Poetry gets a bad rap. Some of us see it as tortured word/drivel whose sole focus is to make more complicated the simple and common aspects of our lives. Others see it as the height of expression; the using of imagery and spoken language which illuminates the hidden chambers of our minds and hearts.
For those people who write it (hereafter referred to as “poets”) the art is all of the above. We remember the twisted rhyming patterns of sickly-sweet greeting card poetry, but are compelled to put pen to paper none-the-less. Poetry is a language which empowers and supports the emotions expressed within it. To use a common illusion to elucidate an uncommon experience is a tool that the poet uses with great efficiency.
Poetry is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. As those smarty-pants millennials realize that poetry helps in times of upheaval and moral crisis, the beauty and power of the written word have come back into vogue. For more on this topic:
An idea can be expressed with brevity of word in a poem that would normally take chapters to express to its fullest extent. Southeastern Wisconsin is fortunate to have a thriving community of poets, supported and promoted by the Kenosha/Racine Poets Laureate Program.
The great folks involved in this program will be hosting an event to honor and celebrate the poetry of Daniel Scheidell and to showcase the incredible story of his survival in prison until his exoneration with assistance from the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
The public is invited to attend this free event at 6:30pm on Friday, November 30th at Fusion in downtown Kenosha for hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and a moving evening of poetic fellowship.
This event is sponsored by the Kenosha-Racine Poets Laureate Program.
https://www.facebook.com/events/257346805062870/
So if you are a poet, if you love a poet, if you enjoy poetry, (or if you think you might), come on down to Fusion in Kenosha on November 30th. There you will find your tribe!
Racine Writer-In-Residence Project 