Below we present our full interview with Just Kids poetry collective from our just published Spring zine. We spoke to founders Rae, Rio and Carter about how they initially connected, Patti Smith's Detroit connection, their favorite poem from a Detroiter and more...
Please introduce yourselves and tell us what you do
Hi, we are Rae, Rio, and Carter the creators of Just Kids.
Just Kids is a Poetry Collective based out of Detroit, MI. We host a free Poetry Open Mic the first Sunday of every month from 7-9:00pm @ the Polka Dot Bar in Hamtramck. We also host a free Community Writing Workshop the third Sunday of every month from 2-4:00pm @ Booksuey.
How did you cross paths?
We were all hired at the same restaurant a few months apart. It’s a small space with a tight-knit staff, so you find out very quickly if the environment is going to be sustainable mentally/socially. Lucky for us, we all seemed to see each other right away.
Was there any incident or event that drew you into poetry or creative writing in general?
“All of the people I’ve looked up to ever have been writers, musicians, and cooks.” – Carter
What was the intention behind Just Kids? What inspired you to start the collective?
To give young writers a place to share with no judgement or rules.
Booksuey was the catalyst, really. We love everything they do for the writing community.
Guessing by the name, you are Patti Smith’s fans, is there a specific poem or work that you like from her? Did you guys know about her Detroit connection?
We all love her memoir Just Kids. We are too, of course, familiar with her connection to legendary Detroiter Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5. However, we saw her recently in Ann Arbor promoting Bread of Angels and she talked a bit about meeting Fred for the first time at Lafayette Coney Island. Pretty cool.
We love her early-mid 70s poetry a lot:
“jeanne d’arc” “piss factory” “neoboy”
What has been most rewarding about starting this collective? What has been challenging?
The community we’ve helped build in the city, the friendships we’ve made, the consistent faces we see every month. No challenges come to mind. We've been extremely lucky that writers have been very receptive to what we are trying to do.
I’ve been attending your monthly poetry nights at Polka Dot and notice there’s always a theme. What goes behind picking these themes? Is it random or intentionally curated?
Whenever we have a shift together we just spit-ball and it comes together. It's sometimes random, and sometimes very intentional. It’s usually rooted in something one of us is reading at the time. We’ve got a formula now so it's super low stakes and easy to put together.
Since we are a Detroit-based show, do you have a favorite poem about Detroit or a Detroit poet?
Dreaming Moorish by Jim Perkinson.
What are your goals for Just Kids?
Small, affordable publications and to keep our momentum going. The most important thing to us is consistency.
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