Philipsburg:--- The final night of the poetry and dinner series Winter's Words will take place on Wednesday, February 2, at Shieka's Bistro in Philipsburg starting 7:30pm, this according to event organizer Lysanne Charles.Charles explained that while the previous nights of the series had been hosted at The Crazy Thyme Restaurant it had been decided that the finale would take place in Philipsburg.
"Thus far we have held all our poetry and dinner evenings over the hill in Simpson Bay, and this once I wanted to bring it to the heart of Dutch St. Maarten and Shieka's was the first choice. The atmosphere there is beautiful with the lights and set-up and we look forward to performing at this new venue," Charles said.
She went on to say that those who had been fortunate to perform at Crazy Thyme, including herself, were extremely thankful to Bevil Byam and Andreas for their continued support of the event.
"Whether the audience was small or big, these two gentlemen remained committed to allowing us to use their space and in doing so gave us opportunities to share our creations with fellow poets and also with the wider public. For this I, in particular, owe them a debt of gratitude," Charles said.
Charles also said that the proprietor of Shieka's Bistro, Betty Richardson, was happy to take over the last night of performances.
"Betty and I have been discussing having an activity at the bistro for some time, but the timing always didn't add up, especially on my end. Finally when I approached her about having one session of Winter's Words there, she was more than willing; though she did remind me that I still owe her a night of Jazz poetry. So once we're through with this one, we will do that evening later on in the year," Charles said.
The line up for the final night includes poets Roberto Celestino Arrindell, Lenworth Wilson, Rene Violenus, Giovanni "Gino" Olivacce, Natasha Carty and Charles herself. Clara Reyes is scheduled to be the mistress of ceremonies.
Charles said that all those who were interested in listening to excellent spoken word should come out and support the artists as they closed this session of Winter's Words.
"We always have great fun performing for each other and for the audiences that come to both Summer Speaks and Winter's Words. Every time there's something new, even if we sometimes use the same poems, it's done with a different twist," Charles said.
Charles said that the poets would be performing some new pieces, but would also be delivering some standards.
"I know Roberto is going to come with 'Come lewwe go back', even if it is just a small piece of it, Rene has to perform 'Bush Tea', it has already been requested that Lenworth present 'Writing's on the Wall' and 'My Black is Magic' and I've been told that I won't get away without performing 'I Never Knew'. So I'm expecting it to be a great evening of words and delicious food and I encourage the community to come out and have fun with us," Charles said.
Charles said that cost of dinner and poetry was $25 and reservations should be made by calling her at 586-1266 or 522-2513.
