By Brian Dunlap

There was poetry in all parts of Los Angeles this past Saturday, July 13. Not unlike most days in the city, where there are literary events on the Westside, downtown, Long Beach, even out at Cellar Door Books in Riverside. First, I was at a reading at the Venice Library, then drove to the Merry-Go Round at Griffith Park for more. The first a part of the joint Mar Vista Artwalk/Venice Art Crawl. The second, the 6^th Annual The Poetry Circus.

In Venice the poetry of Armine Iknadossian, Lynne Thompson, Sean Hill, Iris De Anda, Natalie Graham, Bernadette McComish and Kat Magill graced the mic. Poems as diverse as the people reading them. Spoken word from Sean Hill. Political poetry speaking out against the treatment of migrant children at the border by Iris De Anda. Poems about the sacred feminine by Armine. The body/the black body by Natalie Graham.

Once at the Merry-Go Round in Griffith Park, literary vendors–from local independent presses Yak Press (Little Rock, CA) and Red Hen Press (Pasadena, CA), to literary organizations such as The Joshua Tree Experiential Arts & Writing Retreat, The Poetry Salon and the Los Angeles Poet Society, to the new literary magazine Kind Writers–were already set up around the Mary-go-round. Before the first round of The Poetry Circus began, I introduced myself to several of the venders, including the wonderful Kind Writers Literary Magazine member Sophia Apodaca. She told me they are accepting submissions for their debut issue due to be released in January, along with their contest submissions. First place wins $150 and features.

As round one began, I glanced at the crowd to gauge attendance and noticed the listeners were mostly white. The evening was couched in classic Los Angeles Noir. A noir story entrenched The Circus: poetry was illegal. The cops were watching the readers to see if what they read were in fact poems. If so, they’d be arrested.

When Rich Ferguson read he banged out a feisty filled love poem about L.A., it’s current city noir set in the context of L.A. history, its communities, the historical L.A. noir. Ferguson has graced the stage with poets and writers such as Wanda Coleman, T.C. Boyle and even musicians Ozomatli. Doug Manuel also read, one of his two poems cutting through the rosy glasses of Noir: the reality of police intereacting with people like him: black. The black body. Police brutality. Manuel’s work is often a Bildungsroman detailing the maturation of a black man raised in the crack-laden 1980s, with hip-hop, jazz, and blues as its soundtrack.

After round one, a break. Attendees could ride the Mery-Go-Round. I was able to catch up with Jessica Wilson-Cardenas, founder of the L.A. Poet Society, and heard about her successful literary trip to a book festival in Paris. While there, she said she connected with a writer from Sweden who liked her work, and agreed to publish several of her poems in the literary journal he runs. Then Bob Baker’s Marionettes performed to expand on the circus aspect of the reading.

Next, the event’s feature, Suzanne Lummis, the creator of noir poetry, read noir poems. Lummis is a L.A. poetry heavyweight known as an influential teacher, arts organizer and impresario. She leads private workshops and has taught for many years through the UCLA Extension Writers’ program where she evolved courses in poetic craft, the persona poem, and the poem noir (“Poetry Goes to the Movies”). Plus, she directed The Los Angeles Poetry Festival, which she founded with poet Sherman Pearl, and through which she produced nine citywide multi-literary events between 1989 and 2011. Lummis has at various times been associated with the poetic schools and poetic sensibilities of The Fresno School, Stand-Up Poetry, The Poem Noir and Los Angeles Poetry.

As round three began the sky grew dark as night fell upon Griffith Park, two stage lights turned on so readers could see. The noir story continued to ground The Circus. Brian Sonia-Wallace, still in character as a detective, continued to observe the readers to determine if their readings moved him. If so, he’d have to arrest them for breaking the law, for engaging in poetry.

During round three, Peter J. Harris read two steamy love poems that got the crowed all hot and bothered. Derek D. Brown also read a steamy love poem, plus another about a lonely guy who hopes his first date goes well. He performed both in the style of a spoken word poet, inhabiting the emotions of the lonely man.

In all, nearly 30 local poets read, plus Ashley Inguanta, who hails from Florida. At the end of all three rounds Sonia-Wallace gathered the readers together for the traditional picture featuring each round of readers. He stayed in character, calling the pictures the poets’ mug shots. As the 6th Annual Poetry Circus came to a close, Sonia-Wallace expressed how the poems had made him feel things, to have emotions and realized these were in fact poets, and shouted “Take them Away!” to the other poet portraying a cop (I forget who).

The remaining crowd clapped in appreciation for the Noir story, the poetry and for creator Nicelle Davis for putting together another successful Poetry Circus.