Bards & Brews Goes on the Road July 15 to Ferus Artisan Ales in Trussville

BPL's Bards & Brews goes to Ferus Artisan Ales in Trussville on July 15.  

Bards & Brews, the Birmingham Public Library's popular spoken word poetry/craft beer program, will go on the road for the first time in more than a year next week. 

BPL is partnering with Trussville Public Library to bring Bards & Brews to Ferus Artisan Ales, 101 Beech Street, in Trussville. The event will take place live on Thursday, July 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The event, "Short Tales & Ferus Ales: Building Community Through Inspiring and Heartwarming Stories" will be hosted by Voice Porter and feature several local poets. In its 11th year, Bards & Brews has become known as an event that unifies the metro Birmingham cultural arts community  (Birmingham Times, April 11, 2019). 

Spoken word artists slated to perform are: Bob Byrd, Caleb Calhoun, Andre Duxbury, Salaam Green, Elizabeth Vander Kamp, Matt Layne and Laura Secord. 

"We are excited to partner with Trussville Public Library and Ferus Brewery to host Bards & Brews. We have navigated this peculiar time in history with virtual hosting, however, we are now prepared to take the show on the road. Please come celebrate with us." Candice Hardy, Bards & Brews Creative Director.

This is the first time the Trussville Public Library has partnered with BPL to host a Bards & Brews.  "We are very pleased to be bringing such a fantastic program out here," said said Trussville Library Director Jason Baker. "Susan Matlock (of Trussville Library) has worked hard to make this happen in concert with Candice."

Ferus Artisan Ales is also excited to be a part of Bards & Brews, said Jennifer Baugh, assistant events and marketing coordinator.

"We at Ferus love doing things for our Trussville community, so we are super excited to be partnering with the Trussville Library and Birmingham Library to bring this fun event to life," she said.

Brew lovers can check out the types of beer available at Ferus Artisan Ales by clicking here. 

Ferus Artisan Ales opened in October 2019, and is a part of a 12-acre entertainment district being developed in the heart of downtown Trussville by the Trussville Redevelopment Authority. The area around Ferus includes a stage with covered seating and green space.

"It is flanked by the brewery on one side and a gourmet pizza place (Pinchgut Pies), and an upscale Tex-Mex Mexican place (Mexicali Blues) on the other side, both coming soon," said Baker of Trussville Public Library.

Caleb Calhoun, a founder of the Ashville, N.C. Poetry Slam  who now lives in Clay, said as a new voice on the Birmingham scene he has enjoyed performing on Bards & Brews virtual events over the past year. He is excited to be involved in the live poetry debut of Bards & Brews in Trussville.

"Living in nearby Clay and having been a part of growing poetry scenes in Chattanooga and Ashville (N.C.) over the last decade, Trussville seems like it is just ready to explode with culture," Calhoun said. "The opportunity to be a part of what will hopefully become a monthly event with Trussville Library and Ferus Brewing, two organizations at the epicenter of this cultural explosion, is incredible for me."  

Learn more about the July 15 Bards & Brews artists performing at Ferus Artisan Ales below:  

* Bob Byrd - Byrd is an award-winning food enthusiast and storyteller. He was the 2014 Alabama Tall Tales Champion and 2020 Moth Grand Slam Winner. Check out this feature on Byrd by UAB in the Spark Writing Festival. 

* Caleb Calhoun - Calhoun is a founder of the Ashville, N.C. Poetry Slam and producer of the video interview series "Get on the Bus."  

Andre Duxbury- Duxbury's official job is geriatric doctor, a professor of clinical geriatrics at UAB.  He is also a writer and actor with the Politically Incorrect Cabaret in Birmingham.  

Salaam Green- Green is a Birmingham area spoken word artist, educator, and community activist.  In this TedX feature, check out Green's spoken word performance challenging the stereotypes of Southern women in a letter written to her grandmother.  Learn more by watching this virtual conversation with Green posted by CreateBirmingham.org in April 2020.  

Elizabeth Vander Kamp - Vander Kamp is an artist-in-residence at UAB's Institute for Arts in Medicine. A member of the Alabama Storytelling Association, Vander Kamp has been a performer for over 30 years. She studied acting and movement in Boston and Manhattan. Vander Kamp returned home to Alabama in 2003 and began telling stories and teaching movement.  

Matt Layne - Layne is a Birmingham poet and founder of 1990s improv music and poetry collective, The Kervorkian Skull Poets. Check out one of his performances posted by the Magic City Poetry Festival in June 2020.   

Laura Secord - A spoken word artist/poet, teacher and activist, Secord  is originally from Berkeley, California. She transplanted to Birmingham in 1976. Check out this spotlight on Secord from the Magic City Poetry Festival by clicking here.