Something Wonderful May Happen: New York School of Poets and Beyond 2000
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 212-808-4980
Producer n/a
Director n/a
VHS, color, 57 min.
College
Poetry
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Adrienne Furness, Webster Public Library, Webster, NYThis film focuses on the New York School of poets, particularly John Ashberry, Kenneth Koch, and Frank O’Hara. The strongest part of the film is the footage of these poets and others reading their work in various spots throughout the city. The film goes on to further define the characteristics of the New York School as well as the poets’ relationships with each other and other artists through commentary by the poets themselves, scholars, and other artists. An interesting and enlightening sideline explores the poets’ relationships with painters: how they supported each other and worked collaboratively. Through all of this, the viewer begins to get a sense of the poets as human beings writing and working and trying to find their way, something particularly valuable to creative writing students. This production will also find an audience with students of 20th century poetry. Recommended.