April is National Poetry Month and we should celebrate.
On April 13, Silverton Memorial Hall will host An Evening of Poetry and Literary Company. Five established local adult poets will be joined by several young emerging poets reading their work. Over 40 books have been published by the cohort of adult poets.
The doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the readings start at 8 p.m. The event is free.
Tom Wayman stands as one of B.C.’s leading poets with over 20 published collections of poetry, plus several collections of short stories, novellas and novels. Recently Wayman was presented with B.C.’s George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing his long-standing contribution to the literary world in B.C. and Canada.
Barbara Curry Mulcahy published The Man with the Dancing Monkey to strong reviews and is a regular contributor to literary magazines in B.C. and across Canada. Sean Arthur Joyce published seven books of poetry, a novel and several historic volumes. Keith Liggett, the former president of the Federation of BC Writers, has published six books of which two are collections of poetry. Kate Smyles swings back and forth between singer/songwriter and poet, but this evening she will be treading the boards as a poet.
To round out the evening, several emerging poets from the Lucerne School will join to read their recent work.
Arthur Joyce, Mulcahy and Wayman all have books being released in the near future and will have work for sale at the reading.
Slocan Lake Arts Council will host a refreshment stand and the book sale table of published works by the reading poets.
The evening is supported by Silverton Writes, Slocan Lake Arts Council, and grants from the Columbia Basin Trust and the Regional District of Central Kootenay.