Wednesday Night Poetry will start the new year with host Kai Coggin, a Hot Springs poet, author, activist and teaching artist, as the featured poet.
The regular open mic session for all poets will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Kollective Coffee+Tea, 110 Central Ave. Coggin, whose 40th birthday is today, 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.
"Bring the family, and arrive early to get a good seat," a news release said.
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, and raised in Houston, Coggin is a former Houston Regional Teacher of the Year -- top five finalist out of 85,000 teachers -- turned poet, author, and teaching artist who moved to Hot Springs from Houston in 2012 with her love, Joann. She received her BA in Poetry and Creative Writing from Texas A&M University. As an arts advocate, Coggin serves on the board of directors for the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, the release said.
"My life changed when I moved to this little town," Coggin said. "I retired from teaching after sticking my flag at the proverbial mountaintop of that career, and knowing that I couldn't change the education system, I left as an example to my students to keep chasing a dream. I had always had a dream of becoming a poet, and that little seed was planted into the nourishing soil of Hot Springs, and I bloomed here."
Coggin is the author of three full-length collections of poetry, "Periscope Heart," 2014, "Wingspan," 2016, and "Incandescent," 2019, all written since she moved to Hot Springs. Her latest book "Incandescent," published through Arkansas publishing house Sibling Rivalry Press, "garnered acclaim from a stellar review in the Arkansas Times," the release said.
Coggin's poetry has been nominated three times for the prestigious Pushcart Prize, as well as Bettering American Poetry 2015 and Best of the Net 2016 and 2018.
"Well, I couldn't give up teaching completely. It's in my bones," Coggin said. "Now I have the chance to just teach what I love, without all those standardized tests." Coggin is a Teaching Artist in Poetry on the Arts in Education Roster with the Arkansas Arts Council, and is "one of the busiest artists with Arkansas Learning Through The Arts," the release said. During the school year, she is invited to conduct poetry residencies across the state teaching students ranging from second to 12th grade.
"I always tell my students that poetry is a safe place for their feelings. Young people are struggling with so much these days, in Arkansas especially, and giving them a tool to express themselves is something I wish I had as a kid. I know giving them this method to transcend hardships through writing is my purpose in the world. This last school year, I had the honor of teaching poetry to over 3,500 kids," Coggin said in the release. She has also been invited to speak at National Park College, University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University, and University of Central Arkansas.
WNP founder, the late Bud Kenny, handed the host reins to Coggin last February at the 30th anniversary. "Come ring in the New Year and help me celebrate my 40th birthday," she said. This week marks 1,614 consecutive Wednesdays of open mic poetry in downtown Hot Springs since Feb. 1, 1989.
For more information about WNP, or to be considered as a featured poet, email [email protected].
Entertainment on 01/01/2020