SHOW OF THE WEEK: Dead Poets Contest at Dublin Square, Oct. 28

On Tuesday, October 28, a Dead Poets Contest will take place starting at 7:30 pm at Dublin Square Irish Pub and Restaurant, 327 Abbot Road in East Lansing. Contestants are invited to read one or two poems by a departed poet, reading for a maximum of 4-5 minutes, and to dress “in the spirit” of that poet (generously interpreted—anything from a hat/scarf to full costume).

The organizers of the event (including me) invite folks to come meet the living and bring the dead back to life. Halloween seems to be an ideal time to celebrate the spirit of great writers from the past, and the Dead Poets Contest gives us a light-hearted way to do that.

The contest offers prizes: $100 for 1^st place, $50 for 2^nd place, and $25 for 3^rd place. Poets can sign up in advance or at the door. There is no cover charge for the event.

Great poets deserve a great audience, so we are hoping that folks will turn out and cheer for their favorite poets. So far, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Robert Burns, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Frost and H.D. have promised to attend.

Judges for the event will be: Laura Apol, poet and professor in the MSU Department of Education; Dennis Hinrichsen, award-wining poet and retired creative writing teacher from Lansing Community College; and Joni Starr, professor of theater education in the MSU Department of Education.

Poets can sign up in advance or at the door. For more information or to sign up in advance, contact me at ruestokes@gmail.com or 517-267-0410.

Ruelaine Stokes is the coordinator of the Old Town Poetry Series

This event is jointly sponsored by the Michigan State University Center for Poetry & the Old Town Poets.

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