Poetry at the Art Center: Readers, Writers, and Listeners Wanted!
Join us at the Bonham Creative Arts Center for a monthly celebration of poetry in all its forms. Whether you write your own verses, love to share favorite poems, or simply enjoy listening to the power of words, you’ve found your community!
Each month, we’ll explore a different theme and poetic form, creating a relaxed space where poetry becomes accessible and alive. Share in any or all of our three rounds:
Round 1: Theme-based poems
Round 2: Explorations of form
Round 3: Open choice finale
No experience needed – just bring your love of language. We even have poems on hand if you’d like to join in but haven’t brought your own.
This adult (18+) group embraces poetry’s full range, from playful to profound. Come discover how poetic forms can serve feeling, and how ancient patterns can amplify modern voices. No critiques, no pressure – just the joy of experiencing poetry together.
Thursdays evenings from 6:30 – 8:00 pm
While it is free to attend, we do strongly prefer that you register before 11 pm the day before so we can adequately prepare for the event. Click the button(s) below to complete a quick registration.
Contact: Michelle Haynes (949) 350-5335 | [email protected]
Please note, every Thursday evening in April, we will be hosting Music in the Garden. Poetry at the Art Center will either need to shift to a Wednesday or Friday evening in April, or we will skip a month. At the March meeting, we will discuss with participants and make a final decision about what we will schedule for April. All are encouraged to come to Music in the Garden!
February Agenda
Round 1:
The theme for February is “Voice.” You choose what that means. You could read/write a poem about finding one’s voice, voice of the people, the beauty of someone’s voice, the terrible memory of a harsh voice, voice of nature, voicing truth, etc. Any form is fine.
Round 2:
Featured Form: Couplets
For this round, bring a poem that incorporates couplets.
This is one of poetry’s most natural and musical forms. Simply put, a couplet is a pair of lines that work together, often (but not always) rhyming. Think of them as poetry’s dance partners – two lines moving together to express a single thought.
You might already know couplets from:
Nursery rhymes: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star / How I wonder what you are”
Shakespeare’s dramatic endings: “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo”
Contemporary song lyrics: “I’ve been everywhere, man / I’ve breathed the mountain air, man”
Couplets can be:
Rhyming or non-rhyming
A complete poem or part of a longer piece
Serious or playful
As simple or complex as you choose
Round 3:
Open Choice
Share any poem, any type! Max time is 3 minutes. So, if you LOVE sharing “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, choose your favorite three-minute excerpt.