When poetry competes with Harleys and hockey, who
wins? Friday night, I think it was
poetry, at least for those who were at the Artisan’s Kitchen in downtown
Loveland. The voices of several local writers rose above the cheers from fans
watching the Av’s game in adjacent bars, and the much-too-frequent
muffler-challenged motorbikes.
Despite the din, the setting is so
appropriate: a store that specializes in
locally made and sourced products seem the perfect spot for local writers to
showcase their work.
I always find it interesting when common threads
run through the work of the often-diverse writers who come to open
readings. Rainbows came up several times
last night, beginning with the one that showed itself Southeast of town while
many of us were traveling to the event. Continuing
in the atmospheric vein, clouds kept showing up too—forming, if you will--across
poems and poets.
Two of the writer/readers made indirect reference
to Anne Lamott when they spoke of “shitty
first drafts”—which is the title of Lamott’s widely-read essay about the
writing process. (Actually, she was probably
playing off Ernest Hemingway who said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”)
Loveland librarian Janette (who helps organize the
once-a-month open mic) read some poems by others and Loveland Poet Laureate Lynn
Kincanon closed with a William
Carlos Williams poem, thus reminding us that the work read at this last-Friday-of-the month event need not necessarily be our
own. So, bring a poem or two, of your own
or by others who speak to you, next time: Friday, July 29. Sign-in for the open mic is at 6:30. Or grab
a locally made pastry and a cup of locally roasted Joe and just listen; the
reading begins at 7.
See photos of last Friday’s event at the Loveland Poet Laureate’s Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/lovelandpoetlaureate/
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