This year’s Austin International Poetry Festival planners have a workers’
paradise vision of the week — namely, the weekend starts Tuesday and lasts six
days.
Although most of the 400 poets (hailing from Austin to Australia) will
read during the traditional Thursday to Sunday block, significant events have
been frontloaded to Tuesday and Wednesday, encouraging the public to attend
more activities.
On Tuesday, 7-10pm at Borders Books & Music (10225 Research), AIPF
will stage a showcase for the festival’s 36 emcees. Because the majority of
festival events group the poets by region, genre, school, or ethnicity, this
particular showcase is intended as a sampler of the whole event.
The event, however, also places a group of predominantly local poets in the
same room together. Some of the poets have never been in the same audience
together, let alone the same stage, making this emcee showcase one of the more
diverse offerings at the festival.
On Wednesday night from 7 -10pm, APIF hosts a tribute to Albert
Huffstickler at the Hyde Park Theatre (511 W. 43rd St.). Huffstickler is one of
the best-known and most celebrated poets in Austin poetry circles, and the
tribute boasts an local all-star cast, including former Blue Plate Poets Marlys
West and W. Joe Hoppe, former Friendly Fire poet Larry Thoren, and noted local
performance poet David Jewell, in addition to Huffstickler. The event costs
$10. — Phil West
This article appears in March 28 • 1997 and March 28 • 1997 (Cover).