Anthony Swann will be the featured poet for the next First City Poetry Reads event, to be held Saturday, November 11, at 4 p.m. at the Beltrami County History Center. Swann, author of the recently-published collection Paint with Words, will address our national and personal histories in a program titled “Our Place in History.”  Swann’s poems and prose readings will focus on the role of jazz as a unique American art form which, like poetry, distills the essence of truth and beauty.

Wendell Affield, author of Muddy Jungle Rivers, will read during the open mic session after Swann.  As part of this Veteran’s Day event, he will read from “found postcards” sent from the front during past world wars.

First City Poetry Reads is free and open to the public. The event will be followed by an open mic. Anyone interested in pre-registering to read can contact Marsh Muirhead at 218-556-6313 or mgmuirhead@midco.net. Poets are asked to keep their reading to 3 minutes and provide family-friendly content.

The First City Poetry Reads series, sponsored by the Spoken Word Committee of Watermark Art Center, is designed to bring poetry to new venues and listeners in and around the First City on the Mississippi. The concept aims to add unique sources of energy, interest and creativity to the spoken word. Future readings will be held at Anytime Fitness, Sanford Hospital, Lake Bemidji State Park and more. Each event is a one-hour program with a theme tied to the event location. To learn more, visit our Spoken Word 2017 page.