Poetry Reading at the Winery-The review

   The poetry reading at the Bardwell Winery Saturday night went really, really well. The place was packed! The small party room at the winery was filled past capacity with our poets, their families and guests. It was great to meet the writers from the New Richmond and Williamsburg groups and hear their words in an intimate setting. There are some very talented people writing here in Southwest Ohio and I was thrilled to be able to help put this together.
   I was especially proud of the teen-agers that read from my group, Jake, Kassandra, and Jasmine. All three of them were really nervous before they went on but they presented themselves wonderfully. Each of them possess a depth of talent that goes beyond their years. It is heartwarming to see that poetry hasn't been lost on the next generation.
  Each of our poets presented a unique voice and style, proving that it is still possible to breath new life into the various forms of verse. It's like I told Jake, Kassi and Jasmine in one of our poetry workshops, "the best way to approach poetry is to read. Study the masters, learn the styles, learn the forms, decipher the Greek. Then after you done the work and are familiar with all of the elements and permutations, ignore it all and do whatever the hell you want!"
  And on that note, I felt a special kinship with the poets there from my generation. I could feel a commonality in the tone and timbre of their work, a kind of shared vision in our presentation that points toward an academic rebellion. Our work was as much about intimacy as image and I found it fascinating that this vision in our works came about in isolation. It seemed my cozy corner of Generation X was pretty much all on the same page!
   But that doesn't steal a bit of steam from the Baby Boomers present. The ladies from the Williamsburg and New Richmond groups came out swinging! Their work was highly polished, taut and very insightful. Their heart echoed through all of their work and their humor and exuberance were absolutely contagious. I had great conversations with a couple of them after the reading. They were just a joy to be around. I was glad to have met all of them.
   We all agreed that we had to put together another reading in the very near future. I think the sense of community I was striving for has finally found its impetus. I can't wait to see where it leads.


  Our Poets;
  Lisa Brandstetter
  Amy Cunningham
  Martina Davis
  Jim Eggers
  Donna Falen
  Jasmine Fields
  Nan McKay
  Arlene Nichting
  Lawrence Parlier
  Jake Stone
  Kassandra Vernon
  Becky Weaver
  Kathleen Wilson

I thank all of you for a very special night!!!