Boston native May Canfield will be this week's feature for Wednesday Night Poetry at Kollective Coffee+Tea, 110 Central Ave.
The regular open mic session for all poets will begin at 6:30 p.m. Canfield will perform at 7 p.m., followed by another open mic. Admission is free and open to all ages.
After having lived on both the East and West coasts, as well as Florida, Canfield settled in Hot Springs nine years ago to be near family. The mother of a 6-year-old boy named Toby, she is an employee of Xerox, where she does data processing for Coca-Cola.
"It's a job," said Canfield. "My passions are writing and raising my son."
Canfield began writing poetry as a preteen.
"At first I wrote about living in a home with alcohol abuse and verbal torment," she said. "I find writing to be a successful way to remember things and vent frustrations in a peaceful way."
Canfield originally attended Wednesday Night Poetry as a spectator with no intention of participating as a poet.
"Then Karen Hayes volunteered me to be part of 'The Poet Is In' during the Arts & The Park celebration this past May," Canfield said. "After that weekend of reading poetry to strangers on the sidewalk, I have stepped up to the mic nearly every Wednesday since."
"Here is another example of someone who has plenty to say, and can do it in an eloquent manner, but never thought she would actually get up and do it," WNP founder and host Bud Kenny said. "In the past 28 years if Wednesday Night Poetry has done nothing else positive for this community, it has provided a supportive venue for the reluctant poet to get up and share their work with the public."
Email [email protected] for more information about Wednesday Night Poetry.
Entertainment on 08/30/2016