STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

A second Poetry Night will be held at 5:30 p.m. tonight--Thursday, March 28--at Hailey’s Town Center West.

The gathering, hosted by the Hailey Public Library and the newly formed Free Range Poetry Society, celebrates the power of poetry and helps kick off Poetry Month in April.

Readers will include Florence Blanchard, Ted Dyer, Sue Bailey, John Fox, Susan Fierman, Les Shanahan, Andrea Pierceall and Cit Ananda. 

“Our valley has a long history of poetry readings, some by acclaimed Beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg and other readings by not-so-famous locals in bookstores and coffee shops,” said co-organizer Florence Blanchard. “We had so much fun back in November with the first Free Range Poetry Night that we wanted to offer another one this spring.”

Oral poetry has been around for at least 7,000 years, starting in Mesopotamia where it was an important part of rituals and storytelling, said Kristin Fletcher, the library’s programs and engagement manager.

“In 1996 the Academy of American Poets singled out April to recognize and celebrate poets and poetry as essential to human culture.  It’s now the largest literary celebration in the world.”