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DARE YOU THE 4th AnniVersAry CelebrAtion

@ DanDelion Communitea Café

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of

personality but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotion know what it means to want to escape from these” – Emily Dickenson

For all you passionate, creative people, I found the “hot spot” to express your lyrical side. Not too far from downtown, nestled on a cobblestone street lies a “Green House” that allows the soul to grow and be inspired by the eclectic. Being from Boston where the performance poetry scene is adored and admired I have found it hard to discover a place in Orlando that cultivated the cre-ative expression environment that performance poetry demands of its artists. On north Thornton Drive is the Dandelion Communitea Café, a Local/Vegan/Organ-ic café that offers a diverse menu with great food & drink, ambiance and inspiration every Tuesday night from 8-10pm. Born from the imagination of artist & professional performance poet/host of the event, Shawn Welcome four years ago; the night has bloomed into one of the best local atmospheres to express your own “Di-Verse Word”s! The menu consists of everything a healthy eater is looking for, from “Happy Hempy Hummus to “Roll it or Bowl It” main dishes made with Florida grown produce & artisan products. They are home to a welcoming and patient staff for the “organic first timers”, which were even patient with the “world’s pickiest foodie”, Miss O of Talk of Orlando. Our “night out” was a contender for one of the best times we have ever had, especially with the “say Terradactyl” contest (used to “break the ice” with the audience). Which Miss O couldn’t wait to make an impression with and left me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. There were many diverse poets that night, all sharing amazing and moving poetry pieces, consisting of every type of person from local teachers from Wekiva High School to a Brook-lyn, NY street performance poet. I dare anyone to have found at least one performance that they couldn’t relate to. All of which get “snaps” (a poets way to compli-ment a verse/poem) from me. After attending the 4th Anniversary celebration, I truly believe that “Di-Verse Word” night will become a 2nd home for my own poetic soul. I hope you join us to express yours.How did “Di-Verse Word” get started?(Shawn) “Di-verse Word” got started by me asking Julie Norris who was the owner of the Dandelion at the time, if she had anything going on Tuesday nights because I wanted to start a poetry night there. She asked me to email a vision of the night which I did, we went over a few logistics and two weeks later Di-verse Word was started. That was Sept 19, 2006.

Why the Dandelion Communitea Café as a venue? How did your relationship start?A friend by the name of Holly Riggs is who originally suggested the venue to me. At that time, I had no idea what or where the Dandelion was, but when I saw it for the first time, I saw amazing things possibly happening there. And I absolutely loved the fact that I would be hosting outside!What is it about this venue/event that you think keeps a crowd coming back?I think the people are drawn by the sincerity of the peo-ple, the consistency of the host, and the mind-blowing poetry.When you started this event, did you think that 4 years later it would still be going on? Well...I never had a number in my head about how long it would last when I started. Still don’t. I’m just grateful to have a successful poetry night near downtown Or-lando that has so much diversity in it and I’m honored that the people feel comfortable enough to share a piece of themselves with strangers.What/who inspires you as a poet?A myriad of things inspire me. The Word of God for one. Just about everything else that inspires me is in line with some deep rooted truth that I cling to. May be a bit of a gray answer, but I’m an artist. :-)What do you think of the “poetry scene” in Orlando? How do you think it could improve?Well, I haven’t been out much lately to other venues. I run a pretty tight knit life and need my beauty rest. (Laughing out loud) I can tell you with assurance that I have never experienced a poetry open mic night with as much talent, diversity, attendance, and level of respect as “Di-verse Word.” These are some of the core things that I value when it comes to poetry events so I would be lying if I said I didn’t think “Di-verse Word” is the “crème’ of the crop” when it comes to spoken word/poetry in Orlando.For the poets out there looking to get noticed, what advice would you give?If your motive as a poet is to get noticed, you probably never will. People naturally notice influential and genu-ine people. I will say that you only gain exposure and influence by getting on different mics, not just where you feel comfortable. I will also add that talent alone will not sustain a poet looking to make a career out of it. Building strong relationships with people on a per-

sonal level as well as having a concrete “why” for doing what they are doing are all very strong factors in getting “noticed.”Any shout outs?My God, my wife and kids, and everyone who has helped in some way shape or form along the way. If you get offended for me not mentioning you personally, we’re probably not as tight as you thought we were! (Laughing out Loud). You can contact Shawn Welcome @ facebook.com or www.shawnwelcome.comPlease check out the Dandelion Communtea Café @ 618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando FL 32803; # 407.362.1864 or www.dandelioncommunitea.com

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