Performed by Val Cole and Becky Shrimpton
The Great Willow, by Kourtney D. Cooper
The Fourth Month, by Gloria D. Gonsalves
THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY RAY SIXPACK, by John Ervin
Disease S U, by Darrell Herbert
Clap your hands, by Raphaëlle YOKOTA
BYWORD: A Nation Called out of Their Name, by Makabi
ROCK ON, MAMA by Tammi Croteau
JUNIOR (IN MEMORY OF), by James R Adams II
Let Your Soul Fly Free to Heaven, by Aurora Jean Alexander
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the poet:
What is the theme of your poem?
The theme of my poem deals with feelings of indifference.
What motivated you to write this poem?
My motivation for writing this piece stemmed from a multitude of experiences.
How long have you been writing poetry?
I have been writing poetry ever since I was five.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
I would have dinner with Kurt Cobain.
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
My influence to submit my poetry to get it performed by a professional actor was due to the fact that none of my published poems have been read by someone outside of myself.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
Unfortunately, I don’t write short-stories. But, I do write songs for other musicians.
What is your passion in life?
My passion in life is expressing myself freely in an attempt to empower those who feel powerless.
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the poet:
What is the theme of your poem?
The theme of my poem is about an ancient king of Ireland named Cormac, who reigned for forty years and was renowned as both a brave and honorable king, and beloved among his loyal friends and subjects. Story tells that at some time King Cormac turned away from the pagan deities prevalent in ancient Ireland, and became a Christian, for which he was hated by the heathen Druids and priests. My poem is woven around that story, from the perspective of a modern admirer, and one who aspires to the same destiny of leading an honorable and courageous life.
What motivated you to write this poem?
The courage and dignity with which this King of Ireland both reigned his people and lived his own life inspired me to write this poem.
How long have you been writing poetry?
I suppose you could say I have been writing poetry all my life, though the occasions may have sometimes been few and far between 🙂
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
If I could sit down and have dinner with one person, I think it would be Princess Tamar (Tea) Tephi, another fascinating historical figure from ancient Ireland, who was very similar to King Cormac in that she, too, had a Judeo-Christian faith, though she was brought up with it and did not have to ‘convert’ as it were.
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I decided to participate in this contest for two reasons: one being that this poem is very near and dear to my heart, and I would like to share it with others. The other reason is that this poem will also be featured in my upcoming historical-fiction, adventure novel ‘The Kurgan’s Secret: Lost In The Kingdom of Moesia’, which I am planning to publish very soon, and I thought that having it performed by a professional actor would be a wonderful way to spread the word!
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
Yes, I write mostly historical-fiction adventure novels. I began writing my first book ‘When the Lion Roars’ when I was 17 years old, and self-published it 3 years later. I am currently preparing to publish the sequel, which I hope will eventually blossom into a 4-5 book series. I also occasionally write short stories and funny stories, which I share on goodreads.com.
What is your passion in life?
Probably the most difficult question of all to answer succinctly, my passion in life as a writer is to make the past come to life before people’s eyes, and hopefully to inspire them with true history and what it means for all of us.
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the poet:
What is the theme of your poem?
The all-encompassing ignorance and intolerance of anyone who voted for President Trump.
What motivated you to write this poem?
The main character, Johnny Ray Sixpack, of my political comedy film script “The Look of Hate”. I was also motivated by the disgust I have for the shocking number of people in this country who helped Donald Trump become President (even if he didn’t win the popular vote and had help from Vladimir Putin).
How long have you been writing poetry?
Off- and-on for much of my life, though my strengths are in screenwriting and writing non-fiction articles.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Tilda Swinton
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
Professional actors can convey the words I write better than when they are just on the page or the phone. Also, it’d be interesting to see Johnny Ray Sixpack personified (for the first … but not the last … time).
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I have primarily written feature and short film scripts, five of which have been made into movies. I have also written articles on politics and entertainment for periodicals such as City Pages and The Rake.
What is your passion in life?
To continue bringing my screenplays to life on the big and little screens. And to see Donald Trump impeached and imprisoned!
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the poet:
What is the theme of your poem?
The theme of my poem addresses sorrow and the consequences one’s sorrows can beget on surrounding people, places and things. We tend to, as humans, have a strange genetic need to be amongst equals. The rich comingle with other likeminded wealth, the poor unable to escape their poverties, the happy with the happy, and if uninterrupted or thwarted, the sad with the sad. If uninterrupted, I’m sure the multiplicity sorrow could prove diabolic.
What motivated you to write this poem?
I am trying to expand my writing, to attempt other forms of writing so that I can grow and evolve as a writer. In their brief existence, poetry challenges a person to think and wonder profoundly by use of beautifully, deliberately arranged words. I want to master this skill.
How long have you been writing poetry?
I just began. My skill and technique is perhaps a few months old. I am training myself by reading other arranged works to help strengthen my own poetic muscle. Even in my writing this, I notice a difference in my writing.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
As cliché as this answer may appear (hopefully it doesn’t relate to pathetic), the one person I’d want to have dinner with is Beyonce. Perhaps the overall reason is due to how much I idolize her hustle and talent. I would want to probe her thoughts on what drives her momentum? How does she challenge herself to attain the next level, to exceed even herself? Things that relate to her maintaining a consistent behavior that bears wealth in wisdom and evolved talent.
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I want to hear my work voiced outside my own head, outside my own mouth—to see someone else interpret the emotion placed throughout the poem.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I do write other works: scripts, short stories, blogs, comics, and novels as of now.
What is your passion in life?
My passion in life is to one day write as a successful writer for Hollywood.
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the poet:
What is the theme of your poem?
The poem has two themes: nature and humour.
What motivated you to write this poem?
This poem was written in 2016 during NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo. The prompt was to write a poem in which one explores what they think is the cruelest month, and why.
How long have you been writing poetry?
Over 10 years and I’m still learning every day.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
It would be Beatrix Potter, for her knowledge in mycology. We would chat about my picture book ‘Lamellia: The Kingdom of Mushrooms’. The story is about high advanced mushroom society, who found a human baby alone in the forest. Their king decides to adopt it and orders Lamellians to use their abilities to care for it.
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I dislike public performance. So your platform is the right place for me to co-share the skill of writing and performing with someone else.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I have published books on fantasy/adventure/educational tales with moral lessons. In the published portfolio is also a novella and anthology of thoughts. For anyone interested to know more, I am giving free books to visitors on my website.
What is your passion in life?
Inspire and invoke positive changes with my writing.
Performed by Val Cole
POETRY 7 questions:
What is the theme of your poem?
I try not to make a habit on writing about war, but sometimes I can’t turn a blind eye on what it does to us, inspiring me then to create poems such as Vanquished.
What motivated you to write this poem?
I have a drawer filled with old, either printed out or handwritten poems, and Vanquished was one of them. Most of the poems in this drawer have a date on them, but Vanquished does not. I know that I wrote this poem after 9/11, maybe even after Desert Storm, and I also know that something on the news triggered something deep within me to write it.
How long have you been writing poetry?
The thought of writing poetry never crossed my mind until the seventh grade, where two creative writing teachers encouraged me to start doing so, and in the beginning, they were small. But over the years, they have become a voice that brings out all that I have buried deep inside.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Edgar Allan Poe
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
My poetry speaks to me when I write it, but once written, its voice might go unheard unless captured by someone, who can echo those words.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I recently finished writing my first Horror/Sci-Fi Novel, Lizardian, which can be found as an E-book on Amazon Kindle, and I have begun drafting my next novel, Darkness Dreams, which will be Mystery/Suspense.
What is your passion in life?
Writing.
Performed by Val Cole
POETRY 7 questions:
What is the theme of your poem?
Anguish caused by the perception of separation from the promise of abundance.
What motivated you to write this poem?
Compassion for the unnecessary suffering in the world.
How long have you been writing poetry?
since an Ojibwa healing ceremony cured me of autism, as a young lad.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
would love to have a full course meal with Mary Magdalene.
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
always fascinated to hear my work interpreted by someone else.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
am also a screenwriter. last year, my supernatural western, “Outlaw Trail”, set in Texas and Oklahoma in 1858, was published by a company in New Mexico. currently developing a time-travel romantic thriller, “Dreaming Together”, set primarily in the area of Georgian Bay, between 1649 and the present.
What is your passion in life?
intimacy with Nature and kinship with those who walk a path with heart.
for the record, my previous recording of “To Whom It May Concern”, released on my “uncle Steve” CD, “Story Book Blues”, is online at: https://soundcloud.com/spunkyuncle-1/to-whom.
Performed by Val Cole
POETRY 7 questions:
What is the theme of your poem?
The theme is temptation.
What motivated you to write this poem?
I was writing a suite of poems set in Italy, which included some on Italian saints, and then I felt one poem should take the reader inside a famous church.
How long have you been writing poetry?
My first poem was published when I was nine years old. My first play for the stage was written at 9, too.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Geoffrey Chaucer — because I wrote my Masters thesis on his narrative poems.
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I am a produced playwright so I work with actors all the time.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
Yes, I am a journalist and a dramatist. Additionally, I’ve written short stories, radio dramas, and I’m working on a screenplay.
What is your passion in life?
Picking up a pen and applying the nib to a blank page.
Performed by Val Cole
POETRY 7 questions:
What is the theme of your poem?
A worker’s perspective on their ordinary, non motivating job
What motivated you to write this poem?
My observation of staff at work.
How long have you been writing poetry?
On and off, over 30 years
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Friedrich Nietzsche, the philosopher
What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I have had two other poems done. Hopefully this one will be delivered with the passion and character I envisaged, because the other two (“Coffee”, “Free Entry No Return”) did not quite hit the mark.
Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I have written several screenplays, and have published two e-books.
What is your passion in life?
To make a difference in whatever I do.
POETRY FESTIVAL. Submit to site for FREE. Submit for actor performance. Submit poem to be made into film. 