Second volume of Springfield poetry anthology benefits Ozarks Literacy Council

Correction: A previous edition of this story listed a poetry reading that is not open to the public due to capacity size.

Following the success of last year's inaugural release, The Bards of Moon City are back with another poetry anthology that highlights stories from the area and benefits a good cause.

"The Bards of Moon City: Vol. 2" is a collection of more than 50 poems from 11 Springfield authors. The paperback book is available for $15 and all proceeds benefit the Ozarks Literacy Council. The book can be purchased at Bookmarx and Waverly House Gifts & Gallery or on Amazon. The Ozarks Literacy Council will also ship copies for a few additional dollars. To inquire about a shipped copy, email info@ozarksliteracy.org.

The Bards of Moon City is an informal coalition of Springfield authors who are dedicated to promoting the creation and sharing of poetry in the area. This year's Bards, who contributed to last year's anthology, include Loren Broaddus, Ethan Bryan, Chris Burros, Gemma Campanini, Karen Craigo, David Harrison, Dottie Joslyn, Bob Stephens, Bon Tindle and Rex Ybañez. Each author has about five poems featured in the book.

In addition to these 10 authors, the anthology includes a poem from guest author, former Drury University President Todd Parnell. His poem, "Take Back Your Rivers, People," a call to action-style poem about climate change, is featured.

This year's anthology covers an variety of topics. Tindle explored more difficult themes like body image, domestic violence and patriarchal society. Harrison, the state's poet laureate, wrote about losing a pet, Mark Twain and a saber-toothed cat. Broaddus submitted excerpts from his project, "Voices in the River—Portraits from South Street," which tells the stories of families who lived on the 600 block of South Street in the 19th century.

One of Campanini's five poems in the anthology is called, "Squash the Bookstore Cat" and is about the gray-and-white fluffy cat Squash who resides at Bookmarx. Campanini said while Googey has been in the spotlight a lot lately, she wanted to take the chance to recognize his quiet brother.

When Stephens contacted Campanini about participating in the second volume of "The Bards of Moon City," she said "it was a no-brainer to submit."

"I wish I could go back and time and tell my younger self that I’d one day get opportunities like this," Campanini said. "As a kid, when I was just getting started with my writing, I never would have believed I’d one day do stuff like this."

"The Bards of Moon City" is the brain child of former Springfield mayor Bob Stephens. He said he hopes "The Bards of Moon City" becomes an annual tradition in Springfield, as a way for authors to showcase their work and members of the community to engage with locally-written poetry.

How does the book benefit Ozarks Literacy Council?

The first volume of "The Bards of Moon City" was released in August 2023. Featuring 60 poems from 11 authors, the book raised $650 for the Ozarks Literacy Council, according to Amy Jardell, Ozarks Literacy Council executive director.

This $650 will be used to supplement the book budget for the Ozarks Literacy Council's Reading Resource Program, Jardell added. This program provides Williams, McGregor and York Elementary Schools with a volunteer for at least 30 minutes once a month throughout the entire school year. During a visit, the volunteer reads a book to the class. This book is then provided to every student and teacher. Money raised by "The Bards of Moon City" will allow the program to purchase 185 books.

In addition to funds dedicated to the Reading Resource Program, the Ozarks Literacy Council set aside enough money to pay for the cost of this year's anthology.

Here's where you can enjoy live poetry in April

April is National Poetry Month and The Bards are dedicated to creating spaces where members of the community can both share their writing and listen in. The Bards have a full calendar of events planned for next month:

• Poetry reading The Dugout on Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m.

• Poetry reading with jewelry-making workshop at Waverly House Gifts & Gallery on Saturday, April 6

• Poetry reading at The GLO Center on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m.

• Poetry reading at Brentwood Christian Church on Sunday, April 14 at 7 p.m.

• Poetry reading at Bookmarx on Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m.

• Poetry reading at Mother's Brewing Company on Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m.

• Big Poetry Reading at Nathan P. Murphy's on Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m.

• Poetry reading at Springhouse Village on Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m.

• Poetry reading at Hold Fast Brewing on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m.

• Poetry reading at Westminster Presbyterian on Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.

Other poetry events that aren't necessarily associated with The Bards include:

• Poets Corner Open Mic at Green House Coffee + Affogato Bar on Friday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m.

• Free Voice Poetry Workshop at Green House Coffee + Affogato Bar on Wednesday, April 10 a 5:30 p.m.

• Oh, Snap Poetry Reading at Lake of Ozarks on Saturday, April 13 at 6 p.m.

• Farmer's Market Lit Fest at South Farmer's Market on Saturday, April 20 at 9 a.m.

• Poetry Workshop at Brentwood Library on Saturday, April 20 at 10 a.m.

• Poetry Slam at Nathan P. Murphy's on Sunday, April 28 at 6 p.m.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Second volume of poetry anthology benefits Ozarks Literacy Council