Ancient City Poets
Chris Bodor and the Ancient City Poets in their last Zoom meeting on Sunday, May 31
By Kolbe Gelbaugh
Social distancing measures have made the past few months difficult for local art communities and challenged artists to get creative in unprecedented ways.
Saint Augustine’s Ancient City Poets have proven to be a resilient group of artists and have found ways to continue sharing their art, despite quarantine.
Chris Bodor founded the Ancient City Poets in 2009 and has since hosted open mic poetry readings with the group in Downtown Saint Augustine, on the last Sunday of every month.
Bodor, who moved to Saint Augustine from New York City, found his voice in poetry first by writing poems daily on the commuter trains to and from his work. Eventually, he took up the offer of holding open mic poetry readings at his brother’s coffee shop in the city.
“All I want to do in Saint Augustine is give back what was given to me in New York City and what my brother was able to give to me.”
With a 15-20 people sign-up sheet available before each open mic event, the Ancient City Poets are welcoming to all returning and new voices.
“Every time someone comes up to the mic, they become a member of the Ancient City Poets,” Bodor said.
While the poetry gatherings have not occurred at the Corazon Cinema and Café since its closure in March, Bodor has kept the Ancient City Poets community active via Facebook and Zoom.
Bodor and the group of 11 years are looking forward to their first in-person meeting at the end of June.
Taking the open mic reading outdoors for this meeting is under consideration as the health and safety of those involved is still top priority.
Bodor is confident in however the next meeting plays out and says that being outdoors wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
“It’ll give it a feel that it’s never had before to be outside now,” Bodor said.
If you’re interested in becoming a member or keeping up with the Ancient City Poets, visit their Facebook or YouTube pages for more information.