Poetry Karaoke

When: The last Sunday of each month, 6PM.
Where: Magic City Books, 221 E Archer St, Tulsa
Cost: Free

Emily Dickinson says, “I know it’s poetry when I feel the top of my head pop open,” and in this way, Poetry Karaoke is exposing communities to poetry that helps them think differently. On the last Sunday of each month, Tulsa’s independent bookstore, Magic City books, opens their doors for a game of Poetry Karaoke.

Guests bring their favorite poem and read live from the stage while Edwin Garcia, our upright bassist, plays behind them.

Wine, beer, and coffee are available for the thirsty.
Contemporary, local, and classic poems for the hungry.

Why is it important to read poetry?

Thoreau read Wordsworth’s new ideas about Nature, then Muir read Thoreau, and then Teddy Roosevelt read Muir, and now America has national parks. It took a century, but it happened. Where the pollen from these poems blossom, we can only wait and see.

By expanding our capacity for creative thought, these events use poetry as a catalyst to unlock our subconscious, realize our potential, and create a new world through language. Poet and critic Dana Gioia says, “the difference between passive and active members of society isn’t income, geography, or education, but whether or not they read for pleasure and participate in the arts.” Our cultural activities are awakening a sense of individual awareness and social responsibility.