@MWCResidentPoet



@MWCResidentPoet

 National Poetry Month is coming soon! Follow MWC's Resident Poet, Andrew Ziegler, on Twitter @MWCResidentPoet throughout the month of April...

Also, listen to his recent interview with Bruce Carter on ArtTalks [click to listen]

Poetry residence events include:

Performance Poetry Jam Bettendorf Public Library Tuesday, April 3, 6:30-8:30 pm
This performance poetry jam will focus on the spoken word and performance in performance poetry. Various techniques to modulate voice to convey tone and emotion will be explored. Verbal techniques will include inflection, pace, volume, and inference as derived from the sound of a performance. Gestures and other nonverbal presentation will also be explored. Poets will be encouraged to simply get up and put feeling into their words. Those interested in the spoken word, whether it be performance poetry, theatre, debate, forensics, or other public speaking are encouraged to participate.

Performance Poetry Jam Black Hawk College Outreach Wednesday, April 4, 9:30-11:30 am

Performance Poetry Seminar
Bettendorf Public Library Tuesday, April 17, 6:30-8:30 pm
This performance poetry seminar will focus on poetry writing for performance. Although a performance can make a poem intriguing, all great poems start with great writing. The writing influences the content of a performance poem and how that content conveys or detracts from a poem’s clarity and impact. Sound techniques such as assonance, alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm will also be touched on, with the primary focus on the concept of a poem within a performance style.

Community Poetry Reading
Midwest Writing Center
Wednesday, April 25, 7 p.m.
All poets published in the online poetry journal throughout the 2012 Collins Poetry Residency are invited to participate in a public reading of their poems. There is no charge for this event and the public is welcome.

Poetry Slam (venue pending)
Sunday, April 29, 5 p.m.

Poetry Out Loud Illinois Regional Contest Winners Move On to State Contest

On Saturday, February 18, students from Orion High School and United Township participated in the Poetry Out Loud regional contest at Quad City Arts. The event was exciting and enriching and all in attendance were edified and entertained by the student recitations.

We are happy to announce the winners of the contest: 1^st place went to Brianna Gray from United Township High School. Brianna recited “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll and “Song of the Powers” by David Mason. Runner-up was Anni Keleher from Orion High School. Anni recited  ”Hope” by Emily Dickinson and “The Vacuum” by Howard Nemerov.

These students will now advance to Illinois’ State Poetry Out Loud Competition, being held Thursday, March 29, 2012, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield.  The State champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in April in Washington, DC where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed with the grand prize being $20,000.

Poetry Out Loud is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.  

For further information, call Poetry Out Loud Regional Coordinator, Tracy White at 563-579-7630