Several BWW poets read their work during the second annual Poetry in the Park event held at Citizens Park in Barrington. Organized by the Barrington Cultural Commission the outdoor event theme was Summer: Sunshine and Storms. A brief biography read by emcee Janette Tepas introduced each poet as they walked to the podium accompanied by music from jazz duo Peter Swenson on guitar and Jason Dziedzic on bass. Approximately 120 audience members showed their appreciation with a round of applause for each poet.
BWW poets who read at the event include:
Trudy Kleckner, Have You Ever Seen a Dragon Fly
Toni Louise Diol, Ghosts Run Wild
Harlene Henry, Summer Fans
John Maxwell, The Poet’s Dance
Nan Claassen, Labor Day
The weather was perfect and so were the themed poems so graciously shared by the poets.
Janette Tepas introduces Nan Claassen
Trudy Kleckner was recently featured in the Arts & Culture section of Quintessential Barrington magazine where she shared some thoughts on writing poetry that we think are worth sharing here. When asked how she turns an ordinary event like visiting a bakery into art she responded: “The poet’s job is to tell a story that moves people. It asks the reader to notice something.” Here’s her poem that accompanied the article.
