Newtown Cultural Arts Commission (NCAC) will be presenting the third annual "Risk A Verse," a National Poetry Month event that will return to Newtown Meeting House on Sunday, April 8.

Newtown Poet Laureate Lisa Schwartz and artist Tracy Van Buskirk are again coordinating the program, which will continue the young tradition of offering readings by residents of all ages and backgrounds. A wine and cheese reception will follow the readings, which will begin at 2 pm.

The purpose of the event, according to its organizers, is simple: prove that poetry is not an art form for the literati. Instead, it is for everyone and there is a poem out there each person.

This year's readers are among the residents, and those who work in town, "who make up the fabulous fabric of Newtown," according to Ms Schwartz and Ms Van Buskirk.

Mary Wilson is among those readers. She attended the first Risk A Verse in 2016, "and absolutely loved it," she said March 27. "I thought it was terrific. There was such diversity. This town has a lot of hidden talent."

Regretfully unable to attend last year's event, Ms Wilson said she was thrilled to be asked to be a reader this year.

"I'm doing something I used to do more of, and that's speak in public," she said this week.

She has selected a poem by the late Gordon Parks, the celebrated American photographer who was also a family friend.

"He was the coolest dude ever," Ms Wilson said. "He meant a lot to me."

Ms Wilson, the owner of Queen Street Gifts & Treats, will be reading one of Parks's poems from his poetry collection, Moments Without Proper Names. The book, first published in 1975, is an oversized photography collection and something of a memoir by Parks, the first African American to work as a staff photographer for Life magazine, among other notable achievements.

"It's a gorgeous collection of photos, and I feel that the title of that book is very apropos of our times," said Ms Wilson. "I feel like we're fighting over civil rights again."

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal will also be reading on April 8. He told The Newtown Bee this week that he is "really excited and looking forward to it."

Mr Rosenthal nearly went with the lyrics of a Bruce Springsteen song for his selection, he said Tuesday afternoon, "which is, after all, poetry, and I'm a big Springsteen fan."

He has instead opted for a Miller Williams work, called "Of History and Hope."

The first selectman, whose father and previous First Selectman Herb was a 2017 Risk A Verse reader, said he is not a connoisseur of poetry.

"When I see poems, I'll read them," he said. "I don't look for a particular type, though."

Also heading to the Risk A Verse podium for the first time will be recently appointed C.H. Booth Library Director Douglas Lord. While he is not sure what to expect from the event - "All I really know is, it's a special event based on poetry, and promoting the importance of poetry and literature," he said March 27 - Mr Lord knew immediately whose work he would be reading.

"Ray Bradbury," he said. "I'm really a big fan."

Mr Lord has selected "If Only We Had Taller Been," which he describes as "kind of an ode, or homage, to the Mariner 9 spacecraft."

The poem was written prior to NASA's launch of the unmanned space probe, Mr Lord explained, when the space agency was celebrating the craft that contributed greatly to the decadelong exploration of Mars.

"Ray Bradbury wrote this special poem because he was so well known at the time for science fiction, and he was so interested in what life could be like on other planets," he said. "The poem is about dreams, and being the best possible person you can be."

Risk A Verse has 14 additional confirmed readers this year: Accountant Stefanie Clavette; Sharon Cohen, freelance writer; Nancy K. Crevier, editor, The Newtown Bee; Steve Ford, owner, Butcher's Best Market; Monte Frank, attorney, activist, cyclist and an independent candidate for lieutenant governor; Mary Gaudet-Wilson, co-chair, Protect Our Pollinators; and Amy Holt, a personal trainer and "kickboxing trainer extraordinaire," she told The Newtown Bee late last year ("Snapshot," November 17, 2017).

Also, Mark Murphy, Newtown native and owner of Murphy's Pub; musician Grant Ossendryver; Marilyn Place, director, Newtown Senior Center; Prerna Rau, a member of the town's Zoning Board of Appeals; Dr Lorrie Rodrigue, superintendent, Newtown Public Schools; John Vouros, a retired educator and co-owner, The Dana-Holcombe House; and Scottio Wilson, a Google expert and owner, Contagious Media.

The meeting house is at 31 Main Street. Risk A Verse is a family friendly event.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome and will benefit the 2018 Newtown Arts Festival and NCAC scholarship and grant programs. Those who make an offer of $5 or more will receive a booklet of all the poems recited at the event.

For more information, e-mail newtownpoetry@gmail.com, call 203-731-1809, or visit Facebook.com/RiskAVerse.

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