Everyone is welcome to connect with the Muses and share their voice at Helicon West
It’s amazing how many people are willing to bare their soul to strangers.
Star Coulbrooke said it is always a worry that not enough people will show up. But usually too many people come, and Coulbrooke said their next worry is that they have run out of room.
Helicon West is an open mic reading that happens twice a month, and Coulbrooke said it has grown in popularity.
Coulbrooke, a poetry teacher for USU, said the mic is open to any creative writers who wish to share works in progress. Writers have shared work in different genres such as plays, poetry, creative non-fiction and fiction, and Coulbrooke said some even read entries from personal journals.
“So many people want their voices to be heard,” she said. “We appreciate every kind of writer and voice.”
Gina Bladen, a sophomore in English creative writing, said she found the courage to read for Helicon West during 2006 Spring Semester. Even though it was her first time reading, she said she felt “surprisingly calm” due to the “soothing atmosphere” at Citrus and Sage.
“After reading there was that initial moment of panic that I had actually borne my soul to a group of strangers. Then the feeling of accomplishment set in,” Bladen said in an e-mail.
Melissa Bowles, a graduate student in English, said everyone from USU campus and community is invited to the readings.
Coulbrooke said the audience is a mix of students, teachers, instructors and valley residents.
Bladen said she was excited all afternoon to read to the audience and let her voice be heard.
Coulbrooke said, however, Helicon West is not the same as Poetry and a Beverage, another open mic reading on campus. One difference is that Helicon West does not cost any money to attend. Another difference, Coulbrooke said, is the audience.
“At [Helicon West] you get an attentive audience that listens and appreciates,” Coulbrooke said. “We are more respectful for your guts on the table.”
Helicon West has a “safe community” and anything read will be received by an “appreciative and welcoming audience,” Bowles said.
Coulbrooke also said the audience members are fun, laid-back and have great senses of humor. Bowles said one USU student’s muse came in the form of an interpretative dance to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”
After reading a piece to the audience, Bowles said writers can submit their pieces for possible publication to be printed on a broadsides sign. These signs are placed throughout the campus, advertising Helicon West. Bowles said the piece must be 20 lines or less, and the reader should submit the piece to Coulbrooke after the event.
The name Helicon West was created by Michael Sowder, an English professor at USU. The word Helicon refers to an ancient mountain range in Greece, and Coul-brooke said the mythological Apollo and Muses live there.
Coul-brooke said today’s writers refer to their “muse” as their source of inspiration. Since the readings are meant to inspire people’s own muses and USU is located in the west, Coulbrooke said the name Helicon West fit perfectly.
“We have our own muses and somehow the name really caught,” Coulbrooke said.
Helicon West used to be called Writers Read Weekly, and Coulbrooke said it used to be held in the University Inn.
The first meeting attracted 11 people while some now attract up to 50 people. Because of its growing popularity, Coulbrooke said it outgrew the conference room, and she went in search of a new venue to hold it in.
While shopping at Citrus and Sage, Coulbrooke said she met the owner of the store, Nancy Weimer, who offered an upstairs loft to serve as Helicon West’s new gathering place.
Weimer said she was attracted to the idea of a “community coffee house” where people could express themselves without being censored.
“Anything goes,” Weimer said.
“It is a group of appreciative, insightful people gathered in a small, green attic above a quaint coffee shop, improving each other’s lives with the literature they have created,” Bladen said.
Bowles and Coulbrooke are on the planning committee for Helicon West. To be added to the notification list, contact Melissa Bowles at mbowles@english.usu.edu.
All readings take place on the second and fourth Thursday of each month and start at 7 p.m.
Citrus and Sage is located at 130 N. 100 East in Logan. Arrive early to purchase drinks or desserts.
“Without people reading, there would be no Helicon West. Every person has unique experiences and something to teach,” Bladen said. “It is selfish not to read if your reading will help give others courage and insight.”
-britg@cc.usu.edu