Join Poetry in the Boro in helping kick off MTSU Write’s Fall Writing Conference at a free poetry reading and open mic at the Center for the Arts gallery on Friday evening, October 6. Spoken word artist and storyteller Craig Freeman and poet Brenda Cárdenas, a former poet of Milwaukee, will feature.
Doors open at 6:00 pm for a 6:30 program; refreshments will be available. We know Friday evening traffic can be challenging sometimes, so sneak in late if you need to!
Registration for MTSU Write fall conference is still open. Entitled “Wild | Home,” the conference will feature classes and presentations that will invite writers of all genres and levels to explore both the familiar and unfamiliar with attention and wonder. The conference keynote is Janisse Ray, whose fiction and nonfiction has won an American Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, a Southern Booksellers Award, and other recognition. Her recent collection of essays, Wild Spectacle, received the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence.
Brenda Cárdenas is the author of Trace (Red Hen Press), Boomerang (Bilingual Press) and three chapbooks. She also co-edited Resist Much/Obey Little: Inaugural Poems to the Resistance and Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest. Her poems and essays have appeared in Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry; Poetry; TAB: Journal of Poetry and Poetics; Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations; Grabbed: Poets and Writers on Sexual Assault, Empowerment, and Healing; Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Anthology; and many others. Cárdenas has served as the Milwaukee Poet Laureate and teaches at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Craig Freeman is a Nashville area creative storyteller who weaves personal experiences into rhythmic poetry and bite-sized essays. He immerses himself in market data, uncovering valuable insights to enhance job seeker marketing strategies throughout the week. But when the weekend rolls around, he effortlessly transitions into the roles of a devoted boyfriend, a caring son, and a supportive brother.
About the venue and parking
Center for the Arts is located at 110 W. College St, just a block off the Square in downtown Murfreesboro. Free street parking is available in the area. After hours parking in some area parking lots is also available, but be sure to heed any signs.
About the open mic
Open mic readers can share poetry or spoken word: 2 very short poems or three minutes for this special edition, whichever comes first. Reading a favorite poem by another writer is fine, too.
We ask that readers be prepared to keep their pieces “PG-13” depending on our venue and audience, which sometimes includes younger people.
Challenge words
Instead of a list of challenge words this time, we are inviting you to bring your ‘A’ game , whether the poem you share is one of your own, or a favorite by another author. We’ll get back to our challenge words for our November event!
Your donations are appreciated
ADMISSION IS FREE. A DONATION of $5 is suggested to help us offset our costs. You can donate using PayPal at paypal.me/poetryintheboro. We also accept donations on site.
Conference keynote Janisse Ray is the author of Wild Spectacle and numerous other award-winning books.
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