Neil Silberblatt is on a mission: to spread the word,
literally, to the folks of Litchfield County
Neil Silberblatt writes prose for a living, but poetry is his passion. A poet since his early college days at Cornell University, he was inspired by his English teacher at Stuyvesant High School, a certain Frank McCourt, who told Neil that he had a literary voice. Neil remembers vividly, after all these years, that Mr. McCourt described him as a “story-teller in verse.” Indeed, Neil has a way with words, a way of getting to the essence of a story, using a natural rhythm and style. Drawing from his personal experiences, Neil’s poetry has a wonderful mix of humor and depth. His poems are raw, poignant, and memorable.
A native of New York City, Neil has lived in Connecticut for more than twenty years. His talent as a poet has received recognition in print and on the web, both locally and nationally. A collection of Neil’s poems, So Far, So Good, has been published by www.lulu.com and two of his poems – Stand Your Ground and After the Tempest – were selected for the Fall 2012 issue of Verse Wisconsin, an online and print literary journal. Another of Neil’s poems — Madison Avenue, part of his New York Suite — was selected as the Grand Prize Winner by Hennen’s Observer for its Open Community Poetry Contest and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Silberblatt, however, is not content to sit on his laurels. He’s an ardent advocate of poetry, bringing together a community of mostly local poets in the Northwest Corner and providing them with opportunities to give voice to their original poems in a live setting. Neil has organized and participated in several local literary readings, including an Afternoon of Poetry & Jazz at the Washington Art Association this past summer; an Afternoon of Poetry & Music at The Sherman Playhouse; Voices of Poetry at the Wooster School; and the first “open reading” by poets and writers at Danbury Library entitled From Our Hands to Your Ears. Future events in this series are scheduled at venues throughout Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties, including the Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury, the Gunn Memorial Library in Washington, and The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield. These events feature a diverse and talented array of poets, writers and musicians—including national poets Alfred Corn, a Guggenheim fellow; Leslie McGrath, a Neruda Poetry Prize winner; and the former Poet Laureate of Connecticut, Marilyn Nelson. The caliber of local poets is also impressive, including names like Dimitri Rimsky, Faith Vicinanza, Davyne Verstandig, and Marianela Medrano. The readings have drawn crowds from various towns around the Corner and are beginning to build momentum as the charmed audiences leave the performances with words and images engrained in their memories.
Along with noted area poets, Silberblatt brings in musicians to perform at these live events. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Don Lowe, tenor saxist Doug White and his Trio, Missy Alexander, and Mark Louis Miller are just some of the great musicians who have participated in the series. It all adds up to an extraordinary afternoon or evening of unique local entertainment.
A few months ago, Neil started a Facebook group called Voices of Poetry, which consists of poets, writers and lovers of the written word. At last count, it had 218 members. Neil uses the site to keep the group updated on all things poetry related, and many members have participated in the events around the region.
He is deeply committed to the group and to giving poetry a platform. A true patron to the arts, Neil is involved in many fundraising efforts and is also looking for corporate sponsorships to help with support. Indeed, one could refer to him as the Prince of Poetry. Shrugging away his instrumental role in being the catalyst for the group’s rising popularity, Neil points out that his efforts are nothing compared to the voices and talent of the poets who contribute. A humble prince, no less.
Here, for our pleasure, is one of Silberblatt’s poems. The poem was written in response to a friend’s comment that poetry is (by and large) fairly useless:
You Are Right
You are right, of course;
poetry serves no
useful purpose.
A poem will never hammer in a nail
or remove a splinter
when you walk
barefoot
though warned so often not to.
A poem will never suture a wound
or dry a tear
or remove a tumor
or prevent one from
growing.
A poem cannot lift its own weight.
It will never stop
a sneeze
or a bullet
certainly not a tank,
or protect
those who
stand in their way.
No, a poem is
impotent,
a eunuch
in the bordello of words.
It watches from the sidelines
at the folly, pleasure or misery
of others.
A beggar at the banquet
who makes note of,
but never partakes of,
the feast
but describes with exquisite detail
the taste of the food.
So, tell me then
why tyrants
fear us so.
Why our work
is cast upon flames.
Why our pages are ripped from books
like flayed skin.
Tell me then
why bullets
are wasted on us,
when they
can be so better used
on
critics.
c. Neil Silberblatt
Silberblatt’s poetry chapbook So Far, So Good, can be purchased at: http://www.lulu.com/shop/neil-silberblatt/so-far-so-good/hardcover/product-20163005.html. His next collection of poems, For Better or Verse, will be coming out this April and will be sold at The Book Nook, House of Books, and the Hickory Stick Bookshop. It will also be sold at Voices of Poetry events.
For more information regarding Voices of Poetry, you may email Neil Silberblatt at: [email protected].
The photographs of Neil Silberblatt were taken at the stunning Morrison Gallery in Kent. Many thanks to William Morrison and his staff. The Morrison Gallery is located at 8 Old Barn Road, near the intersection of Routes 7 and 341.
Voices of Poetry will be performing at two local events this month. Get the details in our GOINGS ON section.
