Philipsburg:--- Organizers of the annual poetry event Summer Speaks has announced the dates for the three nights of spoken word this July.Lysanne Charles, event founder and coordinator, said that this year's Summer Speaks will be held on Wednesdays, July 13, 20, 27, from 7:30-10pm at Taloula's Mango on the Boardwalk. She explained that while the venue had changed, the format for the event had basically stayed the same, retaining the original goals.
"The motivation behind Summer Speaks in its entirety is to provide young St. Maarten poets with a venue where their voices and pieces can be heard. It also offers audiences the chance to come out and hear some of what is going on locally as it pertains to poetry and spoken word," Charles said.
This is the third year that the local event is being held and is once again in collaboration with Imbali Center for Creative Movement. Charles said that a variety of poets would grace each night's line-up, with the poets reading for about 10-12 minutes at intervals. According to Charles, the schedules for each night was strong and audiences were sure to be pleased with the material presented.
"This year for sure I'm going to miss some of the seasoned Summer Speaks poets, some who have gone abroad to further their education and others who are vacationing, still newer voices have been introduced this year and so I think we can expect great things," Charles said.
The first Wednesday will feature readings from Charles herself, along with Stephen "Stretch" Rodney, Jurnice Richardson, Nkosazana Illis, Anderson Percival and Peter Lake. Charles also said that audiences were in for a few surprises this year, but would not reveal what they were.
"Each night we're going to try and add a little extra to the line-up, to build on the strong foundations we've laid over the last few years. Summer Speaks is a work in progress though and every year we would like to see this event growing stronger and stronger."
"Especially important for me this year is the open mic part of each evening, which is intended for young and new poets to seize the mic and demonstrate what they have got. I know a lot of people may feel shy about presenting their work, but the open mic sessions at Summer Speaks provides the safe setting needed to explore and so I encourage all budding poets to come out and touch the mic," Charles said.
Charles encouraged the community to come out and support the local poets as they develop their art.
"Taloula Mango has been gracious enough to host us this year and we hope that the central location of town means that a lot more people will come out and join us and walk with their work," Charles asid. She said that parking for the event was available on the venue's rooftop.
Cost for admittance to the event is $15 per night, including one soft drink or juice and a variety of the restaurants appetizers or $35 for all 3 nights. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Pete's Photos, Van Dorp, Imbali Center for Creative Movement and by calling Charles at 586-1266.