July 25 | 2 - 3:45pm
Admission is free | RSVP Below
Light refreshments served
From early childhood, Graham Barnes' life has been centered by the arts.
Between creating his own art, and being a producer of arts events – plus teaching across several of the arts – Graham's commitment to fostering arts for others, and from within himself, has led the Kansas-native all around America, and to some parts of Asia.
Graham and his wife Linda are not unfamiliar faces around here. They support Volland as arts-appreciators, as energetic Volland advocates, and as donors. The Self-Directed Residency initiative here has several times offered Graham a place to be creative about respite, and to absorb Volland’s singular inspiration.
Join us on July 25th and be a part of Graham's poetry reading. He intends to read across his poetry-writing career, including from his chapbooks, as well as other published and as yet unpublished poems. He will also read a few select pieces by poets long important for him….and perhaps some of the work ignited by those stays at The Little House.
"You won’t find his poetry online"…by Bridget Bryan, from an interview with Graham Barnes
If you look up Graham Barnes to discover more about his poetry, you won’t find him online. He has his reasons.
The first reason regards priority: he decided long ago to let the work of writing words take up space in his life instead of tech. “Mr. Low tech,” he calls himself. This frees his mind up for “quietude," a mental space that allows him space to create.
Time frees up his mind to create, and his inspiration comes from several sources. “Nature often ignites thoughts," he shares. Observing people and their conversations often sparks ideas.
Books are also a constant source of nourishment for Graham.
Books have been a source of inspiration since he was a young boy. His mother, a reason for his love of poetry, often read to him stories and verse. He remembers her lively voice, how she would come to his bed in the evening with a book, or when she read him poems from the Highlights magazine during a sickness. Books have stayed in his life- there are more books than shelves in Mr. Barnes’ household.
The second reason you won’t find Graham online is how he regards the nature of poetry. For him, it is necessary to read poetry aloud and share it with a person. Graham explains: “Poetry is meant to be said and heard. Poetry is a tribal—or community activity—I see it as an interchange, where the poet invites the listener to participate in an experience.”
When asked what he hopes audience members might experience at the July 25th reading, Graham shared, “I hope audience members feel they were part of a very old heritage —people engaged as a
community—very naturally—towards some sense of clearer, richer feeling”
BIO
Beginning with Prairie Piano, then Barnes on Barns, and Something for Nothing, Graham has published three chapbooks of poetry; and poems by him have seen publication in U.S. national literary journals, as well as in magazines that cover the arts. And aboard buses for Salt Lake City bus riders. Also, for passengers in jets. He’s been invited to read on the BBC radio affiliate in Hong Kong, and on U.S. radio. He’s won prizes.
After a seven-year stint teaching prep school in Hong Kong, he was chosen to be Wichita’s poet-in-residence. From there he went on to found the Literary Coordinator Program for the Utah Arts Council; he spent a dozen years and drove some hundreds of thousands of miles fostering literature throughout the state. Besides for the major cities, his attention went specially to producing guest readings and workshops, encouragement to independent bookstores; support for community arts centers and libraries, and other events, in the state’s many rural towns.
In addition to Utah and Kansas, he’s lived in Nebraska; and in Seattle and Houston. Also, for a short time in Woodstock, New York – and of course that hitch in Hong Kong.
Graham’s taught creative writing to kids from K-12, to college students, and to teachers of expressive writing (sometimes to entire school districts of them!) Elder-hostelers have learned art-writing from him; in the remote mountains of the North Cascades, he one time taught a creative writing session for pastors. Graham has served as a teacher in schools public, parochial, and private – this last at Leavenworth, Washington’s Cold Mountain School, a one-room private school for a small enrollment of Indian children, aged six through thirteen.
Poetry readings by Graham have attracted audiences in Singapore; Hong Kong; and Fussa, Japan – and at many sorts of venues across America.
All those years of zigzag-rambling-around have landed him at last in Topeka, where he lives now with his comely and
exceedingly patient wife Linda Carter. Alongside Alice – also
astonishingly patient. For a cat.
Please join us for a summer afternoon of poetry, camaraderie, and refreshment-
