Poetry Reading To Be Held Wednesday At ACCC/ATS

Original poetry and live music are on tap for the fifth annual Poetry Coffee House set for 7 p.m. Wednesday April 23 at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School.
The event will feature SCCC/ATS students reading their original poetry, live music, and readings by the winners of two poetry contests.
A couple of new twists are in the works, too. A mystery guest reader will share a poem, and one lucky audience member will receive an autographed copy of the contest judge’s latest book.
The Coffee House offers a relaxed atmosphere where people can enjoy hot and iced coffee, lemonade, and gourmet finger foods while listening to poetry and music.
Featured SCCC/ATS student poets will be Virginia Grant, Christie Proctor, Ed Kentner,
Julee Davis, Azucena Juarez, and Kyleigh Becker. Poems by these students appeared in last year’s Telolith or are slated for publication in the upcoming issue. Original music and vocals will be provided by SCCC/ATS student Juan Carlos Contreras.
The English Department has sponsored a poetry contest in conjunction with the Coffee House for several years, and the response this year has been great.
“We received a record number of poems this year,” said Janice Northerns, SCCC/ATS English instructor. “I am excited to see the selections our judge makes from some really great entries.”
Contest winners will be announced Wednesday evening and will read their poetry at the Coffee House. The judge for this year’s contest is Texas Tech University Professor William Wenthe of Lubbock, Texas, an award-winning poet who has written three books: Words Before Dawn (2012); Not Till We Are Lost (2003); and Birds of Hoboken (1995).
Not Till We Are Lost won the Best Book of Poetry Award from the Texas Institute of Letters. His awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Texas Commission on the Arts, and two Pushcart Prizes. He has published poems in many journals including Poetry, The Paris Review, The Georgia Review, Tin House, Orion, TriQuarterly, and The Southern Review.
The public is invited and admission is free to the Poetry Coffee House, which is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 in the music wing/band hall (Room H148) of the Shank Humanities Building at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, 1801 N. Kansas, in Liberal.
For more information, contact Janice Northerns at 620-417-1456 or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , or Bill McGlothing at 620-417-1457 or [email protected].