior Emily Schenck and senior Amy Sukserm. Lindvall and Schenck played their violins and even accompanied Waldman in a trio.
While many people believe fiddles and violins are two completely different instruments, Waldman explained that the only difference is what type of music they are used for. Waldman gave the audience the opportunity to hear the difference by having Lindvall play a tune on her violin and Waldman then repeated the same tune on his fiddle. Although they sounded similar, the overall pitch was different.
Sukserm was called on to the floor of the Freitag & Falk Black Box Theatre to perform her poem, “That’s Life,” about the hardships that come with being a model minority.
The performance is shared by multiple people with varying talents which makes it feel more like a storytelling, and it even includes a dinner in the middle. Waldman says he does this in order to make his performace feel more like a party. Other guests included fiddler Sharon Hartmann and guitarist, pianist and poet Mong-Lan.
Although self-titled “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” Waldman was not born in Alaska and originally wrote stories rather than poetry. Waldman lived in Alaska while he was in graduate school and later became a professor at a college in Alaska.
“Fifteen years ago I drove out of Alaska,” Waldman said. “There is not much opportunity there because there aren’t that many people.”
Waldman wasn’t always the talented musician he is today. In fact, Waldman didn’t learn to play the fiddle or any other instrument until he was 25 years old.
“I was living in North Carolina and had a housemate that played the banjo and would often have parties where fellow musicians would come over and play,” Waldman said. “One time someone was selling their fiddle for $100 so even though I didn’t know how to play, I bought it.”
Similar to his late start in music, Waldman didn’t write his first poem until he was 30-year-old. Waldman was at graduate school in Fairbanks, Alaska writing stories when he tried poetry and decided to stick with it.
Waldman was able to combine his poetry skills and his passion for fiddling showing that it is possible to pursue one or more passions. His unique talents have allowed him to travel throughout the United States and share his poetic and musical talent with others. Waldman hopes to inspire students to do what they love.
