The co-founder and editor of Arkansas Youth Mag, Gracie Fuhrman, will be this week's feature for Wednesday Night Poetry at Kollective Coffee+Tea, 110 Central Ave.
The evening will begin with an open mic session for all poets at 6:30 p.m. and Fuhrman will perform at 7 p.m., followed by another round of open mic. Admission is free and open to all ages.
A senior at Cabot High School, Fuhrman started Arkansas Youth Mag with her cousin, Paige Fuhrman, in March. According to a news release, the online literary magazine is designed by high school students dedicated to celebrating the diversity and creativity of Arkansas youths.
"So far we've just published poetry, essays and photography of our friends," Fuhrman said. "But we put out a call for submissions and have received more than 70 from around central Arkansas. So, now we have enough work to publish a full issue at the end of October." They intend to publish quarterly.
Fuhrman began writing her own poetry in the ninth grade. "I've been a fan of poetry for as long as I can remember. Then in the ninth grade I thought I'd give it a try myself. I started out writing song lyrics on my front porch." Her verse is heavily impacted by slam poetry, and she considers performance poets Neil Hilborn and Sarah Kay as major influences in her work.
Inspiration for Fuhrman's poetry comes from her personal experiences and current events. "I love using language to express my feelings about what's going on with me and my political ideologies," she said. "I tend to have a liberal point of view."
Her poetry has been published by The Rising Phoenix Press. Wednesday night will be her first time to be a feature poet on stage.
Fuhrman plans to attend the University of Arkansas and major in International Business and Spanish with a minor in Creative Writing. In the long term, she hopes to attend law school and become a tort attorney. "But I plan to continue to be involved in the central Arkansas Literary community," she added.
Visit http://www.aryouthmag.wordpress.com for more information about Arkansas Youth Mag.
Entertainment on 10/17/2017