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· PoetSpeak is a copyrighted trademark held by Kurt Kristensen
· Originally conceived in Alaska, Kurt published an illustrated PoetSpeak column weekly in The Kenai Peninsula Clarion, Kenai, Alaska for 40,000 readers, for four (4) years.
· In 1997 Kurt began performances of PoetSpeak at Portland State University’s Koinonia House’s Great Hall. Performances ran monthly and quarterly till 2000 when attendance and access outgrew PSU.
· During 1997-2000 PoetSpeak published an illustrated PoetSpeak column in several northwest newspapers and magazines.
· During 1998-99 PoetSpeak experimented with licensing performance centers in Vancouver, Seattle and Great Falls; these were terminated in 2000 due to drift in perception of “accessible, useful & enjoyable” poetry.
· In March of 2000 PoetSpeak moved to Sherwood’s Robin Hood Theater in a continuing quest to stage family friendly poetry events with large audiences. However, after several performances with 150+ in audience, the City of Sherwood condemned the lovely old building for structural reasons.
· On November 24, 2002 PoetSpeak moved into Sherwood Community Friends Church; it’s within walking distance of downtown Sherwood. The church supports a variety of community events.
· On March 4, 2002 PoetSpeak began experimenting with “Taking the Show on The Road.” The cast from our Fall 2005 show presented readings from the anthology “Child of This River” at Bethel Lutheran Church in North Portland and at Wilsonville Art Festival.
· On October 1, 2006, after conducting public performances in The Greater Portland Area in Oregon for 10 years, Poetspeak began a new cycle, with a 3-4 year sabbatical. During this period we will reflect on the next evolution of PoetSpeak as a publishing house and an inspiration for new writers. During this sabbatical we will continue to offer our informal PoetSpeak Saloon |
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Accessible * Useful * Enjoyable Poetry |
