Poetry Slam Benefits Green River Academy
Amazing! Powerful! Uplifting! Communal! Thought-provoking! Superb!
Any and all of those six adjectives could be used to describe the Todd County Public Library’s “Poetry Slam 2025,” an event this past Thursday evening that was hosted by the Green River Academy and the Todd County Public Library in the spacious Community Room at the new structure located at 507 South Main Street. The event, one birthed through the talents of former TCCHS educators Nancy Dye and Carolyn Wells, saw 21 Todd Countians or folks with Todd County ties share their favorite pieces of poetry with an audience of about 75 gathered in the Community Room at the new state-of-the-art library. Because some of the presenters lived elsewhere across the country, several shared their poems via video.
Those who presented included folks with myriad backgrounds including Susan Dickinson, a community relations manager; Kenneth Valentine, a retired Secret Service Agent who served with former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama; Kathi Hall, Andrea Payne Shade, Lindsay Slack, Deanie Powell, and Rosemarie Cowherd Wurth-Grice, two current and several retired educators; Deborah Coots Wortham, a speech lan-guage pathologist; Allen Polk, a security specialist with the US Army; Ava Reed, a high school freshman; Orlando Andrews, a certified addiction recovery coach; Dr. Jaime Dye Holder, a Clarksville/Montgomery County Schools’ administrator; Michael Bailey, a volunteer at Glenwood Cemetery who cleans headstones there; Renee Brizendine Gill, the Director of Philanthropy at Second Harvest Food Bank; Anne Stahl, a former guidance counselor and college professor; Dr. Harold W. Arnett, a songwriter and retired educator; Dr. Amanda Hayes, the library’s director; Jessica McLain Addison, the first female superintendent of the Todd County School System; Amy Bingham DeCesare, a retired WBKO broadcast journalist; and the two hostesses for the event, both retired educators at TCCHS.
One who attended the event stated she was not really sure what a “poetry slam” entailed; however, she also added she was enthralled later to be in attendance for such a fun evening that saw those present experience both joy and sadness as presenters shared their selected poems. The event, which was the first Facebook Live for CLW and the first “Poetry Slam” for the new library, saw a remarkable array of talent as many former students of both Dye and Wells continued sharing their extraordinary talents the two educators witnessed decades ago. A Facebook comment echoed the excellence of the evening as Mrs. Vicki Crabtree Kennedy of Clarksville penned, “Bravo! Memories, emotions, revelation … outstanding event. Thank you to each one who made this happen.” Laura Brock, a founding member of the Green River Academy Preservation Society, commented, “We raised a little money for Green River Academy Historic Site, but most of all we gathered as a community and shared the art of poetry.”
Harold W. (Doc) Arnett of Kansas and his brother, Paul Arnett of Ohio, traveled 580 miles and 400 miles respectively to be a part of the “Slam.” Noting he was so pleased to have attended the event, Paul, a classmate of CLW, shared via a video, “The library is truly something Elkton and the Todd County community can really be very proud of.” His younger brother Doc, a retired educator, poet, and songwriter who is currently penning a book about “growing up in Todd County,” showcased his many talents as he read one poem and followed that reading by singing two of his poems he has put into song. Andrea Payne Shade, a retired educator who honed her skills in high school by participating in speech contests, displayed her incredible talents as she shared via video two of her favorite poems, one selected that she had competed with in high school speech contests.
Jessica McLain Addison, our next superintendent, shared a poem her late father had written years ago. Sadly, Jessica said Thursday evening marked the sixth-year anniversary of his death. Doc Arnett, who describes himself as a “West Kentucky native retired from public education and living in northeast Kansas,” texted following the event, “Anchored by a love of Todd County and literature, a lively group of readers enjoyed a responsive audience. I drove nearly 600 miles from Kansas to Kentucky to participate in the ‘Poetry Slam.’ It was worth every mile.” For those interested in viewing the event, you can pull up Carolyn L. Wells on Facebook and enjoy the video of the evening’s presenters.
