13 May 30 - June 5, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents communities. We have often heard that our stories are ‘too intense’ or ‘too vulgar’ to be in certain spaces. So slam poets continue to spill their passion and vulnerability on the stages of businesses and people who under- stand our stories.” Overall equity, access and inclusion in the capital-P poetry world is still a substantial need in Dallas and cities all over the world for people of color and other disenfran- chised populations facing barriers to entry in the arts. “I think it’s important, especially for someone like me [Dallas poet laureate], who has access to some measure of re- sources, to be in conversation with histori- cally marginalized poets,” Gabbert says. “I can’t claim that I have the answers to solve issues around inclusivity, because I have white privilege. I’m a straight white woman. But I think the people who do have the answers we need are right here in this town.” The city’s first poet laureate, appointed in 2021, was author and educator Joaquin Zi- huatanejo, who works extensively in Dallas but was based in Denton. This drew critici- cism from other figures in the literary scene, not for Zihuatanejo’s extensive credentials, but for the city’s inability to house its own, official, representatives in the arts (assum- ing this was a factor). Gilliland, whose face adorns a large mu- ral in Deep Ellum, where his poetry is also found on street art, takes commissioned work, or he might be found at a pop-up in Leyla’s Bakery, writing special-occasion po- ems for Mother’s Day. “I believe the arts are all kin,” Gilliland says. “Whereas Dallas has long been a musi- cal destination, and visual art is everywhere one looks … it is only natural that Dallas now embraces the multitude of people who live here. Painting with words in any form is an integral part of who we are.” The medium of poetry is a labor of love and an inherent calling. But in the 21st cen- tury, there’s a rapidly diminishing place in the world (and station in life) for the artists who create it. One has to wonder whether, in the end, the challenges of making poetry are ultimately worth it. But for Dallas poets, there’s no question about it. Scarlett Gray and Eva Regicide will continue their work in poetry even if they never see it deliver financial returns. Sebastian Paramo believes it’s important to hold onto one of the world’s oldest profes- sions. Daryll Ratcliff thinks poetry is truly the most accessible form of creation be- cause all it requires is to feel or observe something. One of his favorite things to do on a night out for drinks is wrangling friends into writing spontaneous poems with him on cocktail napkins. In eloquent and simple terms, Dallas’ Logen Cure — English professor, poetry podcaster and hosting founder of The Wild Detectives’ monthly reading “Inner Moonlight” — insists that poetry is not something you can just stop doing. Poets will always write because it’s simply who they are. “I consider being a poet part of my iden- tity,” Cure says. “I’ve been a poet all my life and will be a poet regardless of how I pay the bills.” Kathy Tran Daryll Ratcliff proposes practical ideas like unionization and a city-funded poetry prize. Kathy Tran English professor and poetry podcaster Logen Cure hosts a monthly reading, “Inner Moonlight.” THURS. & FRI. Gates Open 5:00 p.m. First Race 6:35 p.m. SAT. & SUN. Gates Open 12:00 p.m. First Race 1:35 p.m. Admission Starts at $10 • General Parking FREE • 1/2 Mile North of I-30 on Belt Line Road (972) 263-RACE • LoneStarPark.com RACING SEASON 2 0 2 4 FREE T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY LIVE BEATLES TRIBUTE BAND 5 STAKES RACES R S JOIN US FOR A LONE STAR CELEBRATION TICKETS STARTING AT JUST $10 Saturday, June 1
