Vox Coffee House

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

On December 20, UNB Saint John students hosted the annual Vox coffee house, a well attended night of poetry reading and live music performances hosted at the Bourbon Quarter in Uptown Saint John.

Chris Wanamaker, and Marsha Hitchcock, both read three original poems followed by Katrina Pridgeon.

Pridgeon’s poem on death contained lines such as,

“I crave warm bodies
against creaking bed springs
on crooked bar stools
sticky with—
well
touched well
in an embrace
a violent defence
of what comes after—
you know”

She was followed by Vox’s current editor, Nick Mitchell, who read two of his poems of which were published in previous Vox publications.
Music followed the readings with both solo acts and a band The Not So Dandy Lions, which performed to an eager audience.

The talent displayed a wide range of genres: from what may be called ‘screamo’ to soft rock Adele covers and original compositions

Besides the poetry readings, musicians and singers, Jenna Albert, one of the organizers of the coffee house, collected donations for Syrian refugees raising approximately $100.

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Performers at the Vox Coffee House Photo: Robert Finn

Response to the Vox Coffee House were overwhelmingly positive.
“I was pleased with the turnout, considering the busy time of year.” Says Albert.

“We received a lot of positive feedback on the event, particularly about the Bourbon Quarter as a venue. We usually do it in the restaurant’s other half, the Magnolia Cafe, which is smaller.”

Rosalynd Mitchell, a 2nd year Arts student at UNB Fredericton attended the coffee house for the first time. “I thought all the poetry was really impressive and I was surprised by how talented the students and other poets were…it was a wonderful showcase of local musical talent”.

Vox magazine will be released in April. Students who wish to submit to the annual arts publication can contact Katrina Pridgeon [katrina.pridgeon@outlook.com] who is hosting writing and submission workshops throughout the semester.