Do You Cry?

Everything was quiet when she cleared her throat. In jeans, boots and braids, she resembled any other college student. But when she spoke, the packed Currier House's "fishbowl" and balcony went hush. When she finished reading her poem, "S M", she paused and asked the audience, "do you cry?" There was nervous laughter and nervous yesses. "It's so hard for you to say that...as my mother says, you'll cry soon enough. And the way things are looking you might as well get good practice."

But Alice Walker's poems, and her talk, were not marked by pessimism. The previous night she had hosted the Jazz for Life concert. There she was, tapping her feet to the music, dancing onstage with Brother Blue, and having a great time. Although it was difficult to establish the intimacy that her poems require with an audience in Sanders Theater, her spontaneity added to the evening's success.

The Office for the Arts and learning from Performers sponsored Walker's poetry reading. Although the space was very crowded, with people sitting on the floor and dangling from the upper balcony, no one was turned away. Afterwards, Walker patiently signed copies of The Color Purple and her other books. Walker was soft-spoken about her success, and she admitted that she enjoyed gardening more than the rewards of fame. "When you win a prize" she said referring to The Color Purple's Pulitzer, "there are a lot of the cans attached to it. You can become really rattled." It was over a year before she could "wake up and discover poetry" and write her latest work.