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Reed Library’s Big Read POEtry Contest recognized poets at two separate open mic events.

The first was held Friday, Oct. 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Literacy Volunteers Café and Bookstore in Dunkirk and the second was held Saturday, Oct.r 15 at 10 a.m. at the Fredonia Farmers’ Market.

First, the Literacy Volunteers 21 East Café and Bookstore hosted the Teen and Adult Poets’ open mic event. 21 East Café was packed with poets bravely waiting for their turn at the microphone, coffee sipping listeners hanging on every syllable, and awardees beaming with pride as they received awards in front of their relatives and friends who applauded and snapped photos.

“I was very pleased with the turnout! In general, contests that generate enough interest from young people and members of the community to show off their work are fantastic” said Amanda Walden, Executive Director of the Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County.

“It takes a certain kind of interest and a strong support network to put on events like the open mic night and hopefully that’s what we can provide” Walden said.

The Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literacy in the region. 21 East Bookstore and Café offers coffee, espresso drinks, tea, pastries, and light lunch fare catered by the Mustard Seed restaurant. Both the café and bookstore are staffed by volunteers and students of the Literacy Volunteers’ program.
When asked if 21 East would be interested in hosting another open mic event in the future, Walden responded favorably.
“Absolutely, I’d like to have a regular poetry reading night at the café” Walden said.

Currently, works by Edgar Allen Poe that have been donated are available for purchase at the 21 East book store. 

Then on the morning of Saturday, October 15th, several costumed children shared their original poetry at the Fredonia Farmers’ Market during the Big Read POEtry Contest Young Poets’ Open Mic event. This event was held in conjunction with the Fredonia Farmers’ Market, which moved inside due to the cold, rainy weather. Kids were invited to the market to trick or treat, read their spooky poems, and listen to scary stories.

“It was awesome to see all the kids dressed up in their cute costumes and to be able to hear their poetry!” said Malinda McGuinn. McGuinn is the Winter Market Manager as well as a vendor at the market who own Lamberton Hollow Farms. McGuinn sells freshly baked, all natural bread and humanely raised, natural eggs.

“I’m glad the Fredonia Farmers’ Market was able to provide kids with a venue to share their poetry. Events like this one are important because they get people out more and make them aware of what’s happening in their community” McGuinn said.

McGuinn also indicated that she would be in favor of having additional poetry reading events at the upcoming Winter Market. The Fredonia Farmers’ Market is year round and will be relocating to an indoor location starting in November.
Immediately following the open mic for young poets at the Fredonia Farmers’ Market, Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society members read spooky stories for kids and handed out books to eager listeners. Submissions were judged by SUNY Fredonia students from Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and from a creative writing group called the Writers’ Ring. These students volunteered their time and talents to accomplish the difficult task of selecting a handful of winners from a nearly 200 poems.

“Sigma Tau Delta wanted to judge the poetry contest because we thought it would be a lot of fun. Many of us are education majors, yet we do not have many opportunities to see student work” said Tomi Stratton, president of Writer’s Ring and co-President of Sigma Tau Delta.

“The experience was one of the most enjoyable ones I have ever experienced. Reading the poetry was fun, but talking about it with a group of my peers was amazing. We were able to sit back, relax, and marvel at the great work of young authors” said Stratton.

In addition to serving as a judge for the contest, Stratton was also among the students who read spooky stories after the open mic at the Fredonia Farmers’ Market. Sigma Tau Delta also gave away spooky books to all of the children at the event.

All poe

ts were invited to read at the open mic events, but the following poets received awards:

Young Poets (Grades K-5 & 6-8) Overall Grand Prize

• “Zombie School,” by Merry Milliman

Grades K-5:

• 1st place, “The Night I encountered Death,” by Tyler Sillanpaa
• 2nd place, “Skeleton Haiku,” by Madisyn Herman
• Honorable Mentions for “The Call of the Spooks,” by Tay Reynolds and
• “Mushy,” by Adrianna Heary

Grades 6-8:

• 1st place, “What Goes Bump in the Night,” by Ashley Johnson
• 2nd place, “Halloween,” by Hannah Wallace
• Honorable Mention for “Spooky Poem,” by Ian Wittenbrook

Young Poets Audience Favorites:

• “The Myth,” by Joseph Vandette and
• “The Call of the Spooks,” by Tay Reynolds

Teen and Adult Poets Overall Grand Prize:

• “The Veil,” by Casey Takacs

Grades 9-12:

• 1st place, “Who The Devil Is,” by Emily Masiker
• 2nd place, “The Burning Autumn,” by Chelsea Kilbury
• Honorable Mentions for “The Glory of Windows,” by Megan Brown, “Daunting is the Melody,” by Thomas Warmbrodt, “The Craving,” Colin Perry; and “Deep in the Shadows,” by Ali Barton

Adult:

• 1 st place, “The Glow,” by Nicole Jankowiak
• 2 nd place, “The Accused,” by Kristin Puglisi
• Honorable Mention for “And So I Stand,” by Shawn Huestis

Adult & Teen Audience Favorites:

• “Brain Surgery,” by George Clever and
• “Old Lady Cracklyn,” by Laura Evans

All contest winners received graphic design posters to commemorate their poems made by the SUNY Fredonia Publications office. Others received gift cards and Poe books from the Book Nook in Dunkirk. A few audience favorite book prizes were awarded to readers who received the most votes at the open mic events as well.

The Big Read POEtry Contest organizers would also like to give special thanks to the following open mic readers: George Batrouny, George Clever, Laura Evans, Casey Takacs, Niki Jankowiak, Lee Filbert, Emily Masiker, Thomas Warmbrodt, Natalie Gerber, Ian Wittenbrook, Hannah Wallace, Tay Reynolds, Silvie Eckenrode, Sebastian Puglisi, and Joseph Vandette.

The POEtry Contest was one of Reed Library’s kick off events for the Big Read of Edgar Allan Poe. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Reed Library is one of 76 communities nationwide participating in The Big Read from September 2011-June 2012. During the month of October, Reed Library has joined in the celebration of Edgar Allan Poe with a variety of events on and off campus. These events are free and open to the public.

For more information on The Big Read, visit www.fredonia.edu/library or visit your local library.