Supporters of the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation took a step back in time at its 15th annual Poetry & Barbeque fundraiser. Themed ‘In a Southerly Light … Revisited,’ the afternoon featured Silvia Curbelo, Michael Hettich and Sean Sexton, who had each shared their works at the inaugural event.
After welcoming everyone, board member Carrie Adams said the mission of the nonprofit is to preserve the home and history of Laura (Riding) Jackson and honor her legacy by developing and fostering writing in our community.
“Events like this one, which highlight the magic of wordcraft to give voice to our human experiences, inspire us all to be on boats against the current, or perhaps rage, rage as we keep the flame alit,” said Adams, before thanking all the writers in the room for their magic and fire.
The first half of the event featured a selection of writers from their writing groups, including two from their Scribe Tribe youth writing group, introduced by Sara Wilson, LRJF executive director.
Their writing groups, she said, include those specific to poetry as well as multi-genre.
Pat Draper, Indian River County’s Poet Laureate, led things off reading “Centennial,” an abecedarian poem she wrote last year to commemorate the Indian River County Centennial
The other talented LRJF poets who read were Ava Meier, Juliana Sevinch, April Cole, Lynn Marran, Debbie Smith, Jacque Jacobs, John DiMenna and Christine Light.
The events creator and chair Sean Sexton, former IRC Poet Laureate, LRJF board member, artist and rancher, shared some insight into the other two headliners before they spoke.
“I’d like to introduce our first poet, Silvia Curbelo, who I’ve known for probably 20 years,” said Sexton.
The award-winning Curbelo, he said, was born in Cuba, and immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a child. She has authored two chapbooks and two full-length poetry collections, “The Secret History of Water” and “Falling Landscapes.”
“These books are just beautiful, beautiful legacy books. They’re very fine, and they belong in any good poetry library,” said Sexton.
“This is such a love fest. It’s been awesome so far … and there’s food,” said Curbelo with a smile, before reading brand-new works and some from her two books.
Sexton next “introduced the introducer,” Campbell McGrath, an alum of the 2013 Poetry & BBQ and a video contributor for the 2020 COVID version.
Although Hettich now lives in North Carolina, Campbell said he had previously been “a pillar of the Miami poetry community for decades.” He has published more than a dozen books and chapbooks of poetry, including a new brief volume, “Waking Up Alone,” written following his wife’s passing.
“I was honored to be here 15 years ago, and I’m honored to be here now. Thank you, everybody involved in this program,” said Hettich, before he, too, entranced the crowd.
“You know that it’s a Michael Hettich poem if you wander into a dream. And you know it is a Sean Sexton poem when the cattle start mooing. He’s almost certainly the only person alive who is both a Renaissance man and a Florida man,” said Campbell, introducing Sexton.
“I sometimes daydream that there is an alternate universe out there in which the president of the United States is none other than Sean Sexton. I think that’s an America we would all vote for,” Campbell added.
“I’m doing a little travel back in time. This is from early married days with my wife, Sharon, of forty-five years,” said Sexton, reading from the first volumes of his that were ever published.
For more information, visit LRJF.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
