Most people’s reaction to the fact that Ryan Adams wrote a book of poetry, much less two, is that of general disdain, even mocking. Sure, Adams is a successful musician, but what right does he have to label himself a poet? Addressing that question is exactly what Ryan Adams and Mary Louise Parker came together to do at a Live at the New York Public Library event on Friday night. The two appeared “in conversation” to promote Adams’ second book of poetry, Hello Sunshine, but also to discuss why poetry matters.

The two were paired together due to a passion for poetry, though they also are close friends and were neighbors for three years. Yet, there couldn’t be two people less alike. Mary Louise Parker slunk onto the stage wearing all black and sat in a reclined effortlessly smooth posture that exuded absolute confidence. Honey dripped from her every word. Ryan Adams, on the other hand, was jumpy, constantly leaning forward in his chair, gesticulating forcefully, rubbing his forehead, and disheveling his hair every which way.

One of the first topics the pair tackled was the idea that poetry has a reputation of being inaccessible to the general public. Adams even went so far as characterizing poets as “quiet bastards” whose work intimidates and alienates normal people. Adams, however, wishes to remedy this problem. His publisher, Akashic Books, claims, “Literature should be consumed by more than just the well educated.”

Adams and Parker both made it clear that neither of them actually went to college, yet they avidly claim that this hasn’t deterred their exploration of and love for poetry. Parker stated that, “poems are meant to be read and reread.” She doesn’t think that we are necessarily supposed to understand poetry on the first reading; some of the beauty comes from the fact that it is remote and abstract.

They also addressed the topic of critics. It does seem to be the general consensus to dismiss Adams simply on the premise that he is a musician, not a writer. Although Adams is not the new Allen Ginsberg, he is definitely an artist, and a man who lives to create, or perhaps more accurately creates to live. Adams said of his art, “You have to love the idea of art so fucking hard that you go up to the wall and scrape your knuckles against it.”

He claims that his poems are a way for him to be the “reporter of his own madness.” When Adams read his poem “White Diamond” aloud it became clear that that’s exactly what he is. Images like “ the night watchman is sleeping-and the paintings/come down/ burning one by one/ to the ground/ on a pile with the other artifacts and the folklore” gather so much life when Adams himself read them aloud.

By watching Adams and listening to the things he said, it became evident that he didn’t write this poetry to be cool or hip, he wrote it out of a “great appreciation for the experience of living.” The idea of art as an essential release was one of the most interesting things Adams talked about. He brought up the bulls painted in French caves by prehistoric man, and how historians conjecture that they could have been painted for religious ritual or hunting rites. Yet Adams described his own idea of this ancient person who in one moment saw this magnificent animal and was so consumed by the beauty of life that his only reaction was to physically create something that expressed that feeling. That description of art as a necessity for living is what Adams is all about.

Adams admits that, “there’s a certain amount of Dukes of Hazard in me,” and it can be a little hard to get past the cussing, jumpy persona to see the poet underneath, but after listening to him talk for nearly two hours, it became clear that a poet is just what Adams is. While his work may not be groundbreaking literature, it has a real voice that can speak to anyone and could be an easy gateway into reading poetry for people who have been too intimidated to try in the past.