WNPS – its founding, past venues, governance

How did Wednesday Night Poetry get started?  Two words: Faith Vicinanza.

 A former Newtown resident, IT Exec, creator of Hanover Press, she began the series around 1994, nurtured it, spent time and money on it, promoted it, got the most interesting poets she could find to read and paid them out of her own pocket,

She began the series at a little book store called the Book Review which was in the Sand Hill Plaza on Route 25 in Newtown. The series soon out-grew the Book Review, which had a tiny little cafe area, and Faith moved it to Doctor Java’s Caffeine Emporium on Greenwood Ave. in Bethel. Over the years it has had many venues .

PAST VENUES include:  (dates approximate)

• The Book Review (Newtown) 1994
• Doctor Java’s (Bethel), 1994-1997
• The Chat House (Newtown),
• Bassett’s (Brookfield),
• The Frame Shop (Bethel),
• The Bethel Art Junction,2000-2005
• Molten Java (102 Greenwood Ave, Bethel),2005-2009
• The Blue Z Coffeehouse (Newtown) for about six months in 2010
• The Garage (Newtown) 2010-2011
• in 2012 – back home at Molten Java’s new digs at 213 Greenwood Ave

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In 2007, the governance of the series changed as well, falling to an “ad hoc” committee with Mark McGuire-Schwartz as “Executive Director” and co-curator, followed by Robin Sampson as “cat-herder,” i.e. “director of weekly operations” and curator from 2009-2011. Robin recently stepped down, and the “ad hoc”  ”self-selected” management committee (which includes founder Faith Vicinanza), has begun meeting and is steering the ship. This old web-tender is no longer involved and is not up on the latest doings so check the website, listed above..

 

The Wednesday Night Poetry Series, through 2011

From 1994 to 2011, the original Wednesday Night Poetry Series offered a weekly poetry meeting, including an open mic, a featured poet and a writing workshop, with an occassional themed open mic. During all those years through many different venues  WNPS welcomed poets, spoken-word artists, writers, (memoir, fiction, literary, plays, blogs etc) monologists, storytellers, songwriters, musicians (acoustic) and also  - listeners!   Attendees were invited to read their own work  or works by their favorite writers.  We were a a small, warm, friendly environment  that gave an encouraging start to many 1st-time readers!    The series never limited its focus to one kind of poetry – features included both well known “page” and “stage” poets, some from academia and some from slam and everything inbetween.

To view the ongoing series of events, which is taking a slightly new direction, visit its Facebook Page, put up by Faith or its blog:  http://wedpoetry.wordpress.com , done since the beginning of 2012 by Derek.

 

Faith at “Return of the Hosts” 1-27-2010

 

Mark at “Return of the Hosts”

 

Cheryl at “Return of the Hosts”

 

Eli at “Return of the Hosts”

 

Victoria at Return of the Hosts