By Jessica Karins | Daily Reporter
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GREENFIELD — Riley Festival attendees followed the example of James Whitcomb Riley by performing live poetry at the festival’s Poets at the Podium event at the H.J. Ricks Centre Saturday.
The winner of this year’s competition was Kris Carlock, who read a poem written as “a letter to my 15-year-old self” and one addressed to “kids who need to know that they’re not alone.” Carlock received a $100 check.
Six people performed poems written either by themselves or by family members, with topics ranging from falling in love to the impact of drug use. The event concluded with a performance by Kuehl of “Little Orphant Annie,” one of Riley’s best-known poems.
“I felt like it went great. We had a lot of people, a lot of talent, a lot of good poems – a lot of heart,” event organizer Sharon Beemer said.
