Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
January 18, 2007 issue
Ray McNiece To Lead Poetry Slam at Watauga Library Saturday
Story by Celeste von Mangan
Ray McNiece—poet, performer, educator and speaker—has performed in such far-flung places as the Moscow Polytech, known as the Russian Poet’s Hall of Fame, and The City Lights Italia in Florence, Italy. The Cleveland, Ohio native has worked with Robert Bly, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Yevgeny Yevtushenko and is the author of six poetry books. On Saturday, January 20, from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m., McNiece will perform and lead a poetry slam at the Watauga County Public Library. This is Who We Are—Connections Through Poetry is an event in the I Have A Dream Week celebrations honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and vision. The public is invited to attend McNiece’s popular poetry slam and participants should bring their own poetry to share.
“I’m just in from a gig at NKU,” wrote McNiece by email. “I’m also doing a residency at Nativity School. I am a big fan of Langston Hughes, so I also did a show called Common Ground, Common Dreams, performing Langston Hughes poetry with my own poems. He was from Cleveland as well.”
McNiece has earned a national reputation as a poet and a performer for almost two decades with his solo theater pieces, poetry and music shows with his band Tongue in Groove. Using what McNiece calls “edutainment”— theater that enlightens as well as entertains—he teaches performance workshops and one- to two-week residencies for college, university, elementary and secondary schools.
He is perhaps best known for his slams. And what exactly is a poetry slam? Simply put, it is the competitive art of performance poetry. Poetry slams place dual emphasis on both writing and performing, encouraging poets to focus on what they are saying and how they are saying it. Members of the audience judge the poets performing at a slam.
For more information, call 828-260-2437 or click to www.raymcniece.com.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, January 20
Time: 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Location: Watauga Public Library
Cost: Free