Poetry In the Afternoon

I only made it to one of the events during the 2011 Austin International Poetry Festival but it was so fun and just reminded me how much I love, and have missed, going to poetry slams and readings.

Anyway, so I arrive at BookWoman (remind me to tell you about this fantastic indie bookstore in Austin another time) and there is only another audience member and three poets. Needless to say, it started off as a very intimate experience. Each poet introduced themselves, the poems and what led them to write them so for me that made it very special.

I heard poems about vegetables, buildings, cities, and even G.I.Joe and Martha Stewart. Some were a bit melancholy, some hilarious and some thought-provoking. If you’ve never been to a poetry reading, you must. Poetry read outloud is really a moving experience.

Before I left I had to purchase Big Land, Big Sky, Big Hair which is a collection of poems that have appeared in the Texas Poetry Calendar. Isn’t that title great? Here’s an excerpt from one poem I like.

There is a place called Poetry
that snuggles in the countryside
of northeast Texas. A farm road
leads there, meandering past
fallow fields and a smattering
of small ranches to a cluster
of houses and a few old churches.

Excerpt from A Place Called Poetry by Linda Banks.

All in all, a very nice weekend. I didn’t get to read as many blog posts as I wanted to as my Google reader exploded with so many Read-a-thon updates but I’m working my way through them. Have a great start of your week and remember that April 14 is Poem In Your Pocket Day. I have to think of a good one I want with me that day.