Stage: Thursday Night Poetry

Slam dunk: Coffee Bean's weekly poetry performances offer a real buzz

By Jessica Kruse

Attending an amateur poetry reading is an event you should embark upon with a certain level of apprehension and somewhat lowered expectations. Occasionally you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the work. But more often than not you'll leave feeling like you just attended a grade-school piano recital--unless your child is up on that stage, the performance can make you cringe.

Luckily, last Thursday's reading at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf left me feeling pretty hopeful about the poetry scene in Las Vegas. But maybe "reading" is too loose of a term, so if you're envisioning a bunch of gray-haired professors sitting in a bookstore reading Dickinson and Shakespeare in low, expressionless tones, you've got it wrong. The majority of the work at this reading was slam, or performance, poetry, which sounds more like musical, rhythmic monologues than poems. And if a performer is good, you'll be able to feel the exhilarating rush of emotions right along with the speaker.

This reading featured two local poets, Brittany Viesca and Scott Lindgren. Both gave strong, emotional performances that took listeners from soft whisper to enraged yelling in less than 10 seconds. Their poems were enhanced by the people in the audience, who clapped, encouraged and shouted out familiar lines right along with the performers. As good as the performers were, however, the topics were limited to the stereotypically gritty (death, sex, rape, abortion, relationships, drugs), which got to be pretty depressing after awhile. Lighten up a little. It's okay to write occasionally about something funny.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf holds poetry readings every Thursday, consisting of an open mic followed by selected feature poets. The last Thursday of every month consists of an open mic with a specific theme. Technically, these readings are for all ages, but leave the little kiddies at home if you're trying to limit their daily dosage of choice four-letter words.

This is a very supportive, welcoming group, so don't be shy. Try your hand at reading, or go just to watch if you're not feeling so brave. The performances will rev you up more than the coffee you'll be sipping.