Wednesday’s Known by Heart event at the Hamline library had a great turnout. Who know so many people cared about poetry and memory?

I loved hearing John Minczeski’s and Andrea Jenkins’ take on the question of the connections between poetry and memory; I loved learning from audience members that some of them get together as a group and memorize poems.

 Thanks to all the people who came to the event; to  John and Andrea for taking part in the Known by Heart experiment; to Zaraaawar Mistry of Dreamland Arts  for his good-humored  and amazing mentoring on ways to perform poems; to Jon Skaalen  of VSA Minnesota and Morgan Gracye Willow for ASL guidance;  to the Thursday night poets Ann McKnley, Lia Rivamonte, Barbara Davis, Sue Kunitz,  MaryAnn Franta Moenck,  and Alice Duggan; to the Studios of Key West; to Alayne Hopkins from the Friends,to John and the Hamline Midway librarian,  to Dona Schwartz and Karen Hering for project and other wisdom; and to Ray for being Ray.

 Thanks also to the Minnesota State Arts Board and The Friends of the St. Paul Public Libry and the Hamline Midway Library for helping make this event possible.

 Naomi Cohn  is a fiscal year 2011 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.