The Aiken Poets held its third Poetry Celebration at the Museum on April 20 at the Aiken County Historical Museum.
Fifteen of its 20 members read their poems to an audience of approximately 50 attendees. The poets received many favorable comments.
Honored guests included Lauren Virgo, executive director of the Aiken County Historical Museum; Brenda Barrato, past executive director of the museum who had been instrumental in past years in promoting poetry at the museum; Marti Healy, local writer and author who participated with the poetry group on a past exercise; Teddy Milner, mayor of Aiken who has shown an interest in poetry; and Lucinda Clark, founder of the Augusta-based Poetry Matters Group and currently serving as president of the Georgia Poetry Society.
The Aiken Poets meet monthly at the AnShu Asian Cafe in the Village at the Woodside from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month.
A selected member of the poetry group is also featured in the Aiken Standard on the third Wednesday of each month and has been for about six years running now.
Joan Lacombe, a founding member of the group 13 years ago along with Roger Brock, was proclaimed Poet Laureate of Aiken by former Mayor Rick Osbon at the Aiken County Historical Museum in 2017.
The group plans to make this Celebration of Poetry at the Aiken County Historical Museum an annual event.
