Pictured above: USF St. Petersburg alumni Denzel Johnson-Green founded Neptune Poetry Magazine.
Courtesy of Denzel Johnson-Green’s
By Lily Cannon
Past the burgeoning pier and newly-minted condos, there’s fewer and fewer authentic gems to be found in St. Petersburg, with most university students passing by them unaware.
One of these gems is a tight-knit poetry community that held strong through COVID-19 and increasing gentrification, persisting with regular meetings at local cafes, art gallery Studio@620 or even in participants’ homes.
When a USF student stops at Black Crow Coffee Co. for a quick cup of coffee, there will be new editions of Neptune Poetry Magazine waiting for them. The magazine is a $5 amalgamation of local artists’ work.
Neptune’s creator and USF St. Petersburg alumni, Denzel Johnson-Green, looks back on his journey from biology major to an avid poet fondly.
In November 2017, Green attended an open mic at Studio@620 and was subsequently awed by the attendees who bravely got up on stage to “make some baked beans for everybody.” Baked beans – that is, their unique Floridian verse.
From then on, Green routinely gathered with fellow poets at potluck-style open mics, contributing his own beans (both literal and metaphorical).
Green’s desire for a foundation dedicated to this art form eventually motivated his conception of Neptune. “What if there was a poetry magazine?…I’ll do it,” Green said.
Green and Keep St. Pete Lit, a locally-sourced literary program, along with other freelance writers, created the unique literary identity of St. Petersburg, even if the rising rent threatens to remove many of these small-town contributors.
To combat such obstacles, Green said he wants to set local poetry apart from the archetypal Woodsworth or Plath.
Fittingly, most get-togethers at Black Crow Coffee Co. feature open discussions of colorism, sexism and gentrification. There’s a glaring sense of honesty and humor to their work, balancing raw ideas with the personal symbolism that is inherent in any verse.
Most of all, Green wants to break the common perception that poetry is a sad thing.
This new form of poetry isn’t completely foreign to all USF St. Petersburg students, since the Center of Multicultural Affairs hosted a Spoken Poetry workshop just last month. However, with the majority of creative writing majors taking residence in Tampa, it’s hard to sustain a love for the art on campus.
Thus, diving into this community could be nurturing for St. Petersburg’s Bulls, even if they arrive as newcomers to poetry.
Green’s organization comes with an added bonus: it isn’t entirely performative.
Weekly gatherings begin with a quiet journal-writing session that can remain private to the author, for those that aren’t entirely comfortable with sharing on stage.
Green said the work shared isn’t the only “icing on a cake.” There’s emphasis on the reality as much as the abstract, with group discussion after the reading of each verse. The chill atmosphere can certainly come as a breath of fresh air after the isolation of COVID-19.
Students have many chances to attend poetry events this month, with an upcoming open mic on Oct. 27, as well as the weekly gatherings at Black Crow Coffee Co. on Central Avenue. Students interested in either program can visit the Keep St. Pete Lit website to decide which one suits them.
The meetings are free, or offered for a very low cost, remaining loyal to the goal of accessibility in the face of a gentrified St. Petersburg.
Just as Green advised all young USF writers to “leave no rock unturned,” the hidden treasures of the St. Petersburg literature community remain open for young Bulls to discover.
For more information on St. Petersburg’s poetry community visit:
Neptune Poetry Magazine Instagram: @neptunepoetrymag
Wordier Than Thou: wordierthanthou.com
Keep St. Pete Lit: keepstpetelit.org
Studio@620: thestudioat620.org/events
Lily Cannon is a freshman English major at USF St. Petersburg.
