WNP to feature prize-winning poet, author from Michigan
Michigan prizewinning poet and author Kimberly Ann Priest will be featured at Wednesday Night Poetry at Kollective Coffee+Tea, 110 Central Ave.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and arriving in Hot Springs on the tailend of cross-country travels and a residency at Writers House in Pittsburgh, Priest is an avid hiker who enjoys watercolors, reading, caring for plants, exploring spirituality, and socializing. She is an assistant professor at Michigan State University and the author of four poetry collections, a news release said.
Priest found Wednesday Night Poetry during the pandemic, in the global virtual community established on Facebook, and will now be joining in person.
“I don’t remember exactly how I found WNP during the pandemic. I must have seen one of my fellow poets performing in a video on Facebook so I joined in with my own videos. Though I love my alone time to hike and process (and make poems) I’m a bit of a social butterfly. During pandemic isolation, WNP helped me keep my wings primed for flight. I loved interacting with other poets online while also telling some of my story, through poetry, in a way I’d never been able to before. It was liberating to be able to voice my history and hear others do the same,” Priest said in the release.
“Simply put, I write to survive. Having been through a number of traumas and griefs in life, writing poetry facilitates processing those stories and clearing out my psyche while also allowing me to make shareable art. I love being creative. I love the good feeling that comes from investigating and ordering internal chaos into something linguistically and aesthetically attractive. In the words of an ancient poet, it is an exchange of beauty for ashes,” Priest said.
“I have begun to recognize the value of using art to address internality — especially when that internality has been fragmented by traumatic life events. Sexual trauma is particularly disordering, and the more tools one can access to reframe this trauma, the less distressed the mind. At least, this is what I have found in my own poetic journey. I’ve been able to reduce symptoms of PTSD and feel more embodied with each narrative work-through,” Priest said.
“My newest poems address PTSD, as well as the lives of women, including my own, with special attention to migration, memory, and motherhood due to dangerous or unexpected stressors. Personally, I have dealt with assault, domestic violence, and homelessness. While I realize that my circumstances are (sadly) not unique, I believe I’ve been unique in my willingness to publish these narratives. But, on the other hand, intentional personal growth affects our environmental experience and can lead to a better experience in the world over time. Poetry helps me engage that growth and making of my world. In it and through it, I can create beauty, goodwill, healthy well-being, etc., to transform as much of my internal and external realities as possible.”
“Kimberly’s work is universal and strong, contemplative and beautiful. When I first saw one of her submissions for virtual WNP, reading a poem tucked beside a hiking trail stream or overlooking an expansive mountaintop, I was stunned by her ability to be so raw and vulnerable about her experiences. I know that her willingness to share her story in poems has emboldened and given permission to women all over the country. I am thankful she is coming through Hot Springs to feature with copies of her books, as I know she will leave an indelible impression on the poetry community here. I am sure she will hike our amazing trails while she is in town, and maybe even write some new poems inspired by the healing power of the Natural State,” WNP host Kai Coggin said in the release.
Masks are required for entry, and for the duration of the indoor event. The regular open mic session for all poets will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Priest will begin her feature set at 7:15 p.m., followed by another round of open mic. Admission is free and open to all ages. All are welcome.
This week marks 1,714 consecutive Wednesdays of open mic poetry in downtown Hot Springs since Feb. 1, 1989. WNP has a new partnership with Arkansas Learning Through the Arts, “to share in the mission to spread arts awareness in our community. WNP is grateful for ALTTA’s sponsorship,” the release said. Email Coggin at wednesdaynightpoetry@gmail.com for more information.