CityView Magazine

Ron Stringer O Fayetteville writers create a thriving literary scene & Into Print Out Loud BY MELVIN E. LEWIS ful pottery produced just up the road in Sanford and Sea- grove. This area, however, has not historically been known for turning out literary gems. Maybe that's about to change. A rich and diverse, if somewhat underground, writing ur region is known for many things: the huge military presence, a patriotic vibe, mild weather, easy access to destinations up and down the east coast and, artistically speaking, the beauti- community exists here in the Sandhills. On various evenings people can listen or participate with dirges, poems, memo- ries, covers and original songs. Restaurants, coffee houses, bookstores, libraries and a community college are some of the venues with free admission that provide a meeting space and have refreshments. On Sunday and Monday evenings at 7:30, the second floor of the Coffee Scene on Morganton Road becomes the site of Java Expressions and Java Jams. Sunday night is primarily poetry with some music and Monday is acoustic music with some poetry. It has become an institution where families and students come to study and reflect, and it's not just artists and their muses. Young soldiers sing songs about missing Ala- bama, their sweeties, uncomfortable absences and stories of deployments. One moment there is a smooth baritone per- former who plays guitar and sings covers of Grady Tate hits and familiar songs from New Birth to Rose Royce. Later, de- tailed and complex chord changes are heard in a folk song. The hosts, Mitra Maraj, Neil D. Ray, "Radar" and Ron Stinger alternate the performances of poets, singers and a didgeridoo player. Behind the singers, soloists and poets there is a three person percussion and reed rhythm section. Guitar- ists oſten ask the drummers to be creative to make the songs richer. Stinger, a tall, pony-tailed man, uses various reed in- struments and, with the didgeridoo player, adds color and tones to the evening. Maraj, a multiple instrumentalist, plays guitar, percussion and sings. Radar is a sound effects master and Neil Ray has been a part of the group since 1996. He re- cites Gil Scott Heron lyrics and sings a cappella. The Coffee Scene has had three locations and each one has featured the arts. Eighteen years ago local poets Steve Ry- CityViewNC.com | 31

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