Poetry At Reds Café
Mary L. Brown -- October 28, 2005
When I walk into Reds Café it's as if I'm slipping back a bit in time. The lighting is dim, the décor funky and eclectic. Visions of the "Beats" dance in my head. It's the first night of the new monthly open-mic poetry readings launched by Santa Barbara poet, Sojourner Rolle and Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, Barry Spacks.
They've advertised the evening as a poet's chance for "five minutes of flame." (Dana Walters, the owner of Reds, which sponsors the event, says there is no real significance to the Café's name -- she just likes the color red.) The sign-up for the five minute reading slots begins at 6:30. By 6:35 there is a small, but eager group hovering over the sign-up sheet. Sojourner is a welcoming host and in her role as moderator, keeps the evening funny and flowing, and even suggests an optional assignment for next month -- a poem on the color red.
This is the place for poets to experiment, to read a draft or a finished piece. Perhaps most importantly, the open-mic night offers a comfortable atmosphere for poets to read their work out loud to a live audience. As every poet knows, reading out loud to oneself in private is never the same as reading to other people -- rather like singing in the shower. By creating another venue for sharing poetry, Barry Spacks and Sojourner Rolle are hoping to energize and extend Santa Barbara's community of poets and poetry lovers. Reds is located at 12 Helena Street, just off State and Yanonali in the Funk Zone. The next open mike evening is Thursday November 3 from 7-9pm (and every first Thursday of the month thereafter). Sign-up begins at 6:30.