Lawrence's Hip Literary Scene: Karen's Top 5 picks for April

City Lights Bookstore 1950's

This week, the Kansas City Star ran an article about the "booming" literary scene in Lawrence.  We were happy to see that the article mentioned the PBR Book Club and the Eighth Street Tap Room Poetry Series.
Here are my top five picks for April's National Poetry Month: 

1. Poem Mailbox: (through the month) The Lawrence Arts Center
The idea is that anyone can write a poem.  Write a poem and leave it in one of the mailboxes at the Arts Center or the Public Library, and it may be displayed. Here is what the Lawrence Arts Center's website says:
If you love it, let it go. Drop an original or favorite poem into the Lawrence Arts Center’s Poem Mailbox, and be surprised where it turns up—in a book at the library, on a wall at the Arts Center, in a restaurant menu, on the sidewalk, who knows where! Set your verse free so someone else can love it, too. Anonymous work accepted.
More events at the Arts Center include two ribbon typewriters in the lobby available to write poems on, an online epic poem to add to, and a poetry installation. A total list of events at the Lawrence Arts Center is here: http://www.lawrenceartscenter.org/Storypages/2012/Poetry.html

Ontario bookstore photo

2. Tap Room poetry Series:  Sunday April 15
We love the Tap Room and we love the Tap Room for Poetry. In these performance based poetry readings, national and local poets read recent work. Many formats of poetry are encouraged.  This month, special guests are Lee Ann Roripaugh and Jordan Stempleman. More about the visiting poets and pics from last month's readings are on the Tap Room Poetry Series Website: http://taproompoetry.blogspot.com/

3. KU Libraries: A Poem a Day
Every weekday in April, KU Libraries will offer a new poem on this site: http://www.lib.ku.edu/poetrymonth/index.shtml

Poet Charles Bukowski

4. Kansas City Poetry Readings: Complete listing
Intriguing are two different readings at The Writer's Place and another by students from UMKC's creative writing program at the Plaza Branch of the public library.
  http://www.newletters.org/eventsReading.asp

5. Matvei Yankelevich, Monday April 23  Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union Yankelevich is a writer and translater for contemporary Russian poetry. http://www.uglyducklingpresse.org/about/people/matvei-yankelevich/ Poet Langston Hughes