Improbable Poetry


Last night was the kickoff event for the Improbable Places Poetry Tour, the brainchild of Montserrat College of Art's Writing Center Director and poet extraordinaire Colleen Michaels. The idea is to bring poetry to unlikely venues (read: improbable places) around Beverly, Massachusetts. Centraal Cycle was a phenomenal location; all of the poets, writers, and storytellers read poems related to bicycles. The bikes on the walls and in the racks became the art in the background.


(Host Colleen Michaels--check out her bicycle dress!)


There were roughly 15 readers and 60 audience members, with local writers, students from Montserrat and Endicott colleges, and community members sharing their works. Even I wrote a new poem, which, quite frankly, I was revising up until the moment I took the mic. Yikes!


(Dawn Paul)


What a creative way to bring poetry to the people. Other local businesses are clamoring to get involved. Next month's venue has not been announced, but in the works are a laundry mat, a tattoo parlor, and a swimming pool.


Comments

Kathleen said…
I will tell my friend Judy about this, who started a monthly poetry reading in a beauty parlor!

I started a quarterly poetry event in a history museum! Hmmm, the museum director's brother runs a bicycle shop...! :)

Thanks for this, and for the pix!
January said…
Very cool. I think a beauty salon and a museum is a great way to bring poets and poetry lovers into local businesses.

The nice part is that the idea for the series can be replicated by anyone.
Diane Lockward said…
What a fun idea! Wouldn't it be great if this spread throughout the town, then into the next town, and then throughout the state, and then over the border, etc.

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