A large crowd was drawn by the power of the written word for the 13th annual Poetry & Barbeque fundraiser to benefit the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation, which honors the legacy of the famed 20th-century poet. The event took place at the Richardson Center at Indian River State College, within sight of the poet’s historic ‘cracker’ style home, preserved and maintained by the foundation.
The “Fathered/Father” theme of the event featured two award-winning writers: John Balaban, who has authored 14 books of poetry and prose and is a translator of Vietnamese poetry, and George Bilgere, who has published nine collections of poetry, and is known for his appearances on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and “The Writers Almanac.”
As a hallmark of the LRJF is its emphasis on fostering local adult and teen writers through writers’ groups and workshops, the event began with representatives from the various writing groups regaling the audience with readings of their own poetry.
“I’m just going to briefly tell you a little bit about the writing groups in general. This is one of the most exciting areas of growth for the organization,” said Carrie Adams, the board’s vice president of programming, before introducing each of the different groups.
Katherine Ritchie represented the Night Writers, whose members range from novices to published authors in all categories of prose and poetry, reading her poem “The Creep.”
Pen Points, an all-genre group that also includes discussions related to marketing and publishing, was represented by Kelly Barke, who read “Ordinary Day.”
The Poets’ Corner, a more intensive poetry workshop group, was represented by James Duval, who read “The Lasting Image of Fabio.”
The Porch Poets, the organization’s first writing group, and the Pole Barn Poets, created to meet the increased demand, were represented by several people: Michael Howard, reading “Brown Dogs in a Green Field”; Bruce Fraser, “Wild Sea”; Christine Light, “In our Woods”; Pat Draper, “Into the Air”; Skipwith Coale, “Tarbh-nathrach” (Gaelic for dragonfly); Fay Picardi, “Where the Mind Goes”; and Catherine Detko, “Feminine Mystique.”
The Tuesday Writers group, which welcomes all skill levels and varieties of works, was represented by Ann Kenna, “Hot Steamy Poetry”; and LRJF board president Jacque Jacobs, “Talisman.”
Sean Sexton, longtime LRJF board member and IRC Poet Laureate, said the event’s theme came to him about two years ago during a discussion of a poem about the “sometimes less-than-ideal relationships between fathers and sons.”
Balaban and Bilgere proceeded to enthrall the gathering with intimate portraits of their lives and loves, as shared with the world through their poetry.
For more information, visit LRJF.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
