Poet Lives to Write, but He Teaches to Live

Bart Edelman led a recent class through a poem about the death of a student, written by the student’s teacher. He finished the discussion with some personal insight.

“So many writers and poets are teachers because it is the thing that will pay us,” said Edelman, 43, of Pasadena.

He should know. Edelman teaches poetry and other English classes at Glendale Community College while laboring in his spare time to make a splash in the literary world.

His first book, “Crossing the Hackensack,” a collection of 36 poems, was published in 1993 by a small Glendale-based publisher. Edelman said he recently finished 65 poems he had been working on for almost 10 years; he expects them to be published in the fall.

In addition, Edelman gives readings at colleges, bookstores and libraries--mostly without pay. His recent readings include one at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. Locally, he is scheduled to read some of his work Tuesday at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Santa Ana.

“He’s a very promising poet,” said Stephen Minot, a creative writing professor at UC Riverside.

In “Crossing the Hackensack,” Edelman, a New Jersey native, delves into the wonderment of childhood and the uncertainty of aging, among other themes.

“All these poems, I think, are kind of mirrors,” Edelman said. “I hope they make (the reader) think and evaluate certain important aspects of their lives.”

Edelman says he has no illusions about making a fortune with his poetry, a genre with a relatively limited audience.

“Commercial success would be great, but that would not make me happy,” he said. “Continuing to fulfill this creative desire inside would.”

And if he did break through, would Edelman leave his day job of nearly 20 years?

“The only thing I might do is go down to one or two classes,” Edelman said. “But I would always like to teach. I would miss it.”