Last Friday evening, writer Shelley Harrison Rae hosted the last Artesia Coffeehouse of the season. This was a new gig for Rae, so veteran host and coffeehouse organizer Linda Williams also worked in the background to assist with sound and seating. This was also a new type of coffeehouse, entitled Dare to Be Heard - not a musicians' showcase, but a place for writers to speak their words.
"I realized the Coast offered many opportunities for musicians to perform, but very few for writers," said Rae, who was asked to join the board of the Coast Cultural Alliance, Artesia's sponsor, after a director had attended Rae's writing workshops.
The coffeehouse ran a spoken word evening last Halloween, and during its six years has included the occasional poem among the melodies. On this evening, 10 writers, 10 minutes each, took the stage, some confidently, some nervously.
Terri Bosner's poetry set the tone. She drew from Buddhist teachings and invoked the power of now. Bosner wrote about dogs, virgins and all subjects in between, including new material from a book being considered by a publisher.
Sechelt's Pat Carswell read from her hot-off-the-press murder mystery, Jumping to Conclusions.
"Are you hooked?," she asked the audience after reading a prologue that introduced a few of the main characters: a handsome equine photographer and his sweetheart, the star of the show jumping circuit, who meets with a horrible accident. The audience wanted more.
Sheila Weaver's poetry explored the natural world that surrounds and sustains us. Her two-part poem, Grace, was lovely and thought provoking. River, Pardon Us was an ironic look at how we treat our rivers that, as Weaver pointed out, are now under threat.
JoAnne Bennison has a background in journalism. For the evening, she read from her young adult novel in progress that describes the life of a rebellious teen in a futuristic world. Is it sci-fi or is it truth? Bennison dedicated the book to her daughter and all young women who defy the forces that tell them who or what they should be.
Sechelt's Terry Barker, poet and raconteur, is much loved in coffeehouse circles. He read some moving poetry relating to the battle to retain his eyesight and also a poem from his latest book, Last Chance This Life.
Agnete Newman, an artist, used vivid and colourful imagery in her poems. June Guerin's poems, especially Women of War, were dramatic. Her reminiscence of Sechelt's cougar lady was particularly poignant. Joan Disney usually keeps her poetry to herself, but for that evening she spoke out in words that often rhymed, rare in contemporary poetry.
Caitlin Hicks read from her memoir, Catholic Love, about a staunch Republican, George, who is first on the scene at a car accident and must cradle a young Hispanic woman until help arrives, an act that gives rise to an epiphany in his life.
Richard Austin, performance poet, is also an actor and likes to recite the work of Gerard Manley Hopkins. For the coffeehouse, he declaimed his own poetry in a resonant voice moving about the stage with an easy stance.
The Artesia coffeehouse season starts again in September on the last Friday of the month.
More information and an archive of past performers can be found at www.suncoastarts.com.
