If November gets to be National Novel Writing Month, then surely this can be Kansas City Poetry Reading Day, right? With two acclaimed poets in town — Libyan-American Khaled
Mattawa and the justly lauded Gjertrud Schnackenberg — there won't be a better day for it in a while. Schnackenberg is something of a heavyweight in contemporary American poetry — read her exquisite "Supernatural Love" for proof. Her first new collection of poems since 2001, Heavenly Questions, came out in October. It's tough to go wrong with Mattawa, though; he has authored four books of poetry (the latest book, Tocqueville, was released this year) and has translated six volumes of Arabic poetry to English. Schnackenberg reads at 7 p.m. at Rockhurst University's Mabee Theater (54th Street and Troost) as part of the Midwest Poets Series, while Mattawa reads at 6:30 p.m. at Park University's McCoy Meeting House (8700 Northwest River Park Drive, Parkville) as part of the Ethnic Voices Poetry Series. Choose wisely: Kansas City Poetry Reading Day comes but once a year.— Danny Volin Thu., Nov. 18, 7 p.m., 2010
