Second Saturday’s Poetry Forum
- Image via Wikipedia
By: Laura Stennerson
Second Saturday’s Poetry Forum at Vida E Caffe may change. Randy Landers, the English instructor/advisor for Gila Community College, is considering changing the Poetry Forum to a Talent Show format. Mr Landers is hoping this will encourage performance artists, as well as, poets to come to Vida to perform. Some of the performance art I heard mentioned was drama, skits, comedy, music, monologues, and short stories. I already know many local people who excel in these genres. I recently saw the Miami High School drama group, under the direction of Mary Yazzie, perform skits for the opening of the 23 and Under All Youth Art Show at Miami At Works Gallery on Sullivan Street.
However; I will miss the poetry forum. Talent show sounds like open mic, which our community already hosts two, one at Copper Mine Picture Cafe every second Friday and one at Vida E Caffe every first Friday. Which is fine. I am sure there is ample talent in our area just waiting to be discovered. But I like the idea of having a forum just for poets. Poets reading with poets. It is a safe feeling, especially if you are going to read. You know people are there to hear you. I personally find it difficult to read poetry at open mics, especially if I am the only poet there. Perhaps the forum could host guest poets, or have poetry workshops to get more community support. Or read contemporary poets. I recently borrowed The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. It shows us that poets and poetry come in all shapes, sizes and attitudes. It is not always about Tennyson. Poets like Leonard Cohen, Richard Pryor, Hunter S. Thompson, and even Janis Joplin were represented in this anthology. We even have published and poets in our own area such as Ken Bo, Douglas Miles, and Jim Vandine. Exciting poetry that many can relate to. And really, if I hear one more “I don’t get poetry” I might just scream! If you have words to a song stuck in your head, or you are moved to tears by a Hallmark card, then you “get poetry”. If you stop and notice the sunset, or feel your heart in your throat when you see the ocean, child, elk (you get the idea) then you probably get poetry. I believe poetry is for everyone. Poetry is our soul.
Mr. Landers has been behind this event for two years. That is a huge commitment that needs to be commended. Our community needs to celebrate people like Mr. Landers. And one way to do this is to attend these local events. And I do understand, he wants to change the format so that more of our community can participate. For next month he already has guitarists that plan to play and, he and a colleague will perform an act from Shakespeare’s King Henry the IV Part I. I am looking forward to seeing that. But maybe our community could still have a forum in which to celebrate the art of poetry. Please comment and tell me what you think.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=cb8e74ae-8b2d-4a7a-bf28-0a1efc650384)
I really enjoyed this article. It is very informative and personal. Cool.
maybe the format could be in sections via poery hour followed by music,skits, etc…whatever—just need to keep the momentum going in honoring the open mic concept. I know i wouldnt want to do music if i was the only musician there. just talk some guys into bringing a bass and some bongos to back up the poetry reader………beatnik cool—–dig man!
i have received your vibe
keep love alive
peace out
grand master P
With Valentine’s Day approaching is there any discussion about doing an evening of your favorite romantic poet? Check out Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and his “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair”. Now there was a poet!
I agree with Ms. Stennerson about keeping poetry night separate. Poetry is a distinct art form that deserves its own venue.
The atmosphere of a poetry reading is completely different from that of a talent show. Put poets in a talent show and the mood and feel of a good poetry reading will be impossible to achieve. It would be doing a disservice to the poets and their audience.
I like the idea of having different segments. A skit segment, a poetry segment, and music segment and a mixed-genre collaboration segment. That way you get the best of all worlds, keep the poetry identity, add new friends and followers. My art reception at Chaos in downtown Phoenix will be a poetry night. And Vida always has art on the walls, so that already counts for some kind of mixed affair right there.
I agree with Laura, I believe that poetry should have it’s own forum. Changing the format only hides the real problem. People won’t bear their souls or share their feelings unless they’re in a comfortable, less competitive environment. A talent show just sounds like a few hours of hand claps and entertainment being shown as “art”. There is a line, you know. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see a night with mixed arts, even ones with segmented formats. All the same, I can’t help but defend something (poetry reading) that just isn’t pushed enough in the community. Print out more flyers, spread the word at churches, youth at schools, and city halls. Word-of-mouth hasn’t done it, people won’t come without an incentive, and buying coffee and listening to people isn’t a good one. This is what I think Laura was getting at when she spoke of people saying “I don’t get poetry”. Well if they would only listen!
It can’t be: “Come in. Listen. Take your turn. Clap your hands.” It needs to be: “Be a part of the community. Let your voice be heard! Share your art with us.”
Voices will be heard, what wants to be said will be. It’s getting people to that mic and getting the faithful to save this form of public, yet all so private artform alive in this town.
As a poet it would be particularly pleasurable for me if Poetry were the dominant form, whatever happens. Musicians tend to want to make it their own concert, particularly guitarists. If the musicians and others had their segment first, and then the poets read as the featured act after that, it would be more interesting. Then, at the end, you could feature one or more of the musicians improvizing while one of the poets read, tying it all together.
as one of the poets and one of the guitarists, I have a foot in both camps. I do feel that poets should have there own forum and I have no reluctance to do what I can to promote it. Thanks Laura for this discussion!