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LouAnn MuhmPark Rapids poet and teacher LouAnn Muhm is the featured poet for the next First City Poetry Reads event, to be held at the Bemidji Fire Station on Saturday, August 19th at 2:00 p.m. Muhm is the author of Breaking the Glass, a book “of fierce heart and strong hands,” according to reviewer Jane Hirshfield. The theme of this event is “Rescue and Disaster.” Muhm and the Open Mic poets following her reading will, in part, address that theme in exploring the various rescues and disasters in both the larger sense (lights, sirens, 911), and in the daily victories and defeats of our lives.

The event is free and open to the public. Kids are welcome, too, and there is the chance that the reading may be briefly interrupted by departure of fire and rescue units. In any case, Fire Department personnel will be on hand to give a tour of the station, its equipment and their role in keeping the local citizenry safe.

Fire and Rescue FinalThis is the second of several readings in “First City Poetry Reads,” sponsored by the Spoken Word Committee of Watermark Art Center. The series 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.

The First City Poetry Reads schedule includes future events at Beltrami County History Center, 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. 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. To learn more, visit go to our Spoken Word 2017 page.