Vibrancy, Enchantment and Fables to Delight

When any community, especially a community of creative people, is supportive and in tune with each other, a member(s) can miss an event, but the event remains powerful and stimulating.  While Lisa and I missed Thursday’s “word, revisited” featured speaker and open mic, we researched event highlights noted by audience comments on their social media postings, their evaluative thoughts expressed in e-mails, as well as words from an organizing partner and comments from the featured speaker. 

“It was a good night…open mic poets (9 readers!)  We had a new reader, a truck driver, Jim Spencer, who was excellent. I read Heidi's bio from her book and told a little bit about my past associations with her on different projects for an introduction. We all missed you.”

- Ron Van Nostrand

The post-event general consensus is that the Carriage House Theater was a room full of people.  During the open mic session, Karen Faris, a Rochester, NY based writer, poet, and mixed media artist performed an excerpt from her piece, Document of Discovery (Aliens Like Us) that will be premiered in its totality at her November 10^th performance at Syracuse’s ArtRage Gallery on November 10^th as part of the gallery’s “Not Normal: Art in the Age of Trump.”  Ron Van Nostrand and his eclectic group of musicians and vocalists will also perform at that event presenting Rome Burned While Nero Fiddled, Rich White Men, and Stranger at the Gate

But let’s stay focused on the evening’s featured speaker, Heidi Nightengale, poet, writer, scholar, and publisher. 

Heidi Nightengale, featured poet/author, "word, revisited" October 26, 2017 (photo credit:  Laura Williams French)

Nightengale “read poems that combined the sense of human emotions as expressed through the imagery and metaphor of the natural world and especially that of gardens and gardening.”  With an evening marked by exuberance, the audience enjoyed and appreciated her work.  Heidi also announced that Clare Songbirds Publishing House will release its first annual calendar featuring poems from Songbirds’ published poets.  The calendar will be illustrated with photos which highlight multi-cultural themes for each month of the year.

(left to right) Pat D'agostino, (open mic), Jeffrey Paul Horn (open mic), Dr. Howard Nelson (open mic), Jim Spencer (open mic), Dan Cleveland (open mic), Karen Faris (open mic), Heidi Nightengale (featured poet/author) Ron VanNostrand, Publisher/Olive Trees, Rachael Ikins (open mic), Kirsten Wise, Curator/Cayuga Museum; and Eileen McHugh, Executive Director/Cayuga Museum  (photo credit:  Laura Williams French)

Ms. Nightengale also shared, “…you had two new poets there who read at open mic - Jim Spencer who rocked the room with his poems about life from a truck driver's point of view, and Pat D’Agostino, who read a stirring poem about women empowerment in today's political climate.

“Many people attended for the first time and commented that it was a wonderful event that they felt proud to know was happening in Auburn and now would be putting it on their calendars to attend regularly.”

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“word,revisited” will close out its 2017 inaugural literary season on November 9 at 6 PM with Jim Ellis and Dan Cleveland, the first time two poets have been presented as featured speakers on the same program.  Come celebrate “words” with two individuals who have been active supporters of “word, revisited” throughout its spring and fall season. And show your appreciation to the Cayuga Museum of History andArt, print journal Olive Trees, and aaduna for believing that a literary series could find and build a loyal audience base; engage a diverse cohort of featured speakers, and provide a respectful and nurturing ambiance for open mic presenters.

*****

“word, revisited” sign up for open mic starts at 5:30 PM.  $3/person admission. 

Wine, beer, soft drinks and snacks are available for purchase.  The Carriage House Theater is located behind the Cayuga Museum, 203 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY.

Join us.  Fete us.  Celebrate Yourself!

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aaduna - an online adventure with words and images - a globally read, multi-cultural, and diverse online literary and visual arts journal established in 2010.  Visit us at www.aaduna.org where we put measurable actions to our words.

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