[…in an article in the New Republic, Randolph S. Bourne urged his readers, “You must hear Mr. Lindsay recite his own ‘Congo,’ his body tense and swaying, his hands keeping time like an orchestral leader to his own rhythms, his tone changing color in response to noise and savage imagery of the lines, the riotous picture of the negro mindset against the weird background of the primitive Congo, the ‘futurist’ phrases crashing through the scene like a glorious yell—you must hear this yourself, and learn what an arresting, exciting person this new indigenous Illinois poet is.” Dennis Camp related that Harriet Monroe, founder and editor of Poetry magazine, once warned Lindsay not to “frighten the ladies” with his loud delivery at one poetry reading, to which he replied, “still I must roar.” ]

extract from Poetry Foundation bio of VACHEL  LINDSAY