Poetry Rising features visual artists, music, writings – and of course poetry – as part of Black History Month
For Stephen Pitters, it’s all about evolution. In 1985, he started the Spokane Open Poetry Association. When that ran its course, Pitters started hosting the Open Poetry Program on KYRS in 2004. With this program, he brought together not just the voices of poets, but artists of many mediums. He brings this same eye for curation to Poetry Rising, a quarterly event he’s hosted for about six years.
On Monday, Poetry Rising will have an event at 6 p.m. in the South Hill Library to celebrate Black History Month. Pitters will host, and the event will feature visual artist Olivia Evans, poet Gaye Hallman, jazz singer Inez Rahman and writer Teresa Brooks.
“The thing I like about Poetry Rising is I hand-select the people,” Pitters said. “I know their work. And for this, I wanted it to be women, especially for Black History Month. These are people who are movers and shakers.”
Becky Mace, a librarian with Spokane Public Library, described Pitters as a “force of nature.”
“I just think it gives people in the community a chance to come hear from local artists,” Mace said. “For one, it’s showcasing them, and that’s hugely important because I think often we hear about the artists who are big and known nationally, and we’re not always aware of the art that is happening in our own communities. It’s a great place to showcase them and to bring people together to enjoy that experience in the same room.”
Pitters’ love of poetry started at his Catholic grade school in New York, where he was challenged to memorize “The Bells” by Edgar Allen Poe as punishment for being loud. Pitters said he didn’t know the rules yet; he’d immigrated to the U.S. from Panama when he was 10.
“But the thing is, we all have that ham in us,” Pitters said. “I went home, I memorized this poem, and I said to myself, ‘It’s showtime.’ I got up there, I was boom, boom, once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, boom, boom, boom, boom. She finally said, ‘Stop, OK.’ ”
But for Pitters, this was the beginning of his love of poetry, the way the right words put together rang like music. His love of music and all other art mediums led him to collaborate with other artists. He wanted to hear his poems as songs, see them as dances, paintings, sculptures.
After tomorrow’s Poetry Rising, future events will feature high school students, and then seniors in the community.
His latest evolution is still in the works, but involves working with youths on a large-scale art project, which he’s dubbing the “Youth Collaboration Art Movement.”
“It’s always the time for youth, but they’re not always supported,” Pitters said.