By Tristian Evans/south news editor
The South Campus Jenkins Garrett Library will hold its annual Open-Mic Read-In 12:30-1:30 p.m. Feb.11.
The event is designed to highlight works written by African-American poets, novelists and playwrights. Participants can share their favorite pieces of black literature with the audience.
Poet A.J. Houston and author Angel Carr will serve as guest speakers.
Born in Dallas, Houston has performed poetry for the last 25 years and has been a member of the Fort Worth Poetry Slam Team since 2002. Houston advocates creativity and the importance of expressing oneself through words.
“I’m around people a lot of the time who say ‘I don’t know how to say [that] or I don’t know how to put it,’ and that’s the truth,” he said.
Writing is an important form of expression, Houston said. No matter what field a person works in, he said, creativity is an important tool to have.
“Creative writing helps to communicate with people a lot better, even if you aren’t in their presence,” he said.
Houston has various projects in the works. The one he plans to read from is “Invocations of Inspiration,” a calendar of 365 inspirational quotes. He will also give the audience a chance to choose what they want to hear.
Carr lives by an Eleanor Roosevelt quote, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Carr, who also works as an administrative assistant for the South Campus police department, said several events inspired her to write her children’s book Little Betsy Mae, which was released in October. The story, drawn from Carr’s own life and the lives of people she has encountered and observed, deals with the issue of self-esteem.
“I believe that a healthy self-esteem, knowing who you are and whose you are, is the beginning of becoming confident,” she said.
Carr believes her book’s theme is universal and hopes that it helps not only little girls, whom the book targets, but men and women from all walks of life who struggle or have struggled with self-esteem issues.
She plans to read an excerpt from Little Betsy Mae at the Read-In and to encourage young writers and poets to go for their dreams.
“If you have a dream and a passion and a vision, then do it!” she said.
South Campus library coordinator Janet Lee hopes that the event will help to emphasize literature and reading in general.
“I think reading is an important concept,” she said. “Avid reading helps you open your mind.”
