Norman — The Mark Allen Everett Poetry Series has embarked on its second year of bringing acclaimed poets to Norman and showcasing Norman’s local talent.
Founded in 2008 by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers and Jonathan Stalling, the University of Oklahoma series highlights the art of poetry about twice a month, said Jeanette Mish, association director of the program.
She said poets generally perform 7 p.m. Tuesdays at either The Jacobson House for Native Art Center or Ellison Hall on OU campus. From experimental to plain to performance, the series encompasses a variety of poetic expressions and experience.
“We bring in poets in varying stages of their careers,” said Mish, who added that she’s never been to a boring reading throughout the the series.
After each reading, a reception and book signing is held.
Mish says that the audience, which usually ranges between 25 to 60 people, is comprised of a mix of community members and students. Mish, however, would like to create a larger interest for the program in the Norman community.
“We’d like to see more people from the community come — that’s my No. 1 goal,” she said. “We really don’t want to be just about the campus.”
Keeping students involved is important to the program as well, said Mish. To do this, several of the poets who are brought in to read in the series also attend poetry classroom sessions. A student reading is scheduled in May as well.
Although nationally well-known poets bring the program clout, Mish said giving emerging poets a chance to read gives the series an edge.
“That makes us really different,” said Mish. “A lot of series don’t look in their own backyard.”
Mish said the poetry series is actually picking up where a now defunct series, called Contemporary Authors Series, ended years ago.
“We’re very conscious of the fact that we have a great legacy here of poets we wanted to carry forward,” Mish said.
The program is sponsored by The Everett Family Fund, The Oklahoma Humanities Council, The FOCAS Lecture Series, The University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Oklahoma Honor’s College, World Literature Today, the SOUNDS OUT Poetry Series of the Expository Writing Program and the Department of English.
For more information on the program, or to see future poets, visit http://tiny.cc/EverettPoetrySeries.
