In the three and a half decades since its founding by Bud Kenny on Feb. 1, 1989, Wednesday Night Poetry has occupied 14 different venues, never missing a week.
wednesday night poetry
Posted inRock Candy
All of my eyes are open: Hot Springs poet Kai Coggin finds purpose in speaking truth to power
Back during her turbulent teenage years, when poetry was a solitary comfort while she came to terms with her queerness, Kai Coggin made a vow. “My soul made a promise,” Coggin said. “If I made it through, I’d hold space for others.” Now she cultivates community wherever she goes.
Posted inEntertainment
Jo McDougall on Arkansas Youth Poetry Day, working during the wee hours and why eliminating arts in school is ‘courting shallow thinking’
Ahead of Arkansas Youth Poetry Day, we talked with state poet laureate Jo McDougall about her work and about her drive to foster new young poets.
Posted inEntertainment
Hot Spring locals on undersung spots, misconceptions about Spa City
We ask a few of our favorite locals about Hot Springs’s undersung delights, and about what we non-residents tend to miss (or misconceive) about Spa City.
Posted inEntertainment
50 Arkansas artists who made good noise in 2020
Here — in no particular order — are 50 Arkansas artists/musicians/podcasters who, thankfully, didn’t keep quiet this bizarro year. Tell us what we missed, find something you like, throw in the artist’s coffers what you can to support it, and pray like hell they’ll muddle through to a time when they can perform it for you in person.
Posted inEntertainment
Here’s “This America” from Kai Coggin, voted Arkansas Times’ 2020 Best Poet
Here’s “This America,” the latest from poet Kai Coggin, who was voted Best Poet in Arkansas Times’ Best of Arkansas 2020.
Posted inEntertainment
Tune in to Arkansas Youth Poetry Day readings at 10 a.m. Saturday morning
A host of young poets will read their work this morning at 10 a.m. on the Wednesday Night Poetry Facebook page in celebration of Arkansas Youth Poetry Day.
Posted inEntertainment
Wednesday Night Poetry marks its 1,626th consecutive week with a virtual open mic
The legendarily long-running poetry series in Hot Springs goes live tonight at 7 p.m. CST on the WNP Facebook page, with “video poems” from over 40 poets near and far presented as a “virtual open mic.”
Posted inRock Candy
R.I.P., Bud Kenny
We note the passing of Bud Kenny, founder of the long-tenured Wednesday Night Poetry sessions in Hot Springs.
Posted inAE Feature
Not just a fluke: Wednesday Night Poetry celebrates 30 years
Wednesday Night Poetry celebrated its 30th anniversary on Feb. 6, commemorating 1,567 consecutive Wednesdays of weekly poetry readings since it began as the first recurring art event in Hot Springs on Feb. 1, 1989.