Poetic fire!

Published 6:00 pm Saturday, April 21, 2007

The great American poet Walt Whitman sent a message to future poets in his poem, Apostroph:

Visions of poets! Only you really last! O sweep on! sweep on!

Poets of the present are urged to heed Whitman’s advice and attend Burning Word 4: Festival of Poetic Fire 2007 which comes to the Elysian fields of Greenbank Farm from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Saturday, April 28.

The annual festival, organized for the fourth year by the Washington Poets Association, is steadily emerging as a major poetry event for the West Coast.

Festival co-director and poet Victory Lee Schouten said the Burning Word Festival follows a motto of “inclusive and generous,” and has become famous for being loyal to both beginning poets and experienced poets alike.

“We want the local poetry talent to know that they are just as important as the celebrity poets here,” Schouten said.

Between the talented presenters in the workshop tent, the action-packed Paul Gillie Stage, the intimate Cascade Stage, the Small Press Fair in the main barn attic and the festival bookstore located in the Jim Davis House, there will be a myriad of choices for festival participants.

Festival highlights include over 50 performers, open mic opportunities, book signings and the WPA’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award to Jack Prelutsky, America’s first children’s poet laureate.

After a full day of community poetry and inspirational workshops, the Paul Gillie Stage will feature a reading from George Bowering, Canada’s first Parliamentary poet laureate, and Naomi Shihab Nye, an internationally acclaimed peacemaker and poet.

One of the best things about Burning Word, Schouten said, is it’s diversity.

“Every year we have poets of every ilk, whether they’re old, young, all ethnicities, into slams or the classics,” Schouten said.

The festival is sponsored by the generous support of Whidbey Telecom. Schouten said the company went the extra mile this year to include a scholarship program for young poets. Seventy student poets have been chosen from local public high school and middle schools to attend the festival free of charge with an adult guest. They will also perform on the Cascade Stage.

Also hitting the Cascade Stage are poets from “Youth Speak Seattle,” a non-profit literary arts organization for youth. The program encourages young people to take charge of their education through critical thinking and writing in order to prepare them for a life of leadership.

Beginning at 9 a.m., the Writing Workshop Tent will host seven 70-minute poetry workshops presented by noted poets and teachers. With titles like “Inviting the Muse,” “Responsible Writing” and “Leap, Don’t Tiptoe,” Schouten is certain that festival goers will find at least one workshop to get their poetic juices flowing.

All of the performances are kept to a short 10 to 15 minutes, with the featured performers reading for 20 minutes at most. It gives visitors the luxury of taking a short break during any portion of the stage presentations while getting back in time to see the next performer.

Almost all of the featured poets are from Washington this year, though there are a few exceptions.

“We even have a cowboy poet this year,” Schouten said.

Festival participants will also be able to enjoy lunch, dinner or dessert at Whidbey Pies Cafe, or a refreshing beverage in the festival Beer Garden.

The festival has come a long way since four years ago, when Schouten and her husband, painter Rob Schouten, were inspired to start the festival after seeing a film featuring Bill Moyers called “The Language of Life.” Schouten said the festival started small and then just kept growing.

Burning Word is run by an all-volunteer crew. It pays the poets, though not much, and it usually just breaks even each year. The bigger poets are attracted to the festival, said Schouten, not for money but because of the beauty of the island and the positive energy that is generated at Burning Word.

As one Burning Word participant said of the festival last year, “Poets don’t know what they’re missing if they haven’t been to Burning Word.”

All-day/all-event passes are $15 for adults and $5 for students under 18.

Passes are available at the event or visit www.washingtonpoets.org for more information.

Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com.