The Catskill Chronicle

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

HIGHLAND LAKE – If your idea of a librarian is a wire rim spectacled little ‘ole lady sitting quietly behind a stack of dusty books, forget about it!

On Saturday night, October 24, Laura E.J. Moran, the adult programming coordinator at the Western Sullivan Public Library and much-published poet, pulled out all the stops before an overflow crowd during a benefit performance for the North American Cultural Laboratory (NACL). Her stunning performances proved once and for all that librarians can be smokin’ hot in addition to being well read.

“Eden’s collection of poetry, found art, film and sound track speak directly to that moment when Eve is deciding whether to take that bite of not,” said Moran. (Looking at the photo on the right it is evident that the question of whether or not to take a bite out of that apple resonated with many in attendance.)

Advertised as an “Art Installation & Spoken Word Tunes”, the show lived up to it’s billing as when the black curtains were pulled back, the audience stepped  into the Garden of Eden Art Installation, a universe complete with a stark red tree trunk below which was a pile of bibles surrounded by crosses fashioned from branches, all bordered by old rusty truck hoods upon which were written biblical quotes referring to Eden, creation, and the forever ordained battle between good and evil, the dark side versus the light of salvation.

The art installation was a co-creation of Moran and John Roth, and the text painted on the abandoned hoods was taken from Revelations, Genesis, Songs 8.5, with a bit of St. Augustine and the Song of Solomon 2.5 tossed in for good measure.

“Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”…Genesis.

Before Aran L’Amour, a wickedly wacky satiric poet from another era took to the stage as the opening act, two young barefoot girls wended their way like smoky wraiths handing out apples from wooden baskets. Inviting folks to take a  bite of forbidden fruit, only if they dare to risk the snake. Beware the serpent!

Early in the show, Roth took center stage belting out some hard rockin’ as Moran behind a strobe-lit translucent screen donned her evening’s outfit, a shimmering chimera of a disco dress and a pair of silver go-go boots.

Once on stage, Moran ripped through a rapid-fire series of original poems and songs geared to making the audience think about where we’ve been and where we’re all headed; “Gossilalia – a poem containing quotes from the bible and gory journal details references to a book on Northeast Indian tribes that we loved as kids”, to “Mrs. Till” written for Mamie Till, the mother of Emmet Till, a teenager killed in the 1950s because he was black.

“The sheriff’s department returned the boys casket to his mother with the
lid screwed shut because he was so badly beaten,” Moran explained.
“She demanded an open casket funeral which thousands of people attended.”

Moran’s live in-your-face poetry and songs from the likes of Lead Belly and Woodie Guthrie, and musical influences from Neil Young to Nick Cave, and from Neko Case to Ennio Morricane were neatly woven between instrumental music by Kurt Knuth (guitar), Dan Brinkerhoff (fiddle) and Marc Switko (percussion), along with vocals by Tannis Kowalachuk, John Roth, Vickie Diescher and Kristin Broussard.

Moran is the recipient of the 1992 Jean Garrigue Award, and as a headliner travels extensively across the United States and overseas. In addition to having her works published in several volumes, she is featured on PoetrySuperhighway.com, and is the curator/host of First Fridays: Contemporary Writers Series at the Tusten-Cochecton branch of the Western Sullivan Public Library.

As the author of “Eden”, a foot stompin’, thought provoking, gut wrenchin’, soul stirring performance piece, Moran said the work was inspired by her desire to explore the moments of decision, “that pivotal moment…Eden is the very center of original sin, from old bible stuff to modern day, the domestic white-fence middle class America caught in original sin facing decisions that are being made right now that can alter our Eden, such as gas drilling.”

“I see this as our natural paradise and decisions [about gas drilling] can cast us out of Eden,” she added, making no bones about her stand on the controversial subject of potential natural gas drilling in the Upper Delaware River Valley.

In the program notes, she referred to her home in Milanville, PA nestled within the hills of the valley as “a real garden more beautiful and fragile than Eden ever could be.”

As the evening drew to a close, Moran led the crowd in a spirited sing-along of Guthrie’s “All You Fascists”…

”Gonna tell all you fascists, You may be surprised, People all over this world, Are getting organized…You fascists are bound to lose…”

Photo at right – At one point in the evening John Roth took center stage while Laura Moran danced behind a strobe-lit translucent screen.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Moran Knocks ‘Em Outta Thier Setas at NACL visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.