VERO BEACH — A long-running literary tradition in Indian River County is returning to its roots this year as the Laura Riding Jackson Foundation prepares for its annual Poetry and Barbecue event.
The nonprofit organization, dedicated to promoting the power of writing, has hosted the event for 15 years. This year’s gathering is designed to echo the spirit of the inaugural program.
Pat Draper, the current poet laureate of Indian River County and a member of the foundation, said the anniversary celebration will reconnect with the event’s early beginnings by bringing back poets who helped launch it while continuing to highlight local writers.
“[It’s] basically going to be a celebration similar to what the first program was. It’s my understanding that we’ve invited back the poets that were featured at the first Poetry and Barbecue, and then we’re going to also have an opportunity for local writers to be able to read what they’ve written,” Draper said.
One of the poets returning is Sean Sexton, who has helped organize the event since it began. He recalled the modest setup of that first gathering and how the event has grown over the years.
“We met under a tent, and our sound system was very poor. It seemed kind of minimal, and yet, there were wonderful things about it. It’s turned into a bigger deal. We’ve had three poets a year for 15 years, so we’ve had almost 50 poets come to Vero Beach,” he said.
The event has drawn poets from outside the region while also highlighting the character and history of Indian River County, themes Draper said she explores in her own work this year.
“I go into the history of Indian River County, and I talk about the geographic location. I talk about Dodgertown. I talk about Waldo Sexton. I talk about Zora Neale Hurston, as well as the beaches and the river that makes us so famous,” she said.
Sexton, who served as the county’s first poet laureate before passing the role to Draper in 2024, has lived in the area his entire life. He said his writing often reflects the places and people that define the region.
“When you mention names and places and even phenomena of a locale, to see that in print and actually see it artfully written about is a very gratifying thing. I think that the fact that I’ve written about things that are particular to here as artfully as I can have contributed very much to our sense of place. I’m so grateful my grandfather picked this place out for us and that we stayed. And I write about that. I think it also leavens my writing with a kind of mediation,” he said.
Over the years, Sexton said the event has brought visiting poets whose perspectives add something new to the local literary community.
“It’s an exceptional thing, a voice from elsewhere that’s been educated and seasoned and blessed with experience of other places. And, you know, it’s just sort of an importation of knowledge and intellect and ideas that poetry comprises. And I think that’s why it should be considered a valuable thing to us. We can hear our own voices after the poets are gone, but these voices are extraordinary and they will be a wonderful addition to our knowledge and our sensibilities and our appreciation of humankind,” he said.
For Draper, attending the event years ago helped shape her own path as a writer.
“That was a big inspiration because it’s just an incredible program that celebrates the written words, celebrates poetry, and it allows the community to see not only the caliber of poet that is invited to present at this program, but it also has a opportunity for local poets to read their writing. And I was able to do that several times,” she said.
She said she hopes the event continues encouraging others in the community to explore writing and creative expression.
“Don’t close your mind to something that you think you might not like because usually you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s like that old phrase, man does not live by bread alone. And you have to indulge those urges to create something, whether it’s art, whether it’s writing or specifically poetry. Lots of people are intimidated by an experience they’ve had in school. And if that’s the case, it doesn’t always have to be like that,” Draper said.
Along with Sexton, this year’s featured poets include Michael Hettich and Silvia Curbelo. They will speak at the Richardson Center in Vero Beach while attendees enjoy barbecue food during the event.
Tickets can be purchased online here. Purchase of a ticket comes with an automatic entry for a raffle to win special themes door prizes.