It’s a boisterous night at Yamhill Pub. The crowd of 20-somethings produces a steady purr of voices peppered with occasional outbursts. But the noise dies down as 24-year-old Chris Lohman steps onto a chair at the front of the room. He looks out onto the crowd, his thin frame bathed in the soft glow of neon beer signs. Through the haze of cigarette smoke, he welcomes everyone to the Drunk Poets Society.
“The Drunk Poets Society is about celebrating the inebriated expression of the heart and the soul,” he says. The crowd answers back with loud hoots, and Lohman launches into “America” by Allen Ginsberg.
Drunk Poets is Lohman’s answer to “boring” coffee-shop poetry readings. He started writing and sharing his poems in Albuquerque, N.M., 10 years ago. About four months ago, he decided he was ready for something different, rowdier. And a bar seemed to be a good place.
“The whole idea is that when you’re inebriated, your lips are a little looser. It’s easier to share,” he said.
Now, he, his friends and a roomful of strangers gather each Monday night at Yamhill Pub for an opportunity to stand – and sometimes wobble upon – the chair of honor. Armed with journals, crumpled cocktail napkins or simply their memories, poets shout to a sometime intent, sometime noisy audience.
“It provides a whole new set of challenges,” says poet Kevin Francis Xavier Callahan, 32, of the atmosphere. “You have to assert yourself. I relied on subtleties before.”
This is Callahan’s sixth or seventh time here. He has written poetry for two years. After hearing about Drunk Poets from friends, he came here to test out his material and strengthen his performance skills.
Lohman reads his material for similar reasons. “It’s an experiment in my own consciousness,” he says. “It’s about reading a poem and seeing how the audience reacts. How do I learn to get people excited with my voice?”
During the first part of the night, poets are encouraged to relax and read. A notepad is passed around for the “bar poem.” Each audience member builds upon the work of the last. At the end of the night, everyone will hear the final product. After a 15-minute intermission, it is time to address the theme for the night. Tonight’s is “anti-heroes.” Performers, who are given the theme the week before, read related poems. Next week’s theme is “killing yourself.”
The subject matter over the course of the night ranges from war to sex to, appropriately, alcohol. Some poets are soft-spoken. Others are fearless, assertive even. The only rule all must adhere to is to respect fellow performers. There are no judgments, no rude comments allowed.
And despite the name, Lohman emphasizes that no one is required to drink to be part of the Drunk Poets Society.
“Being drunk is a metaphor,” he says. “It’s about being high off of poetry in and of itself.”
The Drunk Poets Society meets Monday nights from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Yamhill Pub, 223 S.W. Yamhill St. For more information, contact Lohman at drunkpoetssociety@yahoo.com.