Loose Leaf Notes

The moon in June will bloom blue and times two, but the poets will be out when it’s NEW … So began the Floyd Press ad and the Museletter announcement for The Floyd Writers Circle’s June Spoken Word Open Mic. My fellow circle member and poet, Mara Robbins clipped the line for the poster she hung on the Café Del Sol door, where the monthly open mic usually takes place. But she changed the ending of the verse. Instead of the word NEW referring to a stage of the moon, she used it to refer to the open mic stage at a new venue, and to re-route attendees. Because the Café Del Sol crew was busy tending a private party, the café was not available on the previously announced date. The owners of the Blackwater Loft, just a few doors up and across the street, graciously agreed to host the event.
But the NEW in venue could have also referred to new readers because there were several of them. A grandmother of seven from Willis read an entertaining light verse written by one of her favorite poets. Although she was a newcomer to the spoken word stage, she read as if she had a background in theater.
Another woman shared what she described as flash fiction. Structured as a dialogue between the author and an unsuspecting acquaintance, it was a wildly hilarious piece about ferrets. I later learned that the reader really does have pet ferrets, but I don’t think she dresses them in sweaters or bounces them on the bed like the woman in her story did.
A young new reader named Allie read from her journal. When someone in the crowd reported that she wasn’t able to hear the reading, the air conditioning was turned off and the young woman read the piece again.
With the late evening sun streaming in, there was a break for refreshments and socializing before regular reader, Greg, took to the stage. The crowd laughed when he started his recently penned poem, What will I write for Saturday night? I don’t have a clue what to say …
Mara read a villanelle for picking lettuce and one for summer squash. As soon as you see them, pick them quickly – long zucchini, yellow crookneck, quick and prickly … A villanelle is a style of form poetry in which some lines repeat. It may have its roots in Italian harvest songs, Mara explained.
It was the eve of Father’s Day. Rosemary and I, both Floyd Writer’s Circle members, read poems about our late fathers. They were loving tributes that that mixed humor with more serious issues. Other readers included Floyd’s Dr. Sue Osborne and her son Mars, and a poet from Radford named Bekah.

A petite young woman in a flowing cotton skirt who was working at the Loft closed the evening with an impromptu song. Accompanied by a friend on guitar, she did a rendition of George Harrison’s Blackbird. “She should try out for American Idol,” I whispered to my neighbor as she sang.
After the event wound down, I headed out of town to a dinner party at my friend Katherine’s house that was already in progress. When I arrived about ten people, including my husband, were gathered around a large round table on her porch. “How did it go?” Katherine and my other friend Jayn asked at the same time. Both Writer’s Circle members who usually participate in the open mic, they were particularly interested to hear my report.
“I was great!” I boomed with obvious excitement.
For the past two years local writers in our community have been promoting monthly spoken word nights with the purpose of creating a forum where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together and share their stories. I’m always excited when these evenings draw new readers and listeners because it means that are goals are being fulfilled. To see a first time reader give voice to their creative expression is what it’s all about. I can’t think of a more fun way to spend an evening.
Post Notes: The couple that run the Blackwater Loft graduated from Floyd high school with my son Josh. Look what I found in the cafe: one of Josh’s Building Community Bricks. More about that HERE. Scroll down HERE to read about more spoken word nights.