A few weeks ago I posted a teaser about upcoming poetry events at my library.  A few of you even weighed in on what it should be called (and by a few, I mean one, and he’s mostly a fictional erotic persona).

Having little to do with poetry, this Lobster Phone is for your viewing pleasure.

And so now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: what will the library’s new monthly poetry night be called?  Not a Mixer, or a Collective, or a Congress (sorry, Chip) — but… a Social!  Somewhere between a Square Dance and a Soiree, it somehow seemed sexy enough for Lawrence without being too sexy.  The first one’s coming up just around the corner in September, and will feature “Migrations.”  Sharpen your pencils, Lawrence:

“This September we invite you to join us for the first of many monthly Poetry Socials, to be held in the LPL Gallery the third Wednesday of each month. This laidback affair provokes the wordsmyth in each of us to read, slam, or improvise a poem on a particular theme; we begin with “Migrations” in September. Interpreted loosely, these themes aim to challenge the daredevils and inspire the demure. Arrive at 7:00 to sign-up; reading starts at 7:30. Snacks and a convivial spirit provided!”

My colleague and fantastic fellow librarian will be running the show, and I kind of hope he picks “Working-class Detroit” as one of his upcoming themes in honor of our brand new U.S. Poet Laureate, Philip Levine.  Levine has always been one of my favorites, because of things like this:

“Mr. Levine said he had thought of proposing a project in which people would be asked to name the ugliest poem they could think of. ‘I knew they wouldn’t go for it,’ he added, referring to the Library of Congress.”

Working-class Detroit, Ugly Poems, Lobsters, Prom, Cyberpunk — come on down to the LPL any old third Wednesday to tell us what you wanna write about!