Dark City Poets Society shines light on the spoken word

Local lyricists share passion and prose at BAD Craft

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 16, 2022

Melisa Pressley, right, who co-founder and co-facilitator of the Dark City Poets Society, meets with fellow founder and facilitator Clint Bowman and his wife, Britney, at BAD Craft. The group will host Poetry Night, April 19, with 10% of beverage sales supporting the Friends of the Black Mountain Library. Photo by Fred McCormick

When Donald Allen published his best-known project, “The New American Poetry 1945 - 1960,” he endeavored to feature the work of the long-awaited third generation of avant-garde American poets. He found them among three distinct groups, including hubs of the culture like the San Francisco Renaissance and the New York School. 

The first collection he featured in the anthology, however, was composed of works by the postmodern poets who were residing at a renowned experimental college in Black Mountain. 

While poets like Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Ed Dorn and Jonathan Williams left the area when Black Mountain College closed in 1957, the passion for the craft lives on through the Dark City Poets Society, which returns to BAD Craft at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 19, to present its monthly Poetry Night. 

The free event invites the public to “share a poem, or just listen,” while its host will donate 10% of the evening’s craft beer sales to the Friends of the Black Mountain Library. The monthly poetry reading, which has drawn capacity crowds to the Cherry Street business since returning from its pandemic-induced hiatus, will feature work from a diverse group of local poets.

DCPS, which takes its name from a storied moniker long associated with Black Mountain, launched in January of 2020, when co-facilitator Clint Bowman approached Black Mountain Public Library Branch Manager Melisa Pressley with an idea.

“The original idea was to create a free community group that is open to all ages and experience levels,” said Bowman, a recreation coordinator with the Town of Black Mountain Recreation & Parks Department. “I had been part of a poetry group in my hometown, High Point, and I looked for a poetry group here and couldn’t find anything. I reached out to Melisa about it, and she was all in.”

Pressley believed a regular poetry group would fill a need in the community.

“The visual arts community and music scenes here in Black Mountain are really well-represented, and both are incredibly vibrant,” said Pressley, who has been in her role at the library since 2017. “One thing that has been missing is representation of the literary element. We have a strong group of authors and poets right here in Black Mountain.”

There was a wave of immediate interest in the group, according to the founders, with roughly 20 people attending the second meeting in 2020. The arrival of COVID-19 brought challenges, but an email list and regular virtual and outdoor meetings allowed the DCPS to maintain a space for local poets. 

“On the first Tuesday of every month we have a critique meeting, for people who want to improve their writing and poetry,” Bowman said. “Then on the third Tuesday of every month we have Poetry Night. Both are free and open to the public.”

DCPS began presenting the monthly BAD Craft gatherings last August, and the gatherings re-energized the group, which plays a vital role in helping participants hone their craft.

Melisa Pressley, left, discusses the upcoming Dark City Poets Society Poetry Night with Clint and Britney Bowman. The event, which raises money for the Friends of the Black Mountain Library, is held on the third Thursday of every month. Photo by Fred McCormick

“It’s so difficult to be vulnerable, especially when you have a public-facing job,” said Pressley, who in addition to being a co-facilitator, is also a poet. “But I feel like, the older I get, the more I realize that if I’m not vulnerable, then I’m not really living. And, it’s been amazing to get to know people in this intimate kind of way.”

A typical critique meeting includes around 10 - 12 poets, while Poetry Night routinely fill BAD Craft to capacity. Around half a dozen DCPS artists, including the blackout poetry of Bowman, feature work for sale in the beer, art and dessert shop.  

“Randy is so nice and generous with his donation of 10% of drink sales to the Friends of the Library,” Bowman said. “There’s a great atmosphere there and we’ve been happy to see so many people come out, and we’re seeing a lot of people get up there and share their work.”

The gatherings are styled as casual readings, as opposed to poetry slams, and everyone is invited to share their poems, according to Bowman, who adds that the critique meetings and poetry nights draw a diverse blend of people. 

“It’s a younger group, but it does range from teenagers to people in their 70s,” he said. “Although, the majority of people range from teens to people in their mid-30s.”

The variety of perspectives reflects in the poetry, according to Pressley. 

“We have folks who are multilingual, and that can be incorporated into their work,” she said. “We have others who are contemplating relationships, or other life changes, and it’s people of all ages. It’s an incredible mix of age ranges and life experiences.”

Bowman, who has been writing poetry for a decade, has been impressed with the work. 

“It challenges me, and I feel it’s helped me improve my own writing,” he said. “A lot of what’s being written and shared are coming-of-age poems, and many deal with religious topics. Others are inspired by social issues, and the writer’s personal experiences with them. There are always a lot of different styles and perspectives.”

Some regular participants in DCPS drive from Asheville and Hendersonville, according to Bowman, and new faces are common during both monthly gatherings. 

“A lot of people can be intimidated by poetry, because they associate it with a metered and structured style,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with that, but in poetry today, people are encouraged to create something new that has been seen before. I think that’s something people enjoy in this setting, and we’re fortunate have a really supportive group of people.”