Our community has its share of great arts institutions and another may soon be on the way, if the Toledo Poetry Museum has anything to say about it. The fledging nonprofit was recently created to spread good will through community giving, while at the same time offering wider exposure to local poets. The group’s first event, which benefits the N.A.O.M.I. Transitional House, will take place at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Original Sub Shop and Deli, 402 E. Broadway St.

Kocinski

The group is the brainchild of poets Michael Kocinski, Jonie McIntire, Adrian Lime and Larry Levy. The reading will feature Jane Bradley, Larry Levy, Gary Bond, Bob Phillips, Patrice Davis, Michael Grover and Michael Hackney.

“I first spoke with Marc Folk a number of months ago to see what we could do for poetry under the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo banner and he was very supportive, but we were both so busy,” Kocinski said. “I also thought about putting together a blog that archived pictures and recordings from past events showcasing Toledo’s rich history as a poetry town and then I saw a post on Facebook about a charity drive, that I believe was being put on by the Poet’s Haven in Akron, and I thought that maybe we could do something like that.

“We chose N.A.O.M.I. House because we felt that the work that they’re doing goes largely unsung.”

The N.A.O.M.I. House reading is free, however donations are being accepted in the form of gloves, scarves, hats, socks, knee-highs, houseslippers, writing notebooks, pens, markers, cards, stamps, facial soap, deodorant, shampoo, plug-in  air fresheners, toothpaste and toothbrushes, bleach, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and laundry detergent. To learn more, visit naomith.org/wishlist.htm.

“When we decided to start the Poetry Museum, we talked about where we were weakest as a poetry community and what we discovered is that all of the different groups were niche points,” Kocinski  said. “You saw the same 15 people at the same readings every time.

“We knew that if we wanted to get a broader audience that we had to make poetry a more vibrant entertainment alternative, while taking it seriously in a way that we hadn’t before. As poets, we can’t just expect people to come out, we give people a reason to care and create a community that they can be proud of.”

For more information, call (419) 243-4857 or visit www.originalsub.com.

Tags: Adrian Lime, Bob Phillips, Gary Bond, Jane Bradley, Jonie McIntire, Larry Levy, Michael Grover, Michael Hackney, Michael Kocinski, Patrice Davis, Poetry

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Poetry, Star.
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