Poetry At The Writers House: Join A Night Full Of Literary Fun

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Rutgers’ beloved Writers House is partnering up with the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association, a local writing center in the Camden region, to bring their popular Midnight Notes series to campus. Join in for a whimsical night of poetry, open mics, music, writing and even tea.

The event will take place on Tuesday, February 11th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Rutgers-Camden Writers House on 305 Cooper Street. This event is not only free, but open to the public as well.

What does the event include?

The event will feature renowned artist and poet, Berlin…!, otherwise known as smoothwaffle on various social media platforms. He will lead the attendees through a writing-based workshop where the theme of the night, Triumph, will be encouraged in literary form. With the chance to not only work with leading and local writers, there will be the opportunity to share your work during the open-mic portion of the night. Alongside Berlin will be the host of the evening, the legendary Camden writer, Reet Starwind, who will help guide attendees on this unique and inspiring literary journey.

In addition to a night full of writing fun, tea will be served as a courtesy of Hush Herbals. For all those aspiring to have their Dead Poets Society moment, this event might very well be the night thanks to tea, poetry, and passionate writers!

What is the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association?

The Nick Virgilio Haiku Association is a writers house here in the Camden region that promotes “literacy, creativity, and self expression” for “writers of all ages.” In 2010, the association acquired a permanent address for their writing center and since then have been renovating it into the warm and welcoming space it is today. The Writers House is located on 1801 Broadway, less than a 10 minute drive from Rutgers-Camden Campus Center. The Nick Virgilio Writers House offers a list of events throughout the year such as Haiku in Action, a workshop which encourages innovative haikus, as well as their Virtual Open Mics, which features various national poets as well as provides a platform for local writers to share their work.

The association was named in honor of the internationally recognized poet, Nick Virgilio, who is most famous for his unique articulation of haikus in the 1960s. Virgilio was born in Camden, NJ and attended the local public schools until he ventured to Temple University to earn his undergraduate degree. Aside from his time in Texas, Virgilio spent most of his life right here in Camden where he dedicated the majority of his time to radio stations, poetry societies, and even writing festivals. To this day, Virgilio is credited with the success and popularization of the haiku style of poetry in America, and his works can be found across various publications, many of his unpublished works residing in Rutgers very own Paul Robeson Library. Not only does the Nick Virgilio Writers House honor him, but plans to carry out his legacy with the continual implementation of poetry in the Camden community.

Teaming Up With Rutgers Writers House

The Writers House, located right on Cooper Street behind the Campus Center, is home to Rutgers MFA in Creative Writing, but provides creative and exploratory events for the whole Rutgers community. Between workshops for high schoolers and beyond, author talks, and visiting writers, there is something for every creative, literature lover. The Writers House is teaming up with the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association to bring the popular Midnight Notes series to the Rutgers campus, allowing students, as well as the public, to get a taste of both organizations in the beautiful, historic building otherwise known as The Writers House.

This event welcomes writers of all kinds who simply share the same love for writing, creativity and community. Whether you are interested in writing your own poetry or merely listening to others work, then this event is for you.

Interested in attending other writing events? Follow along for updates!

Nick Virgilio Writers House: https://www.instagram.com/nickvirgiliowritershouse/

Rutgers Writers House: https://www.instagram.com/rucwritershouse/