Maine Poetry Express Chugs into Guthries Theater

As much as we like bringing poets and poetry into Callahan Hall we decided to try a different setting when Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair offered to partner with LPL in scheduling a stop of the Maine Poetry Express (MPE) here in Lewiston.  So after talking with Heather and Randy over to Guthries Cafe and Guthries Independent Theater we booked their Theater (22 Park St., Lewiston) for MPE on Wed., April 22 at 7 p.m.  This event is free and open to all ages.

The Maine Poetry Express, a metaphoric train in its second statewide journey, has visited 21 cities and towns and its Guthries stop is the final one as Wes winds down his five-year tenure as poet laureate.  This effort has taken poetry out to libraries, cafes and grange halls, bringing together Maine poets and townspeople for shared readings that combine poetry with testimonies about its relevance to the lives and concerns of all people. “The primary goal of the Maine Poetry Express,” McNair explains, “is to show that poetry belongs not only to literary specialists but to all of us. This promises to be an evening of poetry as you’ve never heard it before.”

The event is being organized locally by Heather Letourneau, co-owner of Guthries, and LPL director Rick Speer. The program will begin with opening remarks by McNair, who will be joined by fellow Maine poets Rob Farnsworth and Terry Grasse for a shared reading of poetry. Then five special guest readers will take the stage: Jon Assam, Calvin Dube, Devon Irish, Lillian O’Brien and Monique Paris.

The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance were the primary co-conspirator with McNair in intiating the Express and the entire run was made possible in part thanks to a grant from the Maine Arts Commission.  For more information contact the LPL Adult Services Desk at 513-3135 or LPLReference@Gmail.com