Dances with words

Leigh-Anne Brown Arizona Daily Wildcat Steve Orlen takes a break from working in his office to get some fresh air. Orlen will be giving a free public reading in the Modern Languages Auditorium at 8 tonight.

Orlen, a poet of 35 years and author of four poetry books, realized the potency of language early in his life.

"I've loved words since I've been a little boy," said Orlen, also a University of Arizona creative writing professor.

"Words become concrete things to me rather than abstractions. I love the music that results when you put words together," he added.

Orlen, a professor of 30 years, will celebrate the publication of his latest work, Kisses, with a free reading at 8 p.m. in the Modern Languages auditorium.

A nationally renowned poet, Orlen runs the poetry program in the UA's creative writing department, which was ranked ninth nationwide by US News and World Report in 1997.

"We hired good teachers 30 years ago and have hired good teachers ever since," Orlen said. "Because we've been able to attract strong graduates and undergraduates based on our reputation."

He added, "A lot of UA graduate students have gone on to great careers in poetry, and our new graduate class is the best we've had in years."

With a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts and a graduate of the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop, Orlen said a fresh poem dancing off his fingertips stimulates his creative system.

"While I'm working on a poem, I'm totally focused," said Orlen. "It's like being in a zone, because nothing else is on my mind. I look up and five hours have gone by."

Orlen said his style metamorphosed during his career, adding that of late he has focused on Jewish genealogy, the origins of names and how the past fades as one grows older.

"My recent poems are more complex," said Orlen. "I weave different components and ideas together, so the poems are now richer."

The book's cover features his wife who is his artistic barometer, he said, adding that tonight's reading will feature poems never heard before.

"My wife, who is a local artist, is my reality tester," said Orlen. "She tells me when I'm phony."