Poetry Cafe at Dandelion Bungalow
One of the goals that Kenny and I set for ourselves in 2023 was to host a poetry cafe at Dandelion Bungalow. For years, I held poetry cafes in my classroom. I enjoyed them so much and so did my students.
I have written before that words can be art. I believe that and want to foster that in my family, classroom, and our community. Living in a small rural area, it is hard to be able to experience the arts. I believe poetry cafes are a way to do that.
We have talented folks who write poetry among us. If we just begin paying attention, there are many who are willing to share.
The First Poetry Cafe at Dandelion Bungalow
Our first poetry cafe kind of fell into our laps. A dear friend and colleague came to me and offered her poetry for us to use as we saw fit. She did not know that we had a poetry cafe written in our planning journal. We planned for fifteen guests which is all that the business side of the bungalow could hold.
We took into consideration how many we could comfortably accommodate along with the day of the week we thought people would most likely attend. We also planned light refreshments that turned into quite a bit of leftover food.
The evening of the event was moody and dark since it was early winter. We had lights up for Christmas which added to the ambiance. Our poet was dressed for drama and captured the “stage.” It was a beautiful evening. There was so much emotion! Later, at least one person told me it had been the best evening they had enjoyed in a long time. What a compliment to the poet and us. Our first poetry cafe at Dandelion Bungalow had been a success!
Could we find another poet?
Honestly, I was drained after this event, physically and emotionally. We wondered if we would ever find another poet to enable us to have another cafe. We also knew there were a few things we would need to tweak if we did.
Low and behold, a young teacher at school approached me a short time later and said that her dad was a poet and she thought he would like to do something like the cafe. So, we are planning another one! Kenny and I are both excited. The first cafe was exactly what we envisioned. However, we both understand that every poet brings different experiences to the stage. Our next will be different, no doubt. I believe it will be just as good!
Keep Poetry Alive
We have learned some things. We are trimming down the refreshments because we had too much last time. The time will also be a little later due to daylight lingering longer now. I also know that I want to just give our poet the reins. We don’t need to plan as much!
Kenny and I agree that we would encourage anyone who has the chance to attend a poetry reading to do so. Poetry was a classic form of entertainment. We believe it needs to live on. You may not even realize that you enjoy words as art unless you give it a chance.
