What determines whether an attraction is harmful or benign? Acclaimed poet and writer Rhea Tregebov’s 8th collection of poetry, Talking to Strangers, reflects her ongoing fascination for human interactions. Tregebov – in conversation with poet and lecturer Sheryda Warrener – will be discussing her book (Oct. 16) at UBC’s Green College.
“The filter of language has always seemed to me the best way of understanding human experience, understanding how we are with each other, understanding the natural world,” Tregebov says.
Her new collection observes current affairs, love, mortality, tastes, and its titular experience – talking to strangers. It is also a heartfelt elegy dedicated to Tregebov’s late sister.
More than just an anecdote
Tregebov’s interest in poetry stemmed from high school, where she discovered her affinity for dwelling on the present and observing small, daily moments.
“I think I’m more interested in moments and interior experiences, than in what happened [sic] next,” she says.
For her, the work is “more than just an anecdote.” She strives to accomplish something unique and different for each poem, and raise questions about social interactions. Warrener hopes to create a space for Tregebov to share her poetry and give context to her as a poet.
“She has such a beautiful sensibility, her own style of poetry, that I find really moving and contemplative. I want to hear from her about the poems, the making of the poems, and the context of the poems – talking to strangers,” Warrener says.
Talking to Strangers is divided into six sections, with each section centered on different themes and inspirations. The ten poems under the section “Talking to Strangers” are all inspired by the poet’s genuine conversations and encounters with strangers over the span of 11 years. The conversation from her first poem “Talk: White Night” took place in summer of 2011, in a bar in Whitehorse, Yukon. In her other poem “Talk: Tangle,” dated 2021, her interaction with a stranger is indirect, yet still impactful.
“In many cases, it’s a moment of trust, in treating a stranger like not-a-stranger, but there’s one in which I’m eavesdropping on a woman at a café; I never talked to her, but my approach to her changes,” the poet says.
Human experience and connectivity
Tregebov and Warrener share a fondness for finding the surprises in daily moments rather than dramatic events.
“We look at the quiet moments in life and see that if we spend more time with them, discoveries can be made,” Warrener says.
At the center of Tregebov’s poems lies her curiosity about ‘how people are with each other.’
“Why we are the way we are? What does it mean to be human?” she says, adding humorously, “A very narrow small question.”
Tregebov and Warrener’s conversation will discuss this idea of human connections and how it is augmented by simple, daily interactions with people unfamiliar to you. At this event that will host an audience of strangers, the poet hopes to engage with dialogues that already exist in the thoughts of the audience members and connect with their own fields of interest.
“It’s in those unexpected connections where we open up our understanding of the world, and there’s an opportunity for new ideas to come through,” Tregebov says.
Even for those who are unfamiliar with poetry or have yet to read Tregebov’s works, Warrener believes anyone who is looking to find company, or a community should join the upcoming event.
“Poetry can be great company,” she says.
For Tregebov, she invites all who are curious about strangers, conversation and poetry to attend.
“I hope that the discussion will stimulate questions in their minds, or even complicate questions that they already have” she says.
For more information about the event, visit: https://greencollege.ubc.ca/civicrm/event/info%3Fid%3D1762%26reset%3D1
