Helicon West Offers Unique Entertainment
Bowling alleys and movie theaters aren’t the only entertainment options Logan has to offer. For those looking to find an experience off the beaten path, there is Helicon West.
Named after an ancient mountain range in Greece where the muses are said to have lived, Helicon West is a free event where students and community members of all ages meet to share anything from poetry to journal entries, said Star Coulbrooke, a poet and USU professor who organizes the event.
“It’s for people who are looking for a way to get their writing out there,” Coulbrooke said.
Helicon West takes place on the second and fourth Thursday of every month during school semesters at 7 p.m. at Citrus and Sage, a local coffee bar and gift shop nestled downtown on 130 N. 100 East.
Helicon West was founded by Coulbrooke and English professor Michael Sowder in 2005 and originally met at the University Inn. When the crowd grew too large, Coulbrooke said they began looking for a place downtown so it was easily accessible to both USU students and community members.
Coulbrooke said they eventually went to Citrus and Sage, where there was the same vision for a local open mic night that could be for everyone, and that has been where Helicon West is held ever since.
“The first time I went I was so excited, to be honest,” said Jacoba Mendelkow, a grad student in the English department who is on the Helicon West committee. “For there to be a venue for people to express themselves is hugely important to me.”
The unique atmosphere is one reason Helicon West has gained a loyal following. The schedule is set up so that the 12 readers who sign up first get 7 minutes to read their pieces and if there is extra time, Coulbrooke said she selects people from an alternate list. Readers can present any type of work they choose, but Coulbrooke urges people to create their own.
“We encourage people to bring their own work,” Coulbrooke said. “Helicon West is meant to give your work your own true voice.”
For those interested in reading their work at Helicon West, Coulbrooke suggests arriving 15 minutes early to sign up, because spots go fast.
So far both students and community members have been very receptive to Helicon West, which is evident by the fact that sometimes there is standing room only, Coulbrooke said.
“The best part has been the people’s response,” Coulbrooke said. “There is one man from Brigham City who rode all the way to Logan for Helicon West. He even took time off work so that he could come up here and read his poetry.”
And some USU students, such as Dan Nyikos, agree that this event creates literary value.
“It’s one of the few literary experiences here in Logan,” said Nyikos, a grad student in the English department.
The organizers of Helicon West have done their best to make sure Helicon West is enjoyable for both participants and audience members.
Coulbrooke said when Helicon West moved from the University Inn to Citrus and Sage, they even invested in new sound equipment. The variety of pieces, a cozy atmosphere and even the audience all play a role in the production of Helicon West. For many, Helicon West is a place to not only read their work, but to get feedback as well.
Chad VanZanten, a former USU student, said he began coming to Helicon West after he saw an announcement, and he said that it got him into writing again.
“It’s a good test bed,” VanZanten said. “You never know what your writing sounds like until you read it and get an impartial reaction.”
Darren Edwards, a grad student in the English department who has helped plan and organize Helicon West, urges people to attend because it is a good way to get practice speaking in front of an audience and because it “helps revise your writing”.
“It’s a friendly atmosphere. It’s very accepting and everyone is cordial,” VanZanten said.
Coulbrooke said the audience is one of the biggest differences between Helicon West and Poetry and a Beverage, which is held on the USU campus.
“The audience is more focused on the reader,” Coulbrooke said. “It is more of a sit down and pay attention thing.The audience knows how hard it is to give a voice to their work.”
Organizers of the event encourage people to come in, order a drink and settle down into one of the many over-sized chairs clustered around a podium. The scent of coffee wafts from the espresso bar, and various art pieces decorate the walls.
“One time a cat even wandered in,” said Cyndi Harmon, a junior majoring in English who designs the broadsides for Helicon West.
The broadsides Harmon designs are inspired by pieces read at Helicon West and are displayed around campus to showcase every one’s work. Harmon said the broadsides are fliers that incorporate the material read at Helicon West throughout the semester and interpret it into mixed media like photographs and drawings.
“It’s like a flash-fiction novel, but more artistic,” Harmon said.
Harmon, like many, had never heard of Helicon West but said she found out about it when Coulbrooke asked her to help design the broadsides sign, and she has been attending ever since.
“The community needs it’s own place to bounce ideas around, and Helicon West is that place,” Harmon said.
For more info or questions about Helicon West, visit the Web site at www.myspace.com/heliconwest or e-mail Star Coulbrooke at scoulbrooke@english.usu.edu.