Poetry events, workshops & resources

Via Dolce Cafe & Gelateria, 1020 Route 18, East Brunswick. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. No cover. Call 732-238-7619. For info on host Cyndi Dawson, visit www.myspace.com/insideofoutside.

Reviewed in the Friday, March 21 Star-Ledger. Pull quotes from the article:

"...little by little we're getting poets from around the world. What we're not getting is a lot of new poets locally," says Dawson.

Dawson hopes to lure more New Jereyans by booking featured performers.

The nature of the night is participatory, as Dawson invites the audience to bring their own poems or instruments and share their craft in a supportive setting...Dawson also reads pieces by writers who might be state-shy.

"There are some guys there that (are) just writing their first poetry," says Dawson. "I always try to tell people that, even though I'm used to being in front of people, I'm still just like them, getting up and reading new work. The two musicians, they try new songs to see what the feedback is. This pushes everybody to do their art and take it that step further."

The name Poets & Angels can be interpreted in different ways.

"Poets can be very devilish, so you have your poets and you hae your angels," says Dawson. "It's a play on words of spiritual levels, mythical levels and then just the fact that you're being a saint for doing this for no money. You don't get paid for this, not at this level, so everyone is so giving of their time and their art; that's like an angel."

~Lisa Rose, Star-Ledger Staff