Jeni Emerson, newly appointed Poetry Director, comes to The Poet’s Loft from a tradition of working poets holding this position. Since she first read on The Loft stage in 1997 and through her tenure with Othello “T” Leonard as Loftkeeper (2000-2004), she has lived in the world as a poet and an artist. As a member of the Spa City Slam Team, she represented Hot Springs three times at National Poetry Slam and once at Arkansas Regional Slam.In recent years, the emphasis at The Loft has shifted from traditional to Slam poetry.
Jeni hopes to retain the Slam, rekindling the Spa City Slam, and encouraging those who once enjoyed reading or performing more traditional poetic and literary forms to come back and help to re-invigorate the thriving venue for the spoken word that The Poet’s Loft has always been.In the near future, Jeni will be announcing her plans for poetry at The Loft for the spring and summer months. Get involved and help her to expand poetry here. If you have ideas for programs let her know. We all have to participate to make it work. Keep checking the new website and Facebook for the latest news on poetry and everything else going on at The Poet’s Loft.
Jeni says of her plans for the future, “I want to implement some new poetry programs for youth and rekindle the community’s passion for poetry both at the open mic and at the slams. I want to do workshops focusing on traditional and literary styles of poetry. I plan to do some new and fun things within the slam and to bring more out of town poets to feature on Wednesdays and slam nights. I want to get Hot Springs back on the map nationally.”
We hope that you are as excited about this evolution of the long standing tradition of The Loft and will support Jeni in every way. If you know someone who used to come to read and hasn’t been back for awhile tell them about the changes and encourage them to come back. For anyone who has problems with the stairs we now have an elevator for those who are handicapped or for other reasons cannot climb the stairs. Call The Poet’s Loft to make arrangements beforehand and someone will accommodate you.





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