Poetic Portals
April 8 from 7-11 pm
Free
The Factory St. Pete
Details here
The Friends of Jack Kerouac present our next fundraiser, the Poetic Portals: Art and Poetry Exhibit on Saturday, April 8 in honor of National Poetry Month.
This showcase features 25 pairs of artists and poets from St. Pete and Tampa creating visual art in response to poems.
Participating Literary and Visual Artists
Jon Meliferas + Jenipher Chandley
Yuki Jackson + Luckey Leroy
Sara Ries + Robert Wegmann
Rebel Poet + Vera Herrera the_rebel_poet
Michelle Lisan + Luke Heath
Gloria Muñoz + Merrit Capurro
Greg Byrd + Garre Liana
Rob McCabe + Wasil
Tyler Gillespie + Michael Fait
Stephanie Jackson + Laura Spencer aka Miss Crit
Antony Patterson + Tony Adams
Iris A. Morales aka LilWicked + Chris Sellen
Diana Nguyen + Zulu Painter
Pedro Jarquin + Betsy Lester
Suede_the_poet + Jade Jackson
Robyn Crosa
Rose Cervantes + Kris Meenan
Iamcarljr + Ted LoCascio
Keesha Brundridge + Amber Sparkle
Miesha Brundridge + Brandy Stark
Sade the writer + Derrick Kearney
Charles Hines401 + John Gascot
Hannah Newton + Britt Freemon
Anunspokenpoet + Michelle Klettke
Aenea + Rhys Meatyard
James Hartzell + Caelan Jefferys
It will be a fun evening at the immersive event space “Wayworld” at The Factory St. Pete, covered with murals by Jason Harvin aka Wayward Walls.
In Honor of Jack Kerouac’s Book of Haikus we will have an interactive installation meets make-and-take area in the entryway encouraging people to learn about and write haikus.
Live music from Jazz quartet The Johnny White Xperience starts at 7:30 with special guests.
Poetry performances take place from 8-9 pm and 9:30-10:30 pm.
The Friends of Jack Kerouac is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2013. We’ll be hosting a merchandise and information booth, with silent auction items and raffle prizes. You can meet our board members, dive into the Haiku Lab and enjoy the vibe!
Visual artwork will be on display for the month of April. Show curators are Jason Harvin and James Hartzell.
This poem by Hannah Newton accompanies the painting of the same name by Britt Freemon.
As the Crow Flies
Spring:
Drowsy eyes open toward the sun
Daffodils sprout in hopeful patches along the ditches
As if to say
“It’s okay. Keep going. It will be just the same when you return.”
Highway holds eagerness to grow life elsewhere
Tires melting into the pavement with each mile passed
Summer:
Each day melts into the next
The weeks are a sweltering horizon line
Time pours like sorghum over a biscuit
The woods— our playground
Hugged tight by tall Pines
Their needles a plush blanket to carry our explorations
Our playground is open until dusk
When it is time for the washing of hands
And filling of belly
The grill in the backyard breathes out the smoke of hamburgers
Waiting to be accompanied by corn on the cob
And teasing banter
A porch that hugs our home
Hugs our family
As the sun says good day
And the Whip-poor-will comes out to play
A record on an endless loop
Notes occasionally catch in its throat
Praying to those that cannot leave
Its song ripples through the hand-stitched quilt of crops
Corn
Soybean
Tobacco
Each strand woven strategically across country
Frayed edges touched by four lanes of gray
Applauding miles to vacations
The need to get out of town burning on asphalt
Autumn:
Leaves burn from the inside out
Crisp air tickles our goosebumps
Tempts our senses to submerge in the coming slumber
The road rushes bodies
Then holds them still
Tug-of-war to hold attention
Before it’s too late
A canopy of oranges and yellows welcomes home weary frames
Winter:
The canopy has turned against us
Welcoming no longer
Tree grown ice picks ready to strike
At the first wrong breath
Gray lanes laced in ice
Not there for us
Freezes us into our homes
Huddled together
It is too dangerous to leave
But too cold to stay
Gas stove thaws our skin but not our souls
Eleven days before we can move again
Gray apologies and a promise
To be better for us
An oath to carry us toward the sun.
