Spoken-Word Magic: A Night of Poetry and Passion at Kollective Coffee+Tea in Honor of Sinéad O'Connor

On July 26, 2023 I joined local poets and wordsmiths for a very special Wednesday Night Poetry (WNP) at Kollective Coffee+Tea , nestled in the heart of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was dedicated to Sinéad O'Connor who had died earlier that day, and marked the 1800th time Kollective has opened its doors as a haven of artistic expression and connection since it started WNP in the 1980s. For many seasoned poets, avid listeners, and curious souls dipping into the world of spoken word for the first time, WPN has been a sanctuary where creativity flourishes and hearts find resonance. In the warmth of this camaraderie, poetry came alive on this night just as it had so many times before.

While sipping on steaming cups of artisanal coffee or indulging in soothing herbal infusions, the audience was immersed in a tapestry of painterly words, including the mesmerizing cadences of Noumenist bard Jason W. Johnson. The ambiance of Kollective's cozy embrace and the genuine passion of Johnson's poetry transported us to a realm where time stands still and imagination takes flight - watch the reading on YouTube now.

Host of WNP Kai Coggin would like to invite everyone to get in on the verbal artistry every Wednesday night for an unforgettable journey into the realm of verse, where the magic of language knows no bounds. Come share your poetry and stories, kindle new friendships, and be part of the vibrance that is Wednesday Night Poetry at Kollective, the beating heart of artistic expression in Hot Springs.

Visit Kollective's website at https://www.kollectivecoffeetea.com/

You can purchase Jason W. Johnson's work by clicking on the following links :

The Night Watches https://a.co/d/46KkeWA

The Anvil’s Children https://a.co/d/6kuEKBi

https://www.sunrisebookshp.com/

Visit Brewer Publishing's website at https://www.brewerpublishing.net/

ZANE GILLESPIE

After six years as Minister of Music at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church (UMC) in Holly Springs, MS, I was recently called to continue to work to address public engagement in music participation as Director of Music Ministries at First UMC in Water Valley, MS. I am a Composer, Theorist, and member of both The College Music Society as well as The Poe Studies Association (PSA). I am also an active pianist and vocalist, specializing primarily in church music. My paper entitled ““Mesmeric Revelation”: Art as Hypnosis” has been published by the international, peer-reviewed journal Humanities. In addition, another paper of mine entitled “A Model of Triadic Post-Tonality for a Neoconservative Postmodern String Quartet by Sky Macklay” has been submitted to the peer-reviewed Music Theory journal Perspectives of New Music. At the end of February 2015, I served as Chair for the session entitled “Aesthetics and Philosophy” at The Fourth International PSA Conference in New York City. On June 21, 2014, my Quartet for Alto Saxophone and Strings, a commission from concert saxophonist Walter Hoehn, was performed as part of Concert V of the Eighth Annual Belvedere Chamber Music Festival held at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, TN. Characteristically neo-romantic (in the original sense of the word), my music earned me the Nancy Van de Vate Award for Composition three times from the University of Mississippi Department of Music. A native of Pontotoc, MS, I hold degrees from the University of Mississippi (BM; MM), and the University of Memphis (DMA) where I was the 2011 recipient of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music's Smit Composition Award. I live in Memphis, TN.