V petek, 22. 4. 2022 je potekalo zanimivo predavanje in delavnica z naslovom Poezija kot neobhodna spremljevalka življenja. Izvedla ga je dr. Mary Anne Myers z institucije Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts, ZDA) na visokošolskem strokovnem študijskem programu prve stopnje Management v okviru predmeta Poslovna angleščina 1 pri doc. dr. Dubravki Celinšek. Predavanju in delavnici pa so se pridružili tudi nekateri študenti drugega letnika univerzitetnega študijskega programa druge stopnje Management.

Že pred predavanjem so študenti prebrali dve besedili o prepletenosti poezije in poslovnega sveta preko avtorjev, ki so tako poslovneži kot tudi pesniki, ter o pozitivnem vplivu poezije, še posebej v času kriznih obdobij, kot je bilo zadnje zaprtje družbenega življenja zaradi zdravstvene krize. Nekateri so pred predavanjem prebrali pesem modernističnega pesnika Wallacea Stevensa: The Ultimate Poem Is Abstract, pozneje pa še pesem The House Was Quiet and The World Was Calm. Stevens je služboval kot zavarovalniški agent, pisal pa je precej filozofsko in meditativno poezijo in je bil dobitnik Pullitzerjeve nagrade.

Po uvodnem predavanju so študenti v ločenih skupinah brali po eno pesem raznih pesnic in pesnikov (Amanda Gorman, Layli Long Soldier, Wallace Stevens in David Wagoner) in o pesmi razpravljali, svoja razmišljanja pa ob koncu delavnice predstavili ostalim.

Odziv študentov je bil najprej previden, po razpravi pa vedno bolj intenziven in zagret. Nekaj odzivov:

»Meni se je predavanje zdelo zanimivo, ker je bilo drugačne narave, kot smo ga drugače vajeni. Nekako smo združili potencial zooma (da smo se lahko povezali z Mary Anne Myers), vendar predavanje še vedno izvedli v živo in tako dosegli boljše sodelovanje in zanimivejšo izvedbo. Na žalost smo imeli na začetku par tehničnih težav, katere smo na srečo dokaj hitro odpravili. Primeri pesmi so bili sošolcem večinoma novi in čeprav dobri, so nam bili težji za razumevanje, najverjetneje zato, ker je na žalost malo ljudi, ki poezijo dejansko prebira in preučuje ali se ukvarja s podobnimi temami. Kljub vsemu smo predavanje in delavnico s skupnimi močmi – z delom v timih – uspešno izpeljali in se nekaj novega, ob uspešnem sodelovanju, tudi naučili. Izkušnja je bila enkratna in menim, da bi lahko še kdaj kaj podobnega ponovili.«  K. N., 1. letnik (VS)

»We were put into teams, and each team had its own poem to read and interpret. There were a few questions about the poem provided as well, and to which we had to prepare answers that we later presented to other students. Some teams analysed the same poem, which made it all more interesting. That is because everyone interpreted the content differently and might therefore find different meaning of the same poem. After each team finished its work, a representative (or two representatives) of each team stood in front of the class and presented their reflection on the poem discussed. At the end, prof. Myers gave her comments on our interpretations. The class was certainly a part of something special and we gained some competences that are certainly beneficial.«  A. S., 1. letnik (VS)

»I really enjoyed the poetry class because I have never read it or be interested in poetry. This different texts and poems are really entertaining and you can read them in so many ways. Prof. Mary Anne Myers was interesting to listen to and she gave us good examples and a good powerpoint presentation on poetry. I had such an amazing time listening and reading poetry.« L. Š., 1. letnik (VS)

»In our opinion,  poetry is a way of expressing your self. In fact, through poetry different emotions can arouse and that vary from person to person. Sometimes we  need to express our feelings and some decide to take a piece of paper and a pen in hand and start writing words that at a first glance seem to make no sense. But, by writing things down, it can lead to self-realization, not to mention that poetry can be some sort of meditation because it has the ability to catch  our senses at the moment of writing.« R. K., L. P., (UN program)

»We fully agree that poetry plays a significant role in our lives. Poetry must exist because it gives meaning to our lives and gives an explanation of our existence. Our opinion is that everything that exists, and everything alive or inanimate, can be given color and explanation, and that is what poetry does. Every idea and every thought, if translated into realization, poetry, as art, would be on a higher level. There is no bad idea, there is only a bad realization of it because feelings play a big role in poetry.«  H. A., F. V., I. H., (UN program)

 Foto: Kevin Naccari (1. letnik, VS program)