| POETRY CURRENTS | |
RICHMOND & AROUND
Welcome to 2002! The Shockoe Espresso Poets had a great end-of-year party on December 30th with food, poems, and a special gift box we filled to overflowing with writing supplies for a local women and children's shelter. There were new poets, old poets and lots of listeners. We look forward to a busy year with special guests and a few night events to provide opportunities for reading for folks who can't do Sunday afternoons. We meet 2nd and 4th Sundays from 2 to 4 pm at the Shockoe Espresso Roastery & Coffee Shop, 104 Cary Street Road near the fountain.
It's time for a new Art After Hours Series at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Events include a cash bar and great music in Marble Hall, tours, and of course, each week a poet is featured in one of the lecture halls. This year you can hear Darlene Anita Scott, Joshua Poteat, Katherine McNamara, Beth Anderson, Virginia Pye, Mark Wallace, and Cheryl Pallant. I believe you can once again get into the poetry events for free but the series is wonderful and the price is right to attend the other museum events. It began January 17 and continues every Thursday through February 28th from 6 - 9 pm. The poetry events start at 7 pm. Last year the series sold out early, so call now to purchase tickets.
Also at the museum, Poetic Principles continues with Manil Suri Friday, January 25th at 7 pm, Charles Simic March 21st, and Gail Mazur April 4th. At $12 for the three events ($10 for museum members and students), this is an incredible bargain to see poets in person. The series is co-sponsored by the New Virginia Review.
AT THE UNIVERSITIES:
Virginia Commonwealth University features graduate student readings each month at The Moveable Feast, usually a poet and a fiction writer, with cheap eats at 5:30, readings beginning around 6. Events are held at the 1708 Gallery, 103 East Broad Street in downtown Richmond. On February 15th hear Mathias Svalina (poetry) and Jamye Doerfler (fiction).
The University of Richmond continues the Tucker-Boatwright Literary Festival with Joy Harjo on January 21st and Paule Marshall on February 7th. These events begin at 7:30 pm at Keller Hall and are free.
IN THE BOOKSTORES, COFFEE SHOPS & GALLERIES:
- Barnes & Noble, Short Pump
Poetry every 2nd Thursday, 7:30 pm, host Shann Palmer - Barnes & Noble, Libbie Place
Poetry every 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 pm, host Shann Palmer
IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Beltway: An Online Poetry Quarterly celebrates its third year with a special anniversary issue. The Beltway Web site also features a calendar of local events of interest.
Poets Anonymous is a free open reading every 2nd Saturday at Red Hot and Blue Restaurant, Route 123 and Judicial Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, from 2 to 5 pm. It's been hosted for 10 years by none other than Sam “the Man in the Black Hat” Hurst. For more information, contact Sam at eyenouto@excelonline.com.
Artemis Journal, a Virginia tradition, is revived online. For events in the Lexington/Lynchburg area check their listings. A number of readings are planned with the launch of each new issue.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Myth at Teaism is Sunday nights 7:30 - 10:30 pm downstairs at 400 8th Street NW (the corner of 8th and D Streets) in Washington, DC, 202.638.6010. Sign ups begin at 7, cover charge $5. This is the best venue I’ve seen, well run by excellent poet Nicki Miller. There’s a feature, open mike and then the fun really begins. Check the DCSlam Web Site for upcoming features.
Every Thursday night “The Poets Den” happens at Kaffa House, 1212 U Street NW, Washington, DC, 8 pm, hosted by Abena Disroe. There's an open mike, great food, live music, cash bar & featured artist. For more info, email Olokun333@aol.com.
The DCPoetry Web site lists bookstore venues in the nation’s capital, including Charles Bernstein reading February 10 at Bridge Street Books
Hear the word at the Folger Shakespeare Library Theatre: Yeats' Gallery is February 25 and Alice Notley will read March 18th.
At Georgetown University in the heart of the city on Tuesday, February 12 you can hear Anne Waldman and Lisa Jarnot speaking of “Community and Cultural Interventions: Beat Legacies” as part of the Lannan Poetry Series.
At 4LuvofPoetry you will find a very fine calendar divided into special events and DC, Maryland, and Virginia listings. I do believe if you have a car and don’t mind occasional gridlock you could attend a poetry event every night somewhere in that part of the country!
MARYLAND
Check out The Cypher’s Corner produced by Derek Whitfield and see what’s on TV besides Def Poetry Jam! Local people and guests read their poetry and you can see the shows on various local/cable stations. Thanks, Derek, for bringing us into the box!
Poet-A-Tete is still happening every 4th Tuesday at 7:30 pm at Barnes & Noble, 12089 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 301.881.0237, hosted by Cheryl Crockett. An open mic/poetry slam follows the reading, and admission is free.
SLAMicide! is at XandO, 3003 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland, every Monday night at 7:30 pm poet time, $5 cover. Call the venue for directions, 410.889.7076, or contact Nicki Miller at GalAengus@aol.com.
That’s most of the poet news for this area of the USA. Keep your ear to the poets and send info about new venues, Web sites of interest and anything else you’d like us to know. Teachers, check out the Poetry 180 project at the Library of Congress: A-Poem-A-Day chosen by Poet Laureate Billy Collins -- not just for kids!
Write, read, listen, and watch, poetry is all around us!
