Hot Springs Village poet and author Angelique will be featured tonight 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. Angelique will begin her feature set at 7:15 p.m., followed by another round of open mic. Admission is free and open to all ages.
Born in Oak Park, Ill., Angelique began writing poetry and short stories during childhood. In her 20s, she designed and taught a course called "Teen Living" to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders that aided adolescents in transitioning from childhood and taught them valuable life skills. "After a mystical experience changed her life in 1991, Angelique became a serious writer, and also relocated from Illinois to North Carolina. In the new surroundings, inspiration from nature, Spirit, and the Blue Ridge Mountains resulted in the composition of over 200 poems in the span of a year," a news release said.
Angelique is the author of a poetry book called "Death Is Not Contagious" as well as two children's books called "Faerie Facts from A to Z" and "In My World: Trees Talk"; two travel books that highlight sacred sites in western North Carolina and Asheville; and also a work of creative nonfiction. Her award-winning poetry and true stories have appeared in Spirit of the Smokies, Guidepost Magazine, The Cherokee Sentinel, Windy City Speleonews, Rapid River, and others, the release said.
When she moved from North Carolina to Eureka Springs seven years ago, she stopped writing completely and that creative dry spell persisted for a long time. She did not put pen to paper in Arkansas until one auspicious night where she wandered into WNP.
"In October, I came to Wednesday Night Poetry for the first time, and the next day the flood gates opened and I started pouring words onto paper. I was revealing truths I hadn't even shared with my best friends, yet felt so safe at Wednesday Night Poetry I shared them with all the amazing, brave, gifted artists that come here. This experience has prompted my next book, which I plan to finish by my birthday April 19 -- a collection of prose/poetry/short stories (named by Spirit) Revelations 20:20. Everything I've read so far has been written since that first night I met all these open-armed poets. I have found this very healing, and I hope writings I share will help others as well," Angelique said in the release.
"We are honored that WNP has been such a catalyst for Angelique to once again pick up her pen and share her heart with the world. I remember when I was starting out and WNP was an inspiring force of creation for me, when I strove to share a new poem each week. There is just something about sharing with an audience that is such a spark!" said WNP Host Kai Coggin. Tonight is Angelique's first time to feature at WNP.
This week marks 1,622 consecutive Wednesdays of open mic poetry since Feb. 1, 1989. For more information about WNP or to be considered as a featured poet, email [email protected].
Entertainment on 02/26/2020