Literature Guide

By Category

By City

By City

User Poll

Recent Literature Articles

Live Poetry

Live performance poetry is hard to come by in the Daytona area. That’s why it was so exciting when  New Smyrna Beach-based Poets Corner teamed up with Ormond Beach’s Tomoka Poets recently for a poetry slam. WHAM BAM Poetry SLAM2 took place September 30 at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Mitzi Coats, of Tomoka Poets, was director and Lee Radmaker, of Poets Corner, was chairman of the board and master of the mike. Local businesses sponsored and contributed to the event. A two dollar entry fee bought you snacks, soft drinks, and wine in addition to a night of great poetry. Participating poets didn’t pay a fee.

While “WHAM BAM Poetry SLAM 2” was a good time, its name is a bit of a misnomer - it actually had nothing to do with “Slam Poetry”. Instead, it was a poetry competition that took its name and format from local Barnes and Noble poetry events. Contestants were given five minutes per poem to write an original poem on each of three subjects given at the event. Then, there were round-robin readings of the poems by subject. Applause could influence a poet’s chance of winning, but a panel of three judges determined the winner.

Judges were Suzan Howse, a librarian at New Smyrna Beach library; Susie Blankemeier, a visual arts and poetry teacher from Winter Park; and Mark Lane, a writer and columnist for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

The competition began shortly after 7 p.m. The subjects were: 1. Your Favorite Vacation.  2. Courage.  3. A Perfect Earth.  The audience was enthusiastic. One fellow was loudly supported by his mother, who sat directly behind the judges. I wasn’t terribly surprised when he was selected the winner.  He introduced himself as “Ace”  but his full name is Ace Comparato and he is an 18-year-old college student from Jacksonville, Fl.  Comparato said, “I’ve always been into poetry and I thought it was cool to be a poet.”

I asked, “It’s quite a way from Jax to here. What brought you to this event?”

“My girlfriend spotted the notice and told me about it.” Then he admitted, “but my mom brought me down here tonight.”

His poems were soft spoken and thoughtful. He said, “In five minutes, I could only work with what was in front of me and whatever comes from natural life.”

It was enough for the win.

For the poetry-starved there are five local regular get-togethers:
*Tomoka Poets meet every second Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Ormond Beach Public Library. The contact person is Mitzi Coats at 386.676.2918 or coatsmj@cs.com
*Poets Corner is the fourth Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the New Smyrna Library.
*Live Poets Society of Daytona Beach meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the DBCC/UCF campus in various locations. Contact Bob Blenheim, 386.238.6027 or RBlenheim@aol.com for exact locations and directions.
(The above are ongoing workshops. Participants are urged to bring six or more copies of poems they are working on. As each poem is read, comments and critiques are expected. It is give and take and can build your skills and confidence.)
*Open Mic with the Tomoka Poets is scheduled every fourth Monday, 7 p.m., at the Joe Piggotte Center, 504 Big Tree Road, South Daytona. Contact Phil Janis at 386.304.7440.
*Poetry Salon is held at the Unitarian Universalist  Society, 36 N. Halifax , Ormond Beach at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month. Contact Bonnie, 386. 672.2203

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there are no real poetry slams in the immediate vicinity, nor any poetry open mikes where anything goes (WHAM BAM Poetry SLAM2 prohibited “Non-family Friendly” language).  An Internet search for “poetry open mike Orlando” will show a few locations. A search for “poetry slam Orlando” will produce a few more results.

One of the best and longest-lived open mikes is a short 40 minute drive north to St. Augustine. Called Poetspeak St. Augustine, it is held every first and third Monday nights at Backstreets Coffeehouse, 61 Spanish St. You can call 904.827.0990 for information and directions. Several Daytona students (and your humble writer)  have attended this venue. The cost is a $2.00 donation and one drink minimum. It is an adult—18 and up—scene. You can also E-mail poetspeakstaugustine@yahoo.com for scheduled feature poets and other info.

The coffee and cookies are very good, too.

                ####30###