Bards & Brews Travels to Avondale Library in February

The Birmingham Public Library’s (BPL) popular Bards & Brews Poetry Slam is hitting the road in February. Held the first Friday of each month, the February edition of Bards & Brews will travel to the Avondale Regional Library. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with live music. This particular session on February 3, 2012 is open mic rather than a slam. Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins is the emcee. He will deftly guide both novice and veteran poets through an evening of verbal banter ranging from comic to social commentary. The Avondale Regional Library is located at 509 40th Street South.

Bards & Brews is one of the ways the Birmingham Public Library is reaching out to a younger demographic. The craft beer movement in which beer is elevated to the level of fine wine as something to be savored and appreciated has really taken hold especially among the younger generation. The pairing of beer tastings along with poetry slams which have grown in popularity in recent years makes the program a natural fit for the library. This combination has broad appeal. The slams held last year attracted some of the most diverse audiences BPL has had for any programming.

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company will provide the brew available for sampling, along with light refreshments. You must be 18 to attend Bards and Brews, and age 21 to sample the beer. This program is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, contact Jon Newman at the Avondale Regional Library by phone at 205-226-4000 or e-mail jnewman@bham.lib.al.us. You may also visit www.bplonline.org.