Joseph Fulkerson will host Bard & Busker – a gathering of poets, musicians, and local artists – at Brew Bridge from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on April 27.
The event marks the first gathering of Bard & Busker and features a full day of spoken word, music, and local art. Ron Whitehead & The Storm Generation will headline the event, which will feature 25 poets from across the country.
“We haven’t had anything like this around here, and I’m hoping there’s an appetite for it,” Fulkerson said. “We have 25 poets coming, some from New York, California, New Mexico, the midwest, and all over. It’s a very diverse set of performances.”
Attendees can enjoy musical performances by The Chuck Piddles Band and The A.S. Coomer Band. Several local vendors will also be on-site, and there will be an assortment of hard and soft drink options, as well as a full menu for lunch and dinner.
The show’s headliner, Whitehead, is a significant name in the industry. He has worked with Hunter S. Thompson and several other notable authors and poets.
Fulkerson is an Owensboro native and an electrician and construction worker by trade. He took to writing poems and haikus in 2018 as a creative outlet.
“I took a 2-week poetry workshop at Third Man Records – Jack White’s record store – in Nashville, and it really opened my mind about being a writer,” he said. “I also met several other writers and began connecting with others in the community and from around the world who wrote poetry.”
He attempted to host weekly poetry readings in Owensboro before the pandemic but said it gained little momentum. After attending monthly poetry nights at the Bokeah Lounge in Evansville, he knew he still wanted to bring the culture of poetry and the arts to Owensboro.
“I began networking with like-minded people,” he said. “I realize there isn’t an appetite to have something every month, but I’m really hoping this one will take off and become an annual event.”
Fulkerson decided he wanted more after writing for a couple of years and releasing books with some small presses. During the pandemic, he launched Laughing Ronin Press and began publishing poets worldwide in a quarterly journal.
Several artists he’s published are participating in Bard & Busker.
Fulkerson released a novella last year titled “East Jesus Nowhere.” The story follows the fictional story of Jimmy Lane as he navigates life in the middle of nowhere. Fulkerson said the book is loosely inspired by tales of Owensboro.
