Audio By Carbonatix
Now in its 25th year, the Colorado Poetry Rodeo — aka the “Podeo” — has deep roots that hark back to the Beat poets, as well as magnificent branches that stretch all the way into the big sky of modern slam poetry. Its legacy of diversity and community is what makes the annual event — usually a marathon open mic — so special for a scene that’s grown to be an important national voice, say poetry scenesters SETH and Roseanna Frechette, who both remember the Podeo’s start at the long-gone Muddy’s Java Cafe back in 1989. They’ve both been organizing the anniversary event since January, along with Marilyn Megenity of the Mercury Cafe and others, hoping to take it to the next level with a round-the-clock festival atmosphere.
“We’re really counting on the collective community to raise the roof with us on something like this,” notes Frechette. “We really want to draw in a greater percentage of the population to see what a thriving community we have for poetry in this town, so we tried to create a range of presentations that would not only highlight the beauty of spoken word itself, but also bring in a dynamic of other aspects of artistic entertainment.”
To that end, the event, which runs from noon to midnight today at the Merc, 2199 California Street, will offer a schedule of individual readings by a local poetry who’s-who, from veteran artist Ed Ward to the city’s top slam poets, as well as a poetry-film program, multimedia performances and audience-participation segments. Finally, it all wraps up with dancing to music by the aptly named Coyote Poets of the Universe.
This is the first year that the Colorado Poetry Rodeo has charged admission, but the $10 price tag is good for any and all events during these twelve hours of poetizing, and if you happen to arrive in the first hour, when teen poets from the nonprofit group Art From Ashes perform, it’s free, thanks to an anonymous donor. For details, visit mercurycafe.com or call 303-294-9281.
Sat., April 19, noon-midnight, 2014
