Tune in to Theatre of the Mind
Local poet featured on Prairie Home Companion… again!
By Susan Schaul
George Bilgere, poet extraordinaire and John Carroll University professor, is making a guest appearance on the Prairie Home Companion APM (American Public Media) radio show on Sat 12/10. Joining the wacky cast of characters from Lake Wobegon (Guy Noir, Dusty and Lefty, etc.), Bilgere will read four of his published poems for this live broadcast from the Town Hall in New York City. Let’s tune in and cheer him on!
When Garrison Keillor performed at Severance Hall this past October, he asked to meet with Bilgere. “We spoke together backstage after his show for about 30 minutes,” said Bilgere. “And at the end of the conversation, he asked me to come on the Prairie Home Companion show in December.”
As he retold this story of their meeting, Bilgere raised his eyebrows and a wide smile appeared, portraying his feelings of excitement and anticipation. “With over five million radio listeners plus the Internet, it is the biggest break ever for a writer,” he exclaimed. (Bilgere also reported that Garrison Keillor wears red tennis shoes and the production company rehearses the show three times before airing. Who knew?)
In other public radio markets across the country, Keillor does a daily five-minute radio segment called the Writer’s Almanac when he highlights what happened that day in history and reads a short poem on air. “He must like my work because over the past four years, he has read 29 of my poems on his show,” said Bilgere. “Radio is the best venue for poetry, like theatre of the mind.”
Bilgere is a former Cleveland Arts prize winner and a Pushcart prize winner. His latest book of poems, The White Museum, was published by Autumn House in 2010. For more information, visit http://GeorgeBilgere.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul, who says the act of writing is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The challenge lies in getting the pieces to fit together and make sense.