poetrySPARK Meeting Notes 6/30/09
Meeting at Designbox
Attending were Jo Taylor, Glenn Cassidy, Jenn Mercer, Cal Nordt, and Gab Smith.
After general discussion of the poetrySPARK events and about SparkCon with our SparkCon coordinator, Gab, we discussed our proposed readings and events, as listed in the Call For Poets which is almost complete to file. Chris Tonelli is going to adapt the “Call” information into a shorter press release type of form to use for media contact.
Alice Osborn’s monthly NC Writer’s Network Open Mic is being added to our events for 8 pm Friday, being adapted for poetrySPARK, and listed in our Call For Poets.
We decided to revise the wording of the Call For Poets to add the theme of formal/metrical poetry. Gab brought up the popular appeal of rhymed and metered poetry, as we’re introduced to poetry in school, and we agreed, and David Bradsher has volunteered to organize and seek out headliners for that theme. We’d like to know if anyone else would like to assist him in this.
We now intend to list narrative, lyric, humor, and formal/metrical as our themes to have a broad scope in soliciting submissions. As submissions come in we can adapt depending on which themes have small or large responses.
We also discussed with Gab ideas about sharing information with other Sparks in order to cross-promote each other on the SparkCon weekend – poets appearing at other Sparks’ events or musicians/artists/etc. appearing at poetrySPARK events to announce upcoming events through the weekend.
The idea of an “island” booth-type set up on Hargett St (which will be closed to auto traffic) near The Morning Times venue was discussed. This would be 1) a location for a book publisher to be set up to sell poetry books in exchange for assistance poetrySPARK might need, 2) space for published poets to set up a cooperative effort to sell each other’s books all weekend long, 3) interactive poetry/word “games” would be conducted by our members (magnetic poetry, cut up poetry, “exquisite corpse,” for example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse), to promote and announce our events to SparkCon attendees passing the Island, 4) setting up a screen to show Twitter tweets we would ask friends to send from SparkCon itself, from other poetry/literary events they are at (even worldwide), from wherever they are – and include things such as haiku contests with prizes we could get local businesses to donate (bookstores, office supply, etc.).
Jenn Mercer is going to set up poetrySPARK on twitter as soon as her sparkcon.com email address is online. Anyone else who wants a sparkcon email address should let Cal know.
We also decided to keep open the possibility of non-traditional workshops in the event that it is too difficult to find headliners who can conduct a reading event and also do a pro bono workshop.
Action items/requests: 1. Who would like to set up the poetrySPARK facebook site? 2. Who would like to work with Cal on publicity by email and messaging? We hope everyone will spread the word, but we’re looking for a person to specifically work on this, coordinating and keeping track of publicity efforts. 3. Who would like to work on the activities involving the Island, including coordination of our people’s presence in the Island during the weekend?
Thanks everyone! We didn’t set a next meeting date – I actually forgot… What I’d like to do is get the Call up on the SparkCon website by Monday 7/6, immediately begin large publicity efforts (word of mouth from everyone and contacting every possible interested group), get some things accomplished as to obtaining headliner poets, and arrange another meeting for mid July.
Cal Nordt
I would be pleased to continue to get information. I’m taking a month off from writing and preparing for the classes I teach again in the fall. Not likely I can help but would love to follow and come.