Elmer Beard, a poet, published author, retired educator, former city councilman, civil rights activist, lifelong freedom fighter, and longtime member of the NAACP will be featured this week at 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. Beard will begin his feature set at 7:15 p.m., followed by another round of open mic. Admission is free and open to all ages.
Beard received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Arkansas Baptist College, and earned his master's degree in Education from Henderson State University.
"His love of service and uplifting the African American experience has led to a lifetime of community and civic leadership. In the 1960s, he helped prepare high school students for desegregation and challenged local businesses to hire black employees. From 1971-1985, he served eight terms on the Hot Springs City Council, passing municipal legislation and securing funds to build infrastructure throughout the overlooked African American community. During this time, he was also an agent for Metropolitan Life, advising clients on relieving their loved ones from financial burdens after death," a news release said.
In 1975, Beard was listed as one of 40 "Most Outstanding African-Americans in Arkansas."
"This respected community leader returned to the classroom in 1984, where he and his late wife, Dorothy, taught secondary school in Pulaski County school districts for the next 15 years until his retirement. After retirement, he continued his passion for teaching at the university level at his alma mater, Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, and the National Park College in Hot Springs," the release said.
Now he dedicates his time to writing. He self-published his first book, "The Challengers: Untold Stories of African Americans Who Changed the System in One Small Southern Municipality," which was a grant recipient from the Clinton Family Foundation, the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Arkansas Black History Commission and the Oaklawn Scholarship Foundation.
"In order to complete the book, I spent several years researching public records and the personal memories of local citizens, including their scrapbooks, photos, and political papers. It was a search for our history," Beard said in the release. In the book, he presents profiles of 63 black candidates who ran for political offices in Hot Springs.
At 82, Beard has just completed his latest poetry collection, "Let Reason Roll: Race, Religion, & Reflections," which takes a look at historical events and pressing issues through the eyes of an octogenarian. Beard is known as the Octo Griot (the T is silent).
"Elmer is a diamond of wisdom and grace in our community. His poems are always relevantly poignant and truthful, spoken from the sharp eyes of a man who has witnessed much in his long and intriguing history. I also love the sound of his poetry, too -- his voice truly is an instrument of baritone beauty, velvety and smooth, like the voice of royalty," WNP host Kai Coggin said in the releases.
"We are honored to honor a man like Mr. Beard, for all that he has done in his life to serve others. Wednesday is his special night."
This week marks 1,608 consecutive Wednesdays of open mic poetry in downtown Hot Springs since Feb. 1, 1989. Email [email protected] for more information or to be considered as the featured poet.
Entertainment on 11/19/2019