War Poetry as Journalism

The Pulitzer Prize nominated poet James Adams spoke to the AUP community on Friday, March 23. In his powerful talk, Adams discussed the realities of refugee camps, what kinds of ongoing problems they face and what it’s like to flee a combat zone. He prefaced a reading of a few of his more recent poems with stories of his work in sub-Saharan Africa that were juxtaposed with photos and lines from some of his favorite poets.

Adams has spent much of his free time traveling to sub-Saharan Africa to volunteer in medical tents, help refugees, and get a closer look at underreported wars and fighting in the region. When he first arrived in Africa decades ago, James was surprised that antacids, not malaria medicine, were in demand. “This is because of the stress,” he said. “There is tremendous stress in sub-Saharan Africa.” He went on to explain the various causes of stress, much of it revolving around questions of hunger, thirst and constant struggle or full-out war.

Before continuing his talk, Adams paused to quote Wilfred Owen, one of the leading poets of WWI. “All a poet can do today is to warn. That is why the true Poets must be truthful.” Adams wanted to be truthful, he said, as a warning. He went on to describe villages he had seen without men and other villages where the eldest resident was ten years old and in this village the ten year olds were raising the two year olds. To highlight these stories, Adams used photos by Sumy Sudurni, images that captured the strict poverty and refugees, as well as a few of his own photos. Truth, Adams said, that is what he was after. “Truth and doing some good.”

James encouraged the crowded room filled with students from AUP and Bowling Green to spend some time in another country. “Spend two weeks, minimum, volunteering, giving back, living somewhere that is not easy, that is difficult. There is where you will really learn something about what it means to live.”

The talk concluded with Adams musing about his poetry and fielding questions about writing in general. When asked about how he could focus on writing poetry when he was so involved in his long days as a volunteer in war zones, Adams responded with his own questions, asking if everyone was familiar with the Irish poet Rory Brennan. He quoted Brennan: “Poetry and war go together like guns and ammunition,” and briefly explained the long history of war poetry. He went on to explain what he understood the act of writing to be. “Writing is rewriting. It’s a skill and it’s an art,” he said. “If you don’t take chances, you stagnate.”

At the end of the reading, AUP student Inas Hakki was introduced. Hakki is a journalist who, until recently, has lived in Syria. Hakki took the stage alongside Adams where they spent a few minutes discussing how they can tell the stories of their friends and colleagues and countrymen and women. “All we can do now is to tell their story,” Hakki said, “and sometimes that takes a lot of tears.”

James Adams was invited by Professor Waddick Doyle and the Civic Media Lab in collaboration with The CECI Foundation administered by Lee and Berna Huebner. The CECI Foundation has been inviting students from several American universities to take week long seminars at AUP for more than ten years and supports AUP students from socioeconomically impoverished countries with scholarships.