~from Frank Xia
Today is the last day of April, and as such, it’s also the final day of our National Poetry Month celebration. It’s a day for us where joy and grief mix. What fun it’s been to spend a whole month featuring our favorite poets and poems, new and old, local and far away. How sad we are that tomorrow it’s back to “business as usual.” Thank goodness the world is turning green and blooming (even though today it’s covered in snow here!), cheering us up and reminding us that poetry is there for us every season, every month, every day, every moment, we just have to open ourselves to it.
To officially end our celebration, intern Frank Xia put together a list of local places to read and publish your poetry — because we all need more poetry in our lives!
Places to read your poetry:
Avogadro’s Open Mic
As a music venue, bar, and restaurant, Avogadro’s is a great place to meet new friends. “Our open mic attracts tons of local talent, from solo acts to local bands to poets and comedians. This eclectic gathering of performers is not to be missed. Please come join in–sign up begins at 7PM.” Their Facebook page is also a great source to track their upcoming events!! See you there.
Slamogadro at Avogadro’s Number
Slamogadro is a monthly poetry slam that occurs on the final Sunday of every month at Avogadro’s Number. “Sign up is at 7:00 and we begin at 7:30!” In fact, this coming Sunday the are hosting their Five Year Slamoversary. “Come howl with us for our five-year slamoversary! Slamogadro is celebrating 60 months of kick-a** spoken word, and we need you to help us celebrate! Featuring birthday cake, party hats, good vibes, music, 12+ incredible poets, and a special featured performance by Noah Kaplan. Bring your words, bring your energy, and come spit.”
CSU Dead Poets Society
You want to participate a student organized poem-reading club? Choose CSU Dead Poets Society! Members do short prompts for the first hour and then read poetry to the group for the next hour. You can definitely find lots of poets there! You can contact them at csudeadpoets@gmail.com or check out their Facebook page. “The Dead Poets Society is dedicated to fostering community, creativity, and fun with others through a shared love of poetry. It especially encourages everybody from all cultures, with all original works, and everyone with passion…Our mission is to connect all kinds of people through the sharing of poetry. We have informal sessions during the semester every other Friday and workshops at the Downtown Artery the last Saturday of every month. All are welcome, students or otherwise.”
Lo Co Artisan Coffee House
This is a short drive, a coffee house located in Loveland, Colorado. They host a reading event called “words,” “Every 2nd Friday. A Live@LoCo event in association with lameHandproductions. words… is an open sign up event for poets, fiction & nonfiction writers, story tellers & bards. Sign up is from 6:30-7pm, or until all slots are full. Open reading will be from 7:00 until 8:30 followed by our featured Reader.” Check out their schedule on their Facebook page.
Places to publish your poetry:
Greyrock Review: CSU’s Undergraduate Literary Journal has a team of talented student interns ready to read and edit pieces of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art. After accepting admissions October through December, they publish an annual volume during the Spring semester with pieces from undergrads across the university. CSU students have the opportunity to promote their literary talents and interns become familiar with the publishing processes. Their release party usually involves fun readings at one of Fort Collins’ local food or beer joints, so you can enjoy yourself while picking up your newly published work!
Website: http://greyrockreview.colostate.edu/
Submit: https://greyrockreview.submittable.com/submit
Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence: Another undergraduate-run publication, this journal publishes creative writing side-by-side with scholarly essays of all disciplines. “JUR is a peer-reviewed, undergraduate journal registered with the Library of Congress that accepts submissions of any subject, from any undergraduate institution. We receive hundreds of submissions for publication every year, from institutions ranging from small liberal arts colleges to international institutions. The review process for publication includes peer, graduate, and faculty referees, ensuring that the Journal publishes competitive material that follows the Journal’s standards for academic, creative, and passionate work.”
Website: http://jur.colostate.edu/
Submit: http://jurtest.colostate.edu/submit/
Matter Journal: Matter publishes themed journals, accepting submissions that take interesting and inspiring perspectives on the publication’s chosen topic. “Matter Journal is an annual, themed literary/art journal featuring a diversity of fiction, poems, interviews and essays. Our flagship publication, Matter brings together our many areas-of-interest—art, agriculture, bicycles, wilderness, environmental concerns. We strive to combine the literary and visual arts to shed new light on old, universal themes.” Submitting to Matter is a great way to share your artistic talents with the Fort Collins community and support a local publishing house.
Website: https://www.wolverinefarm.org/publishing/our-publications/
Colorado Review: The pride and joy of the CSU English Department, the Colorado Review is a world renowned literary journal that has published the likes of E. E. Cummings, William Carlos Williams, and Langston Hughes in its fifty-nine year history. Found in universities, libraries, and independent bookstores all across the country, the journal provides a wonderful sampling of current poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and book reviews. Open to burgeoning writers whose stuff is ready for the big leagues and established writers adding to their repertoires of credible journals, the Colorado Review provides a window to the modern literary community and a sensibility of what’s happening in contemporary publishing. Please note: as per submission guidelines, “Colorado Review does not publish the work of CSU faculty (current or emeritus), staff, or students.”
Website: http://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-review/
Submit: http://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-review/submit/