Of course, the main event was provided by five featured poets,  Alan Ainsworth, Joseph Campana, Sarah Cortez, Jeannie Gambill and Van G. Garrett, each lending their distinctive voices to the program.  Two poets were recorded for radio on The Front Row.   Find out who by listening here.   We’ll be back again at Park Place Regional Library on Saturday, March 3, to conclude our winter series with poets Hayan Charara, Ryler Dustin, Marcell Murphy and Susan Wood.

We’ll be posting information shortly about our ARTlines events at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston on Saturday, April 21.  Be sure to save the date.  You won’t want to miss it!

On the day of the big game, Public Poetry played to a packed house at Park Place Regional Library, presenting Outspoken Bean, Radames Ortiz, Loueva Smith and Randall Watson.  

We love  it that kids’ voices are heard at of each of our events.  We always reserve two spots for them to read - right at the middle, and again at the very end.   We ask them to arrive early, so they can be introduced to everyone.  Perhaps close to painfully shy, sometimes fully confident and excited, they shake hands and say say hello to Real Live Poets!  Surrounded by family with their cameras and video recorders, they take a seat, maybe clutching the very first poem they’ve ever written, or a porfolio of poems they’ve worked on all year, shuffling papers to select the one they will read.  When the time comes, the mic is lowered to grade school height, less so for middle and high school students, and they take their turn as one of our poets,  followed by lots of applause.

Many of these talented kids are learning the craft from Writers In The Schools (WITS) or from Meta-Four Houston (M4H), which focuses on spoken word and enters students in national slam competitions-both excellent, award winning  programs.   This time, we were  joined by four 5th grade students from St. Christopher’s, a neighborhood school near the library.   Lamar High School student, Robyn Bria Adams, closed out the show. You can read their poems on our ABOUT-Student Poetry page.

To recognize our student poets, Public Poetry will be awarding a new, specially created certificate to each one.  We hope this will encourage them to carry on writing and explore what poetry has to offer.  We’ve invited St. Christopher’s to send us more students next time, so please come hear them, together with a talented WITS student at our next event, again at Park Place Regional Library, 8145 Park Place, Houston 77017 on Saturday, February 4, at 2:00 PM 

Speaking of the next event, here’s your chance to hear poets Alan Ainsworth, Joseph Campana, Sarah Cortez, Jeannie Gambill and Van G. Garrett.  We’re also excited about our Special Guest,  your local TV news anchor on ABC-13,  KTRK, Art Rascon.  See you there.

The ARTlines competition featured heavily in the article, and brought record numbers to the web site. Imagine having the opportunity to present your poetry to museum goers and to be honored during National Poetry Month at a special museum event, followed by an MFAH reception. That could be happening to you, if yours is one of the 9 winning entries!  There are still a couple of days left to submit. Get complete information here.

Public Poetry will be ringing in 2012 with a new Winter Series at Park Place Regional Library on Saturday, January 7 at 2:00 PM. In addition to our featured poets – Outspoken Bean, Radames Ortiz, Loueva Smith and Randall Watson – we’re delighted to have Ad Deum Dance Company (dance video) as our special guest at the start, as well as a talented student poet joining us.

 Located at 8145 Park Place, 77017, Park Place Regional Library is easy to find; it’s very close to the intersection of I-45 and Loop 610. From 610, take I-45 south. Traveling on I-45, take exit 39. (This is also an exit for Hobby Airport). On the south feeder, go under the freeway at the 2nd underpass (Broadway), and then turn right onto Park Place. The library is just one block from the freeway, on the left side of the street. There’s plenty of free parking, too.

Thanks for making 2011 a fabulous year.  Happy New Year everyone.  See you again in 2012.

Weather won’t be an issue when Public Poetry moves indoors for our next library event at 2 PM on Saturday, January 7 at Park Place Regional library, 8145 Park Place, 77017, off I-45 south, just past loop 610.

Of course, all of this is a warm up to the hottest poetry ticket in town – Public Poetry @ Discovery Green, 2 PM on Saturday.   

If you haven’t submitted your poetry for the ARTlines Competition there are still 31 days left until the final deadline cutoff – Midnight on December 30, 2011.  Come on, get writing, and show us what you’ve got!

“Well, it wasn’t pretty,” so said Texas Poet Laurate, Dave Parsons, when asked how he first came to poetry  in the Nov. interview with The Front Row’s St. John Flynn.   Such tidbits, accompanied by sample poems from two Featured Poets, show up  on KUHF radio (88.7 FM at noon & 91.7 FM at 11 PM) the week of each Public Poetry event. Responding to the same question,  Eliza Garza says she got turned on by “what people call the Duende – the creative process working through you.”  You can listen to that interview & others on the SCENE & HEARD page.

In the park, we gave a listen to Don Sanders who offered up a sample from his HEAVY WORD USER TOUR, followed by four Featured Poets: Sam Amadon, Elisa A. Garza,  Dave Parsons and Robin Davidson and a WITS student.  See what went on at SCENE & HEARD

Announcing ANNOUNCEMENTS, the latest addition to the Community Links page.  It’s got fresh info about the submissions for the 2013 Texas Poetry Calendar as well as an ekphrastic event, Words & Art at Rice Gallery.  Email your flyers or announcements to publicpoetry1@aol.com and we’ll include them.

PHOTO CLUE; there’s more Poetry In the Park to come.  Next up, on Saturday, December 3  at 2 PM are featured poets John Gorman, Carol Louise Munn, Evangelina Vigil Piñón and Kevin Prufer.  Our special guest is Ken Jones.  All happening outside, by HPL Express Discovery Green.  Don’t miss it! 

We’ve extended the early entry deadline for the ARTlines competition from November 15th to the end of the month, Wednesday, November 30, 2011. However, to stay on schedule with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the final deadline of December 30, 2011 cannot be changed.

WHY SUMBIT AN EARLY ENTRY?   Because you can take advantage of a reduced entry fee. Because the Single Entry option for submitting one poem only will go away after November 30th (you can still submit one poem, but you’ll be charged the same as those who submit up to three poems.) Because you can use some of your time over Thanksgiving to compose or revise your work. Because you can check “Enter ARTlines Competition” off your To-Do list!

To catch a preview with featured poets Dave Parsons (2011 Texas Poet Laureate) and Elisa A. Garza,  tune in to KUHF radio’s The Front Row, (noon at 91.7FM and repeated at 11 PM on 88.7 FM) 

Public Poetry is immensely proud to partner with Houston Public Library for this monthly first Saturday series, and this time we’ll be outside HPL Express Discovery Green library, around the covered veranda area. Get to know this little gem of a library at the heart of the park; pick a good book, find a table at the Lake House Cafe next door, and read. How sweet is that!

See you at the park.