LANSING, MI – Not even the down pour of rain could damper the attendance of the 5th Annual Poetry in the City program held on the Capitol steps. Almost 150 people were present event though the threat of rain loomed overhead.
Rina Risper said, “It was raining in the morning when I drove my daughter, Anissa, to camp. Anissa told me to cheer up because God was going to start smiling and the rain would go away.”
Since its inception in 2003, Poetry in the City has achieved brand-name status in the city and the state. It is a showcase of Michigan’s poetic talent. It featured a diverse group of professional poets, rising stars and leading lights from our talented younger generation.
Most poets believe in the First Amendment right of free speech which sometimes makes it difficult to monitor the somewhat outrageous poems.
“We have a family friendly event and “knowing your crowd” is a real professional behavior. You have to expect the unexpected turns in poetry,” said Risper.
The first poetry event was called “Poetry in the Park” and was held at Francis Park. Risper explained that the program was successful and politics came into play when Poetry in the Park was cancelled with no explanation. She said that after the program was cancelled she wanted to still have them in Lansing’s parks but the cost was prohibitive and decided to look for other creative venues. She now raises the money for the events through private donations.
She laughed and said, “The city not assisting with funding was not going to stop me. Poetry will survive on a street corner. Creativity blooms from crevices and having private citizens who believe in what you believe in is important.”
As soon as the last poets began to climb the steps to execute their poems a light rain began to fall.
Poetry is a different art form and some would say that isn’t relevant in the scheme of things.
Rina Risper said with a smile, “I’d like you to tell that to a second grader who has used a thesaurus to discover that “the big tree” becomes “the magnificent maple”. In our teaching process we need to explore all options for education. The implications of not doing so will cost us dearly in the future as technology grows.”
