Shelly Taylor holds the microphone while Beverly DeCoteau reads ‘Bicycles,’ by Nikki Giovanni.
IRVINGTON — The Say More Poetic Society hosted a “Culture of Words: A tribute to Nikki Giovanni” on Saturday in the Irvington Public Library.
The spoken word poetry reading was a celebration for Black History Month and it featured several people reading poetry, with a particular focus on Giovanni, the poet, activist and educator who won the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award for her work.
The event was led by Shelly “Smooches” Taylor, who is a professor at Montclair State University, a business owner and a community activator. Taylor leads the Poetic Society that meets once a month in the library.
The Society, which is open to all, has a focus on poetry but participants also work on their writing and talk about other issues including mental health, Taylor said.
“We started the program about two years ago to highlight local artists,” she said.
At the Saturday event, Taylor handed out small packets that included some candy but also seeds and a small piece of paper with a quote on it.
The seeds were meant to symbolize the seeds you plant in others, Taylor said.
“See if you can’t plant something that you can share with the community,” Taylor told the 20 people in the room.
Among those reading poems at the event were Gaynor Pearce, Reference Librarian Daphne Bishop-Brown, Beverly DeCoteau and Adriana Rare Essence and Rob Davis.
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