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Hockey, Men's Varsity, Sports

Packed house watches McGill Redmen hockey take down Concordia Stingers

by Jordan Foy on

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The McGill Redmen hockey team (12-2-0) faced off against the Concordia Stingers (8-2-2) in their home barn on Nov. 17 in front of a massive crowd. Over 900 fans turned out for the game—a fundraiser for the Movember Foundation—with a dollar from every ticket donated to the organization. The Redmen, many of them sporting ‘staches of their own, defeated their rivals 2-1.

Despite only scoring one goal in the first period, McGill outperformed their opponents at both ends of the ice. The team’s lone tally was scored on an early 5-on-3 powerplay: The Redmen expertly moved the puck around the outnumbered Stingers defenders, eventually finding third-year defenceman Dominic Talbot-Tassi, who had plenty of time to fire the puck into the back of the net. On the few chances the Stingers did have, second-year goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon shut the door, absorbing all shots directed his way.

In the second stretch, Concordia displayed more life. The Stingers had some dangerous offensive opportunities that tested the Redmen defence, posing a much bigger threat than they did in the first period. Early in the frame, the score was evened at a goal a piece when the Stingers jammed the puck in after a chaotic pile-up in front of the net. For the rest of the period, both teams had their share of chances, but goals remained elusive. Despite the tight score, the Redmen were undeterred. Third-year forward Frederic Gamelin noted the importance of sticking to their game plan.

“They’re a pretty good team […], they skate fast, and they had good players,” Gamelin said. “We just stayed calm and didn’t panic in the second period, and I think it paid off in the third.”

In the final stanza, McGill reasserted control over the game, remaining composed and focused in the face of some penalty trouble. The Redmen came roaring out of the gate, bombarding the Stingers net with a barrage of shots in the early minutes of the period. An early attempt found the back of the net but was disallowed due to goaltender interference. Regardless, the Redmen maintained their high-tempo play, and managed to score midway through the period when third-year Jerome Verrier capitalized on a scramble in front of the net.

The Redmen penalty kill was exceptional in the third. The Stingers had five power play opportunities—including a five-minute major—but were unable to generate any kind of momentum due to McGill’s stellar defence. With Concordia unable to produce offensively, McGill closed out the game 2-1. Overall, the Redmen were content with many areas of their game.

“Everything went well,” Gamelin said. “We didn’t make too [many] turnovers. Defensively we played a big game, our [penalty kill] was awesome, and we created a lot of chances offensively.”

Moving forward, McGill know that they needed to remain consistent, especially before their game against Concordia the night after, on Nov. 18.

“The real good teams are able to put together two games against a good team,” Head Coach Kelly Nobes said. “We won a lot of the parts of tonight’s game, and we want to do the same tomorrow.”

In that matchup, the Redmen and the Stingers completed their home and away series, and McGill increased its lead in the OUA East standings with a 3-2 overtime victory.

 

Moment of the Game

While on a penalty kill in the third period, goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon made an inhuman save when he stretched his stick back behind his body to deny a shot.

 

Quotable

“A big crowd here at McConnell, it’s pretty sick. We’re all used to playing junior teams [where there’s] 4,000 people in the stands [….] Against [teams] like Concordia and [other] strong teams, it’s really nice to have the support of students. [It gives us] really good vibes.” – Goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon on the attendance of the game.

 

Stat Corner

In total 937 spectators came out to support the McGill Redmen on Nov. 17.

News, Private

Daily Publications Society wins existence referendum despite heated ‘No’ campaign

by Ozanay Bozkaya on

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Between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17, the Daily Publication Society (DPS), which publishes both The McGill Daily and Le Délit, faced a referendum on the renewal of its Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). Despite a vocal ‘No’ campaign team calling for a majority vote against its existence, the DPS won the vote with 65 per cent of students voting ‘Yes.’

Every five years, Independent Student Groups (ISG) with mandatory student fees, such as the DPS, must renew their MoA through a referendum of its members. This year, the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns—which push for and against the continued existence of the DPS, respectively—fought a particularly intense battle to influence the referendum.

Inori Roy, the Coordinating Editor of the Daily, characterizes the vote as a matter of protecting the freedom of the press.

“[We] believe that it is crucial for us to remain on this campus […] as voices for students who otherwise may not have that much of a voice,” Roy said. “These may be marginalized students, these may be Francophonie students. We think that it is crucial to continue to [provide] a platform.”

At the end of the first day of voting, Elections SSMU released a campus-wide email to both undergraduate and graduate students stating that the ballot would be cancelled and started anew following mistakes in the list of students made eligible to vote in the referendum.

“The elector’s list provided by the DPS omits a number of students within the SSMU, and potentially the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) as well,” Elections SSMU wrote.

However, hours after this notification was sent out, the Elections SSMU team followed up with another email clarifying that the DPS was not at fault for the mistake.

“The DPS committed no wrongful action, and the mistake emanated purely from confusion by all parties involved about how to compose electors lists for this question,” Elections SSMU wrote.

Roy stated that she believed this interpretation was correct, and further stated that she was convinced that the “No” campaign had used this event to its advantage.

“I hope that the student body was able to recognize [the mistake] and also to critically engage with the ways the ‘No’ campaign mobilized around what ultimately turned out to be a misunderstanding,” Roy said. “From the facebook page to the pensketch, the ‘No’ campaign has been mistaken in many of their assertions, including our finances and the status of our MoA in the case that we lost the referendum.”

Andrew Figueiredo, a prominent member of the “No” campaign, told The McGill Tribune that he felt that DPS’ publications were not sufficiently representing its members..

“My main concern is that students are currently forced to pay for a paper that has been exclusionary, unaccountable, and divisive,” Figueiredo said. “My number one reason in calling for a ‘No’ vote is because I believe that students should be empowered to demand changes in the DPS and to control where their money goes.”

Figueiredo further explained that, in his opinion, the “No” campaign had successfully illustrated the Daily’s antagonism.

“Specifically, the ‘No’ campaign has highlighted some of The Daily’s more divisive posts and actions, including the closing of their comment section, so that people can see why we need change,” Figueiredo said.

Elections SSMU Deputy Electoral Officer Isaac Levy claimed that Elections SSMU remained neutral on the matter. Since internal DPS by-laws regulate the referendum, Levy explained that, although Elections SSMU would normally consider the “No” stand’s distribution of food at the Y-Intersection contradictory to Article 6.2 of the SSMU Internal Regulations of Elections and Referanda: Campaigning, the incident was outside of its mandate.

“As the issue cannot be sanctioned or regulated under the SSMU campaign rules or guidelines, the question of permissibility depends on what the DPS by-laws for campaigning state,” Levy said.

Levy said that Elections SSMU, which allows ISGs to host their existence referendums on its OnlineVoting System, would look into the establishmentof stricter rules for similar votes in the future.

 
Hockey, Martlets, Sports

McGill Martlet hockey claims first victory of the season against Concordia Stingers

by Miya Keilin on

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On Nov. 12, the McGill Martlets (1-4) faced-off against the Concordia Stingers (4-2). Coming into the game, the Martlets, ranked seventh nationally, had lost four consecutive games while the Stingers, ranked fourth, were riding a four-game winning streak. It was certainly not the start to the season that the Martlets had wished for, but on Sunday they showed what they were made of, defeating their cross-town rivals 4-3.

“We focused on the little things,” Second-year forward Jade Downie-Landry said. “We did what we had to do.”

It was Downie-Landry who gave the Martlets the lead just over a minute into the game when she capitalized on a mistake by Concordia’s goalie. The Stingers fought back, creating scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity, but thanks to some huge defensive plays, McGill held Concordia scoreless in the first period. Meanwhile, the Martlets set up a few chances of their own and with a goal from second-year forward Léa Dumais, they headed into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.

After the break, it took the Stingers only six minutes to tie the game back up, and they continued to dominate throughout the second period. With five minutes remaining in the frame, the Stingers overpowered an exhausted McGill defence and netted another goal to take a 3-2 lead. The Martlets weren’t done fighting, however. Third-year forward Olivia Atkinson capitalized on a power play right before the end of the period, creating a much-needed change of momentum.

The third period was a much more even battle than the second. The Martlets found themselves in the penalty box often but went eight-for-eight in successful penalty kills for the game, which frustrated Concordia’s offence.

“It’s a funny thing about momentum,” Martlet Head Coach Peter Smith said. “A power play can certainly build momentum but it can destroy momentum if you don’t score.”

Downie-Landry assisted a goal from rookie forward Christiana Colizza late in the third period to give the Martlets the lead again. They took a penalty with less than two minutes on the clock but managed to hold off the six-on-four to clinch their first victory of the season.

This was a big win for the Martlets, who are currently sitting in last place in the RSEQ conference. The team aims to use the positive result as a turning point for the rest of the season.

“I think this win is going to serve as a bit of an inspiration to show what our team is capable of. Nothing feels better than a win and we just gotta carry the momentum forward,” Martlets captain Alison MacKenzie said.

The Martlets next face the Carleton Ravens (3-2) this Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at McConnell Arena.  

 

Moment of the game

In a quick break out of McGill’s defensive zone, Martlet forward Jade Downie-Landry connected with Christiana Colizza, who skated past a Stingers defender and found the back of the net from 10 yards out to give McGill a late lead in the third period.

 

Quotable

“I don’t have to motivate them. They motivate themselves.” – Head Coach Peter Smith

 

Stat corner

Despite being outscored 3-1 in the second period, the Martlets got 14 shots off while the Stingers took just nine.

Commentary, Opinion

Who does SSMU serve?

by Arisha Khan on

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I’ve been working at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) in various capacities for almost three years. During this time, I have seen the vital role that SSMU plays in improving student life, and the potential of the Executive team to truly affect change on campus. So, when my colleagues encouraged me to run for the Vice-President (VP) Finance position, I agreed. I assumed, somewhat naively, that with the right mindset of hard work and integrity, I would not fall into the same patterns that led to past difficulties within SSMU.

However, I have learned that as a SSMU Executive, working hard is not enough: Interpersonal conflicts within SSMU and individual Executives’ efforts to advance personal agendas have prevented me from fulfilling the mandate I wanted to achieve. Ultimately, I made the difficult decision to step down from my role primarily for my mental and physical health.

As the Fall semester progressed, it became increasingly difficult to use my time productively and meet my broader goals of supporting marginalized students. I was burdened with numerous tasks outside of my portfolio, I was let down and targeted by the leader who was supposed to support me, and I was attacked by the Board of Directors (BoD) for prioritizing due process and student consultation over personal political beliefs and exerting unnecessary power over the membership.

To be clear, SSMU’s problems extend beyond my personal experience. Over the past few years, the Society has become polarized to the point of impeding its functioning. Meanwhile, well-intentioned endeavours, such as advocating for a more democratic BoD, have been quashed, turning instead into political debates.

Our current system allows a small faction of career politicians to pad their resumes at the expense of the average student, by working through undemocratic structures […] to promote their personal ideologies and suppress dissent.

The self-serving political climate within SSMU troubles me, and it should be of concern for students as well. Student fees and Executives’ time are being used to attack other members of the Executive team, rather than to further the student initiatives that SSMU exists to support. This year, the President’s unwillingness to resolve internal conflicts led the Board to approve the use of student fees —$15,000, to be precise—to professionally mediate between her and other Executives. In fact, the funds were later used for her to launch an investigation against the rest of the Executive board, including myself. Student funds should be used to better the student experience at McGill, not for self-fulfilling inquisitions.

The SSMU Executive needs to operate as a functioning unit, regardless of inherent personal and political differences. This year’s executive team has achieved a lot so far: We broke a record with Activities Night attendance; we published the Our Turn Action Plan to end Campus Sexual Violence and held forums to develop our own Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy; we introduced a pilot program for unlimited counselling services; and we had the most successful Halloween event in the past three years. Unfortunately, these achievements have been overshadowed by interpersonal conflict and public scandals.

In 2016, the current University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU) President, Mathias Memmel, wrote an article, asking, is the UTSU worth saving? Memmel argued that when a student association runs into trouble, it has two options. The first is “to hide what’s going on and become progressively more authoritarian,” and the second is “to throw open the doors and let the members see the corruption.” As Memmel concludes, “A [student union] that exists only for the benefit of a small clique of student politicians isn’t worth anyone’s time.”

Our current system allows a small faction of career politicians to pad their resumes at the expense of the average student, by working through undemocratic structures like the Board of Directors to promote their personal ideologies and suppress dissent. This year, I watched a Board composed of mostly unelected members make controversial decisions without proper consultations, undermine our General Assembly, harass and suspend me without due cause, and extend their own tenure past their term limits. Left unchecked and unbalanced, the Board of Directors this year has used its disproportionate power within SSMU to to embrace positions which alienated a significant proportion of the membership.

To do better, and truly work for the student body’s interests, SSMU first needs more democratic leadership, and an Executive team that prioritizes mandated day-to-day responsibilities over personal agendas. To that end, decisions need to be made with adequate student consultation, and we need more rigorous standards for internal procedures. Second, complaint mechanisms need to be created and adhered to, with specific accountability mechanisms to deal with cases where student representatives no longer abide by their mandates. Third, student leaders must make all of their decisions public at democratically accessible forums, with sufficient and accurate reporting. SSMU would benefit from restructuring its constitution and governing bodies to be directly accountable to the average student. This would entail directing more of the decision-making power to the General Assembly, and reaffirming the primacy of Legislative Council as a body which facilitates direct participation from the membership.  

I leave SSMU hoping that the Executive team will be able to move past current divisions to continue the projects they have planned. SSMU must continue to champion the wellbeing of McGill students, both through providing essential services and through supporting advocacy for marginalized communities.  Additionally, I urge the student body to take part in critiquing governances structures when they are unfair and unaccommodating of the student body’s needs. Recent history at SSMU has shed light on its failures: a lack of oversight, and blatant abuses of power. SSMU can be better, and it should be better. By speaking out and holding their representatives accountable, students can make SSMU the representative, democratic institution it was always intended to be.

 

Arisha Khan is the former SSMU Vice-President Finance.

[email protected]

 

Creative Supplement, Instagram

Creative Supplement – Fall 2017

by The McGill Tribune on

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The McGill Tribune is proud to present the Fall 2017 Creative Supplement, highlighting excellent creative work by McGill students, including poetry, photography, illustrations, music, and mixed-media.

We would like to thank the Arts Undergraduate Society Financial Management Committee (AUS FMC) for funding this project, and Chad Ronalds & Hebdo Litho for printing this issue. Moreover, we appreciate all the artists who submitted; it was a pleasure to review your work.

Although McGill doesn’t have a formal visual arts program, students find their own creative outlets. The Creative Supplement serves as a platform to highlight these endeavours. McGill students are notoriously bright and hardworking; we hope this issue proves that they are also immensely talented.

Commentary, Opinion

Reconciling Munroe-Blum’s multiple legacies

by Grace Gunning on

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McGill has come under fire for awarding former principal Heather Munroe-Blum an honorary doctorate on Oct. 31. The university highlights her “unprecedented renewal of McGill’s outstanding professoriate” and her “unwavering efforts to find necessary resources to maintain McGill’s excellence.” Yet, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and on-campus labour unions note that multiple caveats exist in Munroe-Blum’s commitment to accessible education—notably, her lack of support for on-campus staff, cutting funds for student services, and advocacy for tuition hikes. While the accolade does not reflect these controversial policies, Munroe-Blum’s legacy is not an issue of truth. It is an issue of narrative—specifically the narrative constructed around McGill as an institution—and who controls it. It is true that Munroe-Blum increased the university’s prestige. It is also true that she promoted policies that hurt students and staff. These seemingly conflicting accounts can and should exist alongside each other, without one eclipsing the other.

The disparate legacies of Munroe-Blum point to a larger issue: The lack of trust between students and administration. In the face of administrative decisions that cut funding for student services, students often believe that their interests are not the interests of the university administration. For example, the recent restructuring of McGill Mental Health and Counselling Services left many students feeling that their basic needs are being overlooked. Creating one-sided narratives that diminish the complexity of a McGill principal’s legacy does not help. Both students and the administration have an obligation to create an environment of openness, honesty, and responsibility, so that the difficult-to-breach gap between the two groups—and their diverging ideas of what it means to better McGill—can be bridged. This begins with addressing how both parties communicate with each other.

The goals of McGill University as a research facility, a financial entity, and a prestigious institution are not necessarily analogous with the goals of students, who tend to focus on the university as a source of support and education, rather than one of profit or prestige. For example, the restoration of various on-campus buildings is essential to the university’s image and infrastructure, but might seem superfluous to employees facing salary cuts.

It would be unrealistic and disrespectful to demand that McGill rescind the honorary doctorate. However, the university could respect those simultaneously disadvantaged under Munroe-Blum’s administration by acknowledging statements from on-campus labour unions, or dissatisfied former students. In the wake of decisions that—while serving the administration’s goals—left students and staff without certain resources and support, the university is obligated to pursue dialogue with those affected. In doing so, it must work toward more satisfactory policies for everyone on campus.

The goals of McGill University as a research facility, a financial entity, and a prestigious institution are not necessarily analogous with the goals of students, who tend to focus on the university as a source of support and education, rather than one of profit or prestige.

Whenever the administration undertakes a new initiative, it must ask, “Who is this initiative serving: Is it our alumni and competitors, or our students and staff?” If the initiative is meant to serve students, they should then be made an active part of the decision-making process. Consulting student members of the Board of Governors is not good enough—university administration must make a concerted effort to reach out to the broader student body. This will prevent policies with good intentions, but misguided application. Furthermore, crucial decisions, such as the revamping of Mental Health Services, must be made not just with students in mind, but with the support of multiple, varied student voices over a period of time. This is not to say that McGill never attempts this: This summer, for example, McGill Counselling and Mental Health Services emailed students with a survey on the efficacy of the program. Consultative initiatives like that have the right idea—to be effective, however; they must be done regularly and comprehensively.

Conversely, it is students’ responsibility to respond in kind. Although there may be a tendency to mistrust or ridicule any administrative initiative or communication, this is not conducive to the implementation of student-first policies. In an ideal situation, students would use the available democratic institutions, such as SSMU, to influence the administration’s decisions. This is impossible if students do not see these institutions as agents for dialogue. Statistics show that most do not, with only 21 per cent of students voting in the 2017-18 SSMU executive elections. The lack of trust and engagement indicates that, just as the administration must improve by championing student goals, the student body must revive its use of official channels for self-advocacy. Even if justified, anger and withdrawal from democratic institutions are ultimately self-destructive.

An award such as Munroe-Blum’s by nature reflects only one thread in many narratives that shadow her tenure. These are written by mistrustful students, on the one hand, and bottom-line focused administrators on the other. Sometimes these stories align, but more often, they are contradictory. Students must look deeper than these highly public flashpoint moments; students and administrators alike must seek the kinds of conversations that lead to a respectful and sustained dialogue. Only then can the opposing narratives of students and the administration be reconciled.

 

Grace Gunning is a U3 History major, occasional artist, and columnist for The McGill Tribune. She enjoys climbing, gardening, and cheesy 80's sci fi.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 

Science & Technology

mRNA acts as marker in Alzheimer’s patients

by Sam Min on

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Through mathematical modeling and collaboration with scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), McGill researchers, including Rached Alkallas, graduate student in the Department of Human Genetics and the primary author of the seminal study published in Nature Communications, have identified a protein that sharply decreases in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). They then created an algorithm to track the production of this protein by using mRNA.

In cells, proteins are only produced when they are needed; otherwise, they degrade. For example, when taking a bite of chocolate cake, the human body responds to the increase in blood-sugar levels by producing insulin, a protein which helps transform sugar to energy. The insulin level rises when sugar has to be taken up, and falls back when no sugar is circulating throughout the bloodstream. After blood-sugar levels return to normal, insulin will be chopped down by some cellular machinery.

The amount of messenger RNA, or mRNA, limits the amount of protein that can be produced. mRNA copies codes of genetic material from DNA, which is then used to instruct protein production in the cell.

Imagine hundreds of construction workers with one physical blueprint of the building at hand; their work progress would be unbearably slow. However, if every worker had a blueprint, their productivity would increase. The same goes for mRNA; the more mRNA, the more proteins can be synthesized. Proteins and microRNAs, short strands of RNA that chop slice mRNA, regulate the amounts of mRNAs.

The McGill researchers found proteins and microRNA that can stabilize the mRNA of synaptic proteins in the brain. Synaptic proteins allow neurons to have an easier time communicating with each other by facilitating the release of important proteins at appropriate times.

“[We identified six different proteins], consisting of microRNAs and proteins, that are involved in shaping the mRNA stability profile of the brain,” Alkallas said. “[RBFOX, one of the proteins, turned out to be] dysregulated in the brains of patients with AD.”

Quantifying the amount of mRNA in tissue samples is technically challenging. The researchers therefore resorted to a roundabout route; by using public data on mRNA abundance—called “RNA-Seq data”—they built a mathematical model to predict mRNA stability. Researchers at UCSF measured the rate of mRNA degradation in cells that they had grown, and the McGill team then found that their predicted values from the model matched to the values obtained at UCSF.

“[UCSF] helped us to test the validity of our theoretical model in living systems,” Alkallas said.

After the confirmation of their model, Alkallas and his colleagues used it to analyze the RNA-seq data from two different populations of humans—a control group and patients who died from AD—and pinpointed RBFOX’s rapid degradation in the brain tissues of Alzheimer’s patients. The protein RBFOX is important to stabilize mRNAs of proteins that facilitate synaptic transmission. The decreased amounts of RBFOX result in destabilizing the mRNA, leading to a reduced ability to send nerve signals—a symptom of AD patients.  

“We propose that dysregulation of RBFOX is associated with an altered mRNA stability profile in AD, opening the door to further research on the potential role of RBFOX in AD [progression],” Alkallas said.

There are two main implications of this study. First, other researchers can use the model to study proteins that regulate mRNA stability without actually measuring the amount of mRNA. Second, the researchers found a marker for AD diagnosis—downregulation of RBFOX, potentially leading to loss of brain functions.

The next step of the study is finding a way to stabilize RBFOX to keep the neural connectivity in AD patients robust, and to employ the mathematical model in cancer research, not just in the field of neurological diseases.

“[We would like to] characterize the mRNA stability profiles of human cancers and [determine] the protein and mRNA factors that shape these profiles,” Alkallas said. “We also hope to determine if any such factors drive cancer aggression.”

The research groups at McGill and UCSF combined  neuroscience and mathematics to quantify the amount of mRNA, and identified a protein that is downregulated in AD patients.

Normally, you would expect researchers to isolate tissue samples from patients and collect mRNA and proteins instead. This study illustrates how collaborative the research community has become.

Arts & Entertainment, Books

Chad Norman’s life of poetry

by Leo Stillinger on

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When Nova Scotian poet Chad Norman (Masstown, Learning to Settle Down) was a teenager, he and all his friends wanted to be rock stars.

"I bought a Fender bass, and a MusicMaster, a beginning Fender, and a small little amp, and wanted to be a bassist,” Norman said.

But the band needed someone to write their lyrics, and when they asked him, his perspective changed.

"When I got the request for the words, that was it,” Norman said. “I ended up selling both guitars.”

More than 30 years later, this Oct. 25, Norman brought his poetry to McGill as part of a reading tour of Canada. Norman read poems from his newly-published Selected and New Poems, a retrospective volume collecting poems from his 16 books of poetry published since the 1980s. Afterwards he sat down with The McGill Tribune for an interview.

Norman clearly loves reading his poems aloud. He was first inspired to recite his poems in an unlikely venue—a department store.

"I had a great influence, I never found out his name,” Norman said. “But believe it or not, he was hired by The Bay department store […] to read Robert Service poems at different locations of [the store]. They even set up a stage where there would be a mock cabin and an old rocking chair, a fake fire. But the guy could read!”

Ever since, Norman has paid special attention to his reading style.

"I want to satisfy the poems. They don’t get off the page often,” Norman said. “They’re usually in-between covers, covers of books, covers of magazines. So for them to have that opportunity to visit the world again is up to me.”

Norman last read at McGill 20 years ago, invited by Professor Brian Trehearne, Department of English, who again welcomed him this time around.

"Earlier when [Trehearne and I] were walking up to [his] office, we were looking at the stairs, and he brought to my attention all the feet that have worn those stairs, [like Leonard] Cohen [and] A.M. Klein,” Norman said with clear reverence.

Norman’s poetry is deeply personal. In his poem “Manhood,” he grapples with ideas of masculinity and his relationship with his own father, concluding powerfully: “A son can cry / He will be a man then.”

In writing about his own life, Norman hopes he can speak to others.

"[When I think of a poem, I ask myself,] ‘Why has it come?’” Norman said. “What has it come to teach me? How can I use this in my life, and can I give it back […] [to] help somebody else? One can always hope.”

The “new” poems in Selected and New Poems, from a currently unpublished manuscript entitled Simona, concern an equally personal topic: The poet’s cat. These charming poems contain such fine titles as “A History of Kneading” and “The Furry Beggar.” In the latter poem, Norman appropriates the language of love poems to amusing effect: “The vast allure of / Her batting yellow eyes / Combined with a meow.”

The reading began with the earliest poem in the book “Live at Marty’s,” written in the mid-’80s, when the poet was still in his early 20s. There was a beautiful symmetry in that moment; Norman, now an established middle-aged poet, reading to the next generation of young, aspiring writers.

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