In a dimly lit coffee shop in downtown Phoenix, students and community members sipped their drinks and attentively listened to the sounds of poetry.
Two ASU alumni read poems from their latest books Friday night at Urban Beans coffee shop near 7th Street and Osborn Road.
Josh Rathkamp and Sean Nevin read to a crowd of about 30 people as part of the Phoenix Poetry Series.
The series, which has been around for three years, features ASU affiliated poets along with local poets every third Friday of the month, said Rosemarie Dombrowski, the coordinator of the series.
“We try to get ASU students and the community involved,” said Dombrowski, who is also an ASU English professor.
The poets read from their books — Rathkamp from “Some Nights No Cars At All” and Nevin from “Oblivio Gate” to a diversely-aged crowd.
The audience was made up of college students to older customers who regularly go to Urban Beans, who attended to listen to the poets read.
Rathkamp’s girlfriend, 10-year-old stepdaughter and 2-year-old daughter were there to support as well.
The last poem Nevin read, “Sundowning,” touched on the theme of Alzheimer’s disease, which has directly affected his grandfather, he said.
“I really enjoyed it,” said Bryan Hall, a former ASU communications student who attends the series regularly.
Rathkamp, who got his master of fine arts degree, also known as an MFA, from ASU in 2004, is now a professor and the coordinator of creative writing at Mesa Community College.
“As a teacher he really cares about you as a student and writer,” said Melanie McCuin, who takes creative writing classes with Rathkamp at MCC and was in the audience.
Nevin earned his MFA in 2001 from ASU and has stayed as assistant director of ASU’s Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and directs the Young Writers Program in the English department.
The two have known each other for nine years, Nevin said.
Nevin and Rathkamp bounce writing ideas off each other, he said.
“Not at a bar anymore, but Sunday mornings with play dates,” said Nevin, referring to his 2-year-old daughter and Rathkamp’s 2-year-old-daughter.
Phoenix Poetry Series in past years has taken place at other Phoenix coffee shops like Copper Star Coffee and Mama Java’s Coffee House, Dombrowski said.
She has been hosting the series at Urban Beans coffee shop since January and hope to stay for a while because it’s in downtown Phoenix.
“We’re trying to revitalize the downtown scene,” she said.
Reach the reporter at uriel.garcia@asu.edu
