Community Poetry Reading Set for Aug. 10

A Community Poetry Reading sponsored by Mackinac Associates is scheduled for Thursday, August 10, at Mission Church. It begins at 7 p.m.

Readers will include school children and adults, and each poem was hand-selected by poet John Barr to fit the reader. Phil Porter, a member of Fort Mackinac's vintage base ball team, for instance, will be reading "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, and Dennis Bradley, who enjoys hunting, will read a poem about a deer, "Traveling Through the Dark," by William Stafford. Other readers will be Woody Beardsley, Greg Main, Mary K. McIntire, Adrienne Rilenge, Michael Hart, Lornie Porter, Miles Benjamin, and Father Jim Williams.

"We hope that attendees of this unique event will have fun listening to their friends and neighbors read poetry and realize how accessible and enjoyable poetry can be to all of us," said Marta Olson, president of Mackinac Associates. "The architectural highlight of Mission Church, its elevated pulpit, will enhance the aural and visual experience of all who attend."

A reception at Mission Point Resort's Bistro on The Greens, the outdoor cafe by the putting course, will follow the readings.

The idea for the poetry reading came from West Bluff cottagers John and Penny Barr. Mr. Barr, who will emcee the event,

is the president of the Poetry Foundation, a national organization based in Chicago, and Mrs. Barr is the children's editor at the Poetry Foundation.

The event is free and open to the public.

Mackinac Associates is the "friends" organization for Mackinac State Historic Parks.