On a Saturday evening this September, Tulsa's Central Library will transform for the fourth annual VERSES, a community literacy and arts event benefiting the Ruth G. Hardman Adult Literacy Service. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on September 12 at 400 Civic Center, on the corner of Fifth Street and Denver Avenue. The library will become a vibrant market of local authors, artists, and vendors, with live poetry readings and spoken-word performances, food from Tulsa eateries, and interactive activities.
VERSES is designed as more than a fundraiser. 'VERSES is a hybrid of a market, an auction, an art show and performances. It’s also an opportunity for us to raise awareness around our literacy program and why we are needed in the community,' said Mandy Durham, TCCL's literacy services manager, who created the event and launched it in 2023. The proceeds support the Ruth G. Hardman Adult Literacy Service, the library system's one-on-one tutoring program for adults improving their reading, writing, or English-speaking skills.
The library is currently inviting artists, poets, spoken-word performers and creative facilitators to apply to participate in this year's event. Applications were open through July 31, with the deadline later extended to August 14. Organizers are seeking hands-on experiences tied to language and self-expression, including collaborative poetry or art stations, calligraphy or zine-making demonstrations, sound, video or light-based installations, story-sharing and journaling activities, and other interactive projects. Last year's event featured artists and organizations such as Words of the People, Zhenya Yevtushenko, Quinn Carver Johnson and Heller Theatre Company.
That first evening, in the fall of 2023, took the shape of an 'enchanting night market,' with Central Library transformed into a marketplace of small-press and independently published authors, local artists and vendors, along with live poetry readings and spoken-word performances and an online auction that opened two weeks ahead of the event. Durham saw a direct line between the night's mingling of strangers and the way her program works. 'We make matches between tutors and learners, and in a lot of situations those folks may not have crossed paths otherwise,' she said. 'In fact, many tutors and learners go on to become friends, and these great relationships grow out of the program. I wanted to see that reflected in this event.'
Behind the night stands a program with a quiet, decades-deep story. In 1977, the Tulsa City-County Library established an adult literacy service that became the only Literacy Volunteers of America affiliate west of the Mississippi River. Its early days consisted of a single librarian volunteering part of her week to help adult learners. The program now serves approximately 150 adult learners per year and has served thousands since its inception. In 1993, it was renamed for benefactor and literacy advocate Ruth G. Hardman. The library notes that one in five adults in Tulsa County may struggle to read a prescription label, a news article or an application.
VERSES is a ticketed event, with tiered pricing to keep it accessible. For one evening each September, the library reminds Tulsa that the act of reading — and the act of helping someone learn to read — is one of the most creative things a community can do together.