Before Penn Kemp surprises everyone with her sound opera, and before Laurence Hutchman conjures the world, Bernie Koenig`s vibraphone will twinkle and burn and resound in the room.

Koenig last entertained London Open Mic`s audiences in our first season. He will repeat that magic at our special National Poetry Month reading on April 16th at the Landon Branch Library.  Koenig`s wands do feel magical, as they spray on listeners the sparkle of wind chimes, the bubble and gurgle of liquid, and, through it all, that reverberation.  Which lingers, resonating in the body.

Bernie Koenig has long taught philosophy and music at Fanshawe and is the author of two books of philosophy, one on the philosophy of art. On April 16th, he will play from 6:30 to 7:00, and again during the intermission. 

We have a new videographer. And what a surprise! Kenny Khoo, the gentleman who will be recording videos of poets reading at our events, is an engineer! Yes, an engineer. Kenny`s day job is strategic analyst for Xylem Inc. But he believes in living a well-rounded life, which means involving himself in the arts community in his spare time. London Open Mic will be his second venture into the city`s creative side.  Khoo is also a board member of Musical Theatre Productions, which produces musicals for the Palace Theatre. He creates their promotional videos.  Welcome aboard, Kenny!

THE EVENT

WHERE:  Because this special event is sponsored by The League of Canadian Poets, it is being held in the large downstairs room at the Landon Branch Library, 167 Wortley Road in Wortley Village, not our usual venue, which is Mykonos Restaurant. 

WHEN: Wed. April 16th, versus our usual 1st-Wednesday-of-the-month schedule. Doors open at 6:00, live music at 6:30, poetry at 7:00.

LIVE MUSIC begins at 6:30. There will also be live music during the intermission. 

THE FEATURED POETS: Penn Kemp will read at 7:00, followed by a Q&A, then intermission. Laurence Hutchman will read after the intermission, followed by a Q&A.

OPEN MIC: There will be some time for a shorter open mic than normal. It will end at 9:10. Instead of first come, first served we will select readers at random. Put your name on a ballot and drop it in the Ballot Bowl. We will pick names from the bowl until the time is up. Each reader will have five minutes, which is enough for two average-length poems. 

RAFFLE PRIZES: Anyone who donates to London Open Mic Poetry Night receives a ticket for a raffle prize, three of which will be picked after the intermission. The prizes consist of poetry books donated by Brick Books and The Ontario Poetry Society. Donations are our only source of income. We still haven't paid off our initial debt.

POST-EVENT REVELRY: Many of us will retire to the Wortley Roadhouse pub across the street for some R&R.

In celebration of National Poetry Month. We acknowledge the support of Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets.