Poetry reading tradition continues at the Spoon

People sit outside strumming guitars, and the restaurant’s atmosphere is created by the decor of older distinct wooden furniture and a multitude of books. The Runcible Spoon is a place where artists and writers are always welcome to share their work with each other. \nDownstairs, a group of Bloomington poets gather for a monthly meeting, displaced from their typical setting, upstairs in a side room that is being painted. The theme is “Men’s Words” and features poets Scott Hutchinson, James Dorr and Aris Beldavs, and the meeting is followed by an open-mic session where anyone is welcome to share their work. \n“Poetry in coffee houses is very traditional; they are good bedfellows,” said Bloomington writer and poet Jenny Kander. “It’s poetry’s natural home.” \nThe Runcible Spoon Poetry readings are led by Patricia C. Coleman. This is her fourth year administering the sessions.\nAs people sit to join the group, each person is greeted with a warm smile. There is a sense of community established by the readings. \n“I’m grateful people come and share themselves in a public forum,” Coleman said. “It’s a very welcoming atmosphere.”\nPoetry readings at the Runcible Spoon have been a part of the Bloomington arts community for more than a decade. \nBloomington has been host to poetry reading workshops and gatherings since the 1970s when The Bloomington Poetry Workshop began meeting monthly, according to the book “A Linen Weave of Bloomington Poets” which includes poets’ accounts of the Bloomington poetry scene along with poems by Bloomington poets.\n“It’s essential for every town or city to give local poets a voice. It’s very important,” Kander said. “There has to be space for poetry.” \nThe Runcible Spoon Poetry Reading Series was started by Dennis Sipe, who left the series to Mary Dezember in 1994, after he traveled to Washington, D.C., to start a similar program.\nWhen the series first began, it “featured internationally renowned poets and offered a reading forum for emerging poets and writers,” Mary Dezember said in “A Linen Weave of Bloomington Poets.”\nAccording to the book, the combination of poets and ambiance at the Runcible Spoon turned the program into one of the longest-running continuous series in Bloomington.\nIt continues to draw a crowd, despite the summertime drop in attendance.\n“I never know who will come, there are so many things going on in town and people travel a lot in the summertime.” \nBased on the number of \npoets in the Bloomington community and the participants eagerness and passion for the program, the series isn’t going anywhere soon. \n“I love creative energy, and poetry is a form of creative energy,” Coleman said. “Bloomington is a diverse place. If you were to say ‘write something on snow’ you’d have a unique story from everyone to appreciate.”