Poetry brought to life through Dead Poets Society

The mysterious group of hooded people gathering outside holding flashlights and reciting verses on Sunday nights are not a cult, but a new group on campus: Luther College’s Dead Poets Society.

Established by students Kelly Hyland (‘12) and Danielle Koch (‘12), this informal group has had three meetings so far this year.

“We’re just a group of people who love the written word,” Hyland said. “We just kind of get together and read poems and write and talk about how much we love poetry.”

The two sophomores are both in Professor Martin Klammer’s class, “The Writer’s Voice,” which focuses on poetry. They were inspired by the material studied in the class, and particularly after a field trip to a field outside of town where the class gathered and read Walt Whitman’s poetry aloud.

“It was really powerful and inspiring and made us want to talk about poetry all the time,” Koch said. “Plus, we were commenting on how there is a physics club and a chemistry club, but there’s nothing for people who really love English and reading.”

Luther’s Dead Poets Society was the result of these discussions. So far, the group has met outside by the circular memorial behind Koren and the 6th floor of Main on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. and a cold-weather meeting spot has not yet been determined.

In meetings, participants introduce themselves, read some of their favorite poetry and do free-writing. Students have also read their own work.

After poetry is recited, the listeners will snap their fingers and reflect on the poetry. However, there is little analysis or discussion of the poems.

“Sometimes analyzing poetry gets old,” Koch said. “We just kind of accept it, breathe it in, absorb it. Analysis is more for class.”

The group drew its name from the 1989 film “Dead Poets Society,” in which a group of students gather secretly to read poems, using the organization as a way to resist the status quo of their strict boarding school. While Luther’s Dead Poets Society maintains some of the rebellious nature of their namesake by meeting at night and using flashlights, Koch said they do not feel the need to be subversive.

“Because our academic institution is more liberal, it doesn’t feel like we have to rebel so much to enjoy ourselves,” Koch said.

Yet the group does not foresee applying to be a
school-sanctioned organization, preferring to maintain some of the counter-cultural elements of the film’s group.

“We don’t want it to be by-the-book, and deal with authorities,” Koch said. “I mean, we invited our professor to come and read, but we don’t need the Board of Regents to be aware of this or anything.”

Luther’s Dead Poets Society spreads word of their activities through a Facebook group and word-of-mouth and do not plan on advertising their meetings in flyers or posters. New members are always welcome, however, and are invited to find the Facebook group for more information.