FRIENDS OF THE LAKESHORE NATURE PRESERVE
  • Home
  • People & Events
    • Field Trips
  • The Preserve
    • Maps >
      • 1918 Marsh
      • Eagle Heights Woods
    • Birds
    • Animals
    • Plants
  • Support us
  • About
    • Newsletter
    • Mission and Goals
    • Annual Reports
    • Committees & Contact

It’s In Our Nature! Open Mic Night – February 25, 2020

3/3/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Early last year, Olympia Mathiaparanam, Board Member, had the idea that we could harness the power of the humanities in inspiring connection to nature. The “It’s in Our Nature” open mic event held in the BioCommons in the Steenbock Library on Thursday, February 25 was the result of that idea. We asked Robin Chapman, poet, Emeritus faculty of the UW-Madison, and Friends member, to be the Master of Ceremony and featured poet. Robin has written ten books of nature-inspired poetry and has received recognition and honors for her work including the 2010 Appalachia Poetry Prize, and a Wisconsin Arts Board Literary Arts Fellowship. Robin, Olympia, and Lillian Tong, also a Board Member, met together to plan the details around this experimental initiative months in advance. Because of the need to reach a broader audience than our usual field trips, the team created and distributed posters around campus and in local coffee shops and establishments. 

The event opened with a slideshow of 105 images of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, selected by Lillian Tong and put into a PowerPoint presentation with the help of Linda Deith, Tom Yin, and Sarah Congdon. These images were among those taken by numerous photographers and pulled together by Gisela Kutzbach. The slideshow played for the 15 minutes prior to the Open Mic while performers were signing up for slots and choosing images that would be projected while they read their creative expression. Olympia welcomed the attendees and introduced Robin, who opened and closed the event with her excellent poetry. The poetry and prose of our 6 performers, together with the visual images, brought the beauty and power of nature into the space! In all, 23 people enjoyed the work of the performers, several of whom were new to the Lakeshore Preserve. After the presentations, attendees had an opportunity to visit and view the display table with materials about the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. 
The BioCommons director and staff were very welcoming and helpful, and provided a perfect place for the event, for which we are so grateful. Refreshments were donated by Lillian Tong and the BioCommons offered coffee. The organizers, who had worried about results of this experiment, were happy with the response and hope to repeat the event, perhaps with ideas for improvements. Report by Lillian Tong and Olympia Mathiaparanam. Photos by Tom Yin and Olympia.​
2 Comments
Paul Noeldner
3/3/2020 08:06:05 pm

The Open Mic poetry reading,sounds like it was a super experience. Sorry I had to miss it. Great Job Olympia and Team! Hope you do it again :)

Reply
sandy stark
3/15/2020 02:31:14 pm

what a pleasure to walk from an icy parking lot into a warm and welcoming room with an engaged & mixed age and style readers and listeners. thank you organizers & hosts!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    RSS Feed

    People & Events
    2017
    2016
    2015
    2014

         January - April 
         May-December
Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve
 P.O. Box 5534
 Madison, WI 53705 

UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve website

Documents
Picture
Related websites:
UW Nelson Institute
UW Arboretum
Clean Lakes Alliance
Groundswell Conservancy
Pleasant Valley Conservancy
Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Friends of Amphibians
​Friends of Cherokee Marsh
Friends of Olin Turville

Wild Warner Park
  • Home
  • People & Events
    • Field Trips
  • The Preserve
    • Maps >
      • 1918 Marsh
      • Eagle Heights Woods
    • Birds
    • Animals
    • Plants
  • Support us
  • About
    • Newsletter
    • Mission and Goals
    • Annual Reports
    • Committees & Contact