Historical Society hosting “Poetry Out Loud” event Sunday, Aug. 28
~by Chuck Offenburger for the Greene County Historical Society
The Greene County Historical Society will host local poets on Sunday, Aug. 28, for a free 2 pm “Poetry Out Loud” performance at the museum in Jefferson.
The poets have been meeting – their goal is monthly – since 2002 to share their work, always doing readings “aloud and with feeling,” which was the directive of their original convener, Colleen O’Brien.
This will be the fourth time they’ve come together for a public reading at the museum, the earlier events being in 2003, 2013 and 2014.
Over the years, they’ve taken the name “First United Coven of Greene County,” which always requires local media to explain that a “coven” is actually any “assemblage,” not just a gathering of witches, with which most people associate the term. The local coven has restricted its membership to female poets, despite occasionally being questioned about that.
Five poets are scheduled to read in the Aug. 28 event – Teena Toliver, Tori Riley, Nancy Hanaman, Karen Voge-Perkins and Mikki Schwarzkopf.
“We’ll be reading our own poems, as well as some of those written by other members of our group who can’t be there and others who are deceased,” said Schwarzkopf.
There will be free refreshments, and the Historical Society intends to have a “coffeehouse atmosphere” in the museum for the program.
More information is available on the Historical Society’s new website www.greenecountyiowahistoricalsociety.org.
