National Poetry Month 2009 in Denver

April 2009 is National Poetry Month. Denver has a number of National Poetry Month celebrations, and National Poetry Month 2009 is shaping up to be better than ever! Below are three local Poetry Month events for Denver poets and aspiring poets.

Word War I
April 3-4, 2009
Crossroads Theater
2590 Washington St., Denver, CO 80205

Word War I is sure to be one of the most exciting poetry month events in Denver. A two-day event, the Word War starts on Friday, April 3rd with poetry performances, live music, poetry workshops and then a poetry slam competition. Three rounds of spoken word are judged, and the four poets scoring the highest in the slam have the honor of representing Denver at the national poetry slam in Florida this August. Poetry Month events at Crossroads Theater begin at 8pm on Friday night.

The poetry month celebrations on Saturday, April 4th are geared toward young poets, with a special youth poetry slam and free workshops for all aspiring poets. The Saturday poetry month events will also feature a showcase of accomplished Denver poets, so come out to support your local artists and get your chapbooks signed.

Check out the Crossroads Theatre website for Denver poetry events all year round: http://www.denvercrossroads.com/index.htm

Liquid Poetry
April 18, 2009: 7pm
Wynkoop Brewery
1634 18th St., Denver, CO, 80202

Denver's famous Wynkoop Brewery keeps poetry month celebrations going all through April by offering a special ale called Liquid Poetry, sold in special souvenir glasses for only $5. Wynkoop also hosts one of Denver's most entertaining poetry month events: the Liquid Poetry Party, scheduled for National Poetry Month 2009 at 7pm on April 18th. Denver poets should enter their beer-related poetry in the Liquid Poetry Contest by April 11th, 2009, and then come to the party to hear the winners. Winning poets will read their poetry to the drunken crowd and receive fun prizes. Established local Denver poets will also be reading their beer-related poetry, and live music will keep the spirits flowing.

See the Wynkoop website for details about entering the National Poetry Month 2009 Liquid Poetry Contest: http://www.wynkoop.com/liquid.html

Split Personalities: An Evening of Poetry, Music and Revelry
April 24, 2009: 7 pm
910 Arts
910 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204

As National Poetry Month 2009 starts to wind down, come re-ignite your poetic enthusiasm on Friday, April 24th. The "Split Personalities" poetry month celebrations feature local accomplished poets such as Jake Adam York, Kimberly McClintock and Chris Ransick. Chris Ransick has been declared the Poet Laureate of Denver, and is scheduled to be involved in many of Denver's poetry month events.

This National Poetry Month 2009 event takes place at 910 Arts, a cool art studio in Denver's Santa Fe Art District, and there should be complimentary drinks and snacks. Split Personalities is hosted by Lighthouse Writers Workshop, a local organization of writers that organize literary events and educational workshops in Denver. Check the Lighthouse Writers website for special poetry workshops and classes that can help fuel the enthusiasm of National Poetry Month 2009.

Lighthouse Writers Workshop: https://lighthousewriters.org/

Sources:

Denver, the Mile High City, "April Poetry Month Events" http://www.denvergov.org/AprilPoetryMonthinDenver/tabid/429616/Default.aspx

Eventful, "Denver Events"
http://eventful.com/denver/events/word-war-i-poetry-festival-/E0-001-019733325-0@2009040300