Sunday, March 14, 2010

03/09/2010- A night nothing short of...

As the first time emcee for possibly the largest number of readers that Poetry Night has seen to date, I am pleased that this night was nothing short of colossal. Including the readers who read for the haiku contest, the audience was treated to performances by TWENTY-FIVE different poets of which NINE were new readers. The sheer number of voices heard at End of the Line on Tuesday night demonstrated the diversity of thoughts that characterizes every Poetry Night. Poetry Night consistently proves to be a night nothing short of beautiful, and so, this particular night, too, carried the energy which feeds all those that come to End of the Line on Tuesday nights.

Despite the briefness required from the poets as a result of the large turnout, every reader seemed to bring words that were thoughtfully and uniquely his or her own. The variety of emotions and topics ranged from the stirring recounts of a police brutality victim to the comedic solutions to the question of life. One reader even spoke of the worthlessness of poetry only to be answered with cheers and applause. To me, a night that can contain such an understanding for the vast array of ideas presented is a night nothing short of extraordinary.

Aside from the large turnout, NPS featured a haiku contest for the month of March. There were eight entrants, one of whom was Patrick Hudson, the NPS founder and customarily, the Poetry Night emcee. The voting was so close that March produced two co-winners. After discussion of a sort of tie-breaker, it was decided instead that Cole Amick and Stijl Calhoun would be the selected co-winners of the haiku contest. So congratulations to these two, though all the entrants brought incredible material.

Every week keeps me looking for the next Tuesday to hear more from such wonderful poets, and the role of guest emcee allowed me to further understand the time and effort put into organizing Poetry Night. For those who are regular attendees on Tuesday, be sure to thank Patrick Hudson for the sacrifices he makes for people to be heard. I thank everyone who has made Poetry Night nothing short of inspiring. That is all. Thank you.


Wishing Poetry Night, NPS, and EotL continued growth and success,
John Ellis

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