PEN-Demonium: A Night of Words

Queen B Vinyl Cafe, the Verde Valley's eclectic vinyl retailer, coffee roaster, barber shop, eatery, and performance space, welcomes four Arizona poets to PEN-demonium, a Night of Words, on Thursday, March 6. An age 16+ event showcasing four Arizona poets, PEN-demonium celebrates the art of poetry through unity, liberation, and connection. The cover at the door is $5. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the opening poet starts at 6:30 p.m.

The four Arizona poets featured at the inaugural evening of PEN-demonium are:

Roxy Runyan came up in the Tuscon poetry scene and is now a resident of Cornville. Their chapbook, Poems for Crones, was released in 2018. Renowned poet Alice Notley said of their work, "Read Roxy Runyan's lovely, vulnerable poems. She has ears, and a heart." In addition to being a published poet, Roxy is an essayist, editor, book publicist, music reviewer, and chef. They live in a state of curiosity and queer delight.

Chris Cipollini hails from Ventura, California, and now lives in Cottonwood. His inspirations range from Dante to Rimbaud, Sylvia Plath to Patti Smith. In 2022, he won the Sedona Poetry Slam. He released his first book of poems, "The Musings," in 2012. In 2015, he released a second book, "A Secret Kingdom," a poetic parable coupled with prose. His third book, "Trifecta-stories sojourns and words of life," was released in 2017. His performance, baptism of fire, was done at the long-running Human Experience poetry and performance venue in Las Vegas. He has performed in New York City, Florence, Italy, and the famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France. For more of his work, find him on Instagram at @im_chriscipollini, on substack at chriscipollini.substack.com, and his blog: amalgamation.home.blog.

Michelle Barry is a poet, essayist, novelist, nonfiction writer, and vocalist who lives in Clarkdale. She started writing in the second grade and never stopped. She was born and raised in Maine, where she was introduced to the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at an early age. Michelle began her slam poetry career in Manchester, New Hampshire, earning her spot on the Slam Free or Die poetry team. Her performance poetry mentors include the late Jack McCarthy, Patricia Smith, Robbie Q. Telfer, and Rachel McKibbens. She has performed and competed in slams across the country, including the National Poetry Slam in Madison, Wisconsin.

Shawnte Orion lives in Phoenix and attended Paradise Valley Community College for one day, but he is the author of Gravity and Spectacle (a collaboration with photographer Jia Oak Baker from Tolsun Books) and The Existentialist Cookbook (NYQBooks). He is an editor for Rinky Dink Press, and he has performed in bookstores, bars, universities, hair salons, museums, and laundromats. His poems have appeared in Threepenny Review, Barrelhouse, Sugar House Review, New York Quarterly, and on the flipside of a split 7-inch vinyl record with San Francisco band Sweat Lodge.

This will become a bi-weekly event at the Queen B Vinyl Cafe, occurring every other Thursday.

About Queen B Vinyl Cafe
Queen B Vinyl Cafe, a record shop, restaurant, wine and coffee bar, and barber shop, moved from Main Street in Jerome to 102 E. Pima Street in Old Town Cottonwood, Arizona, at the end of October 2024. In addition to selling new and used vinyl, unique gifts, and custom clothing, the retailer hosts live entertainment in its performance space, including international music acts, performance artists, and standup comedy. The Cafe offers a full food menu and coffee beverages made with Puscifer whole bean coffee, roasted right on the premises by MJ Keenan and crew.

For more information about Queen B Vinyl Cafe's live entertainment series, visit https://queenbvinylcafe.com/shows/.

Category: Arts | Performing Arts | Poetry