Last weekend, it was the Free Your Mind Reading Series, a new multi-genre series whose inaugural event was in unofficial celebration of National Poetry Month.
Twenty people accumulated in a bookstore aisle (ala Narnia?), listening intently to poems about spring, children, and parents.
There was an old pulpit to read from, a papier mache elephant's head on the wall, and copies of a second book to be sold for the first time.
Best of all, there was a sense of intimacy.
This weekend it was the Coffee & Cadence Lyric Cafe, a fundraiser for a poetry prize a group of us is trying to establish for the Manitoba Writing and Publishing Awards.
Seventy people gathered in a speakeasied church basement, listening intently to poetry about spring, lovers, and children.
We had lava lamps. We had strawberry shortcake. We had strong coffee and jazz and old typewriters for auction (my favorite had a sideways 'e' ... but I was persuaded that the four typewriters I had at home were sufficient for my typewriterly needs).
Best of all, there was a sense of community.
Oh, I had such a good time - both events contained elements of what drew me to the writing and publishing community in Winnipeg in the first place, and both events revitalized me, especially after a string of engagements where I was one of only a few on-purpose attendees.
Anyways, if you weren't there, you should have been. If you were...well, wasn't that elephant/shortcake divine?
3 comments:
yes a nice night
hats off to the all the people
who organized the event
always fun when you win
one of the raffle packages
there's a sense the community has to raise the money for the poetry prize
since poetry sells are so weak
that's okay
winnipegers have a fine tradition
of passing the hat for a good cause
personally i think the prize
should be called "the patrick"
but that's just me
But after which Patrick, pray tell?
O’Connell? Friesen?
don't forget Lane
me, i'd just like to overhear people saying:
"So, who's up "The Patrick" this year?"
why name a poetry prize
after someone who has
also published novels,
and taught lit to the kids?
if not "The Patrick"
then why not "The Livesay"?
someone who at least has/
had some roots planted
deep in this city/province
and remember Tanis Macdonald
read a couple of Livesay's
poems at this event
the whole point of having a seperate prize is to set up a situation where a collection of poetry does not have to go up against an already recognized (though lame) novel
there's a bias towards sales numbers
when a business backs a prize and i understand this but how can any judge go against this trend?
so what i'm saying is:
in the same way that children's novels have to have a separate prize
(actually there's two!) there has to exist a seperate prize for poetry
because it's different
and also because
there's not real market for it.
and
if the prize ain't equal to
the amount of money so-called
novels are awarded
the poet
has to decline the award.
Post a Comment