Bards & Brews Travels to Avondale Library

The Birmingham Public Library’s (BPL) popular Bards & Brews poetry performance and beer tasting series is heading back to the Avondale neighborhood and will be an OPEN MIC rather than a slam. On May 4, staff will pack up the sound equipment and supplies as they return to the spot which has generated one of the largest gatherings yet for the popular after-hours series. Usually held the first Friday of each month at the Central Library downtown, the May edition of Bards & Brews will travel to the Avondale Regional Library located at 509 40th Street South. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with live music, and poetry performances start at 7:00. Emcee Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins will deftly guide both novice and veteran poets through an evening of verse with topics that run the gamut from romantic relationships to the local political scene.

Back Forty Beer Company, located in Gadsden, will provide craft beer for sampling. Light snacks will also be served. Attendees must be 18 years or older to be admitted, and 21 years or older to be served. IDs will be checked. Bards & Brews has its own Facebook page which features a wealth of information about the event. This program is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.