Poet Levine to speak at Hopwood ceremony

In the opening scene of Puccini's "La Boheme," the poet Rudolfo burns his manuscript to combat the frigid Parisian winter. Poet Philip Levine, the 1997 Hopwood Lecturer, also faced difficulties when he started writing poetry at the age of 18, though he was never forced to use his work as kindling.

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Levine, the 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, said in an interview with The Michigan Daily, "In America, we don't pay much attention to poets, especially new poets. Becoming a writer is something of a nightmare."

Even in the age of the book club craze, America's latest lifestyle trend, good writers still face rejection from publishers, despite the public book-buying surge.

But just because books are being sold doesn't mean yours will be published.

That's where the Hopwood Awards in Creative Writing come in.

Since 1931, the university has awarded prizes for Michigan students producing the best creative work in drama, fiction, poetry and essays. The prizes come from the estate of Avery Hopwood, class of 1905. In 1995-96, $46,650 was awarded to aspiring writers, giving them some of the experience and recognition needed to succeed in writing.

Brie Tiderington won a 1996 Underclassmen Award for fiction. An LSA sophomore, Tiderington understands the difficulties in getting recognized as a writer.

"Last year, I entered six categories and didn't win anything. This year, I just entered fiction and I won," Tiderington said.

So persistence does pay off. Good writing doesn't hurt either.

Levine began publishing his poetry in 1955 and since then, he has produced 15 books of poetry.

"I began with the idea of being a fiction writer, but my character is more suited to poetry - you can't finish a great novel in a week," he joked. "For me, poetry comes first. I have not written a great deal of fiction, but I loved writing it. I wrote the fiction when I couldn't find the poetry in my fountain pen."

Though Levine himself has not won a Hopwood, many well-known writers got their start through the Hopwood program. Past winners include Marge Piercy, Arthur Miller, Nancy Willard and X.J. Kennedy, among others.

"I write because I love writing. It's important that writing is recognized within the University. The Hopwoods are a good way to recognize writers, and I'm happy that the University sees me as a writer and recognizes that writing is still important. That importance is too often lost," Levine said.

Levine understands the strain that goes along with any career, but finds that writers are simply athletes with pens.

"The hardest thing about writing is day after day, to go in and shut the door, be alone, and work. It takes the discipline of an athlete to be able to sit down and write." said Levine. "Being a celebrity doesn't produce much of anything, either."

"You will inevitably write badly at times," Levine stated. "The ones who persevere are the ones who accept that fact. Other people just keep going blindly. Young people who can come to terms that they write badly are the ones who will do well."

The Hopwood program has fostered many writing careers, and the list of publications by Hopwood winners gets longer each year. Take, for example, the array of publications arranged neatly on Avery Hopwood's desk. The round wooden table, which is the focal point of the Hopwood Room in Angell Hall, is a striking display of how well Avery Hopwood's goal to encourage writing has succeeded.

Tiderington is one example of a student who's been influenced by the Hopwoods. Though she hasn't made specific plans for the future, Tiderington knows she'll always have pen and paper handy.

"I'd like to make money when I write, but I really don't know what I'm going to do. No matter what, I think I'll always write, even if I don't do it professionally," she noted.

04-22-97