Ignoring pleas from English teachers, threatening letters from poetry lovers and a rumored injunction from the International Poetry Association, the Page to Stage program of St. Barnabas Center for the Arts (SBCA) will present POETRY SMACKDOWN V on Saturday, March 3 at 7:00 PM in the Ministry Center of St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, 15600 Old Rockford Road in Plymouth.

Readers Jane Blake and Jeff Whitmill square off again (their earlier SMACKDOWNS garnered rave reviews (from Ms. Blake's parents; Mr. Whitmill's mother declined comment) to see who can best perform poetry from 16 Printed- and Spoken-Word poets, including Taylor Mali, Billy Collins, Big Poppa E, Naomi Shihab Nye - and a host of others (including a couple of local standouts) whose poetry will amaze, amuse and maybe even pull on a heartstring or two.

It's funny, it's poignant, it's outrageous, it's profound. It's a cheap date. It's short enough that you'll still have time to catch a movie afterwards.

But for this hour you'll be throwing words and phrases all around your head, bouncing them off memories and tasting them like the latest dessert at Cafe Latté. It's a sampler platter of some of the best in new poetry, with a side dish of a golden oldie or two, just to cleanse the palette.

Ms. Blake is a veteran of the stage, having played roles from Shakespeare to Sondheim, from Peter Pan to Hot Tubs of Peru. She has performed at venues in Chicago and Austin, Texas, and was for several years with Nebraska's Theatre of the American West. She unleashes a cast of characters from the sublime to the ridiculous in the poems she reads.

Mr. Whitmill is Director of the SBCA and a composer whose Mass for Job will be presented in late April. He can't remember how he got roped into this.

The program will run about 75 minutes. Recommended admission is $10.00 ($5.00 for students) - but any amount is acceptable. Proceeds will benefit the SBCA's Scholarship Fund.

After the performance, there will be dessert (included in the price of admission) for audience members.

Recommended for persons 12 and older.

St. Barnabas Center for the Arts is a program of St. Barnabas Lutheran Church supporting the arts through education, nurturing and sharing of creative works.

For more information call SBCA Director Jeff Whitmill at (763) 553-3083 or e-mail him.