Poetry shouldn't cause flashbacks to snooze-inducing high school English class, a point well-noted by Amber Tamblyn, the poet and actress behind the poetry series The Drums Inside Your Chest and co-founder of Write Now Poetry Society. Using humor and musical performance (and sometimes magicians) to draw a diverse audience to poetry events, Tamblyn believes the poetry will speak for itself and prove that the the medium is not entirely boring. in past events, for instance, they've invited Marilyn Manson to do a reading at the Getty.

The Drums Inside Your Chest, a performance poetry concert series created by Tamblyn, will present its five year anniversary show on Nov. 6. The event will be hosted by poet Derrick Brown, a heavy hitter in the indie market, and comedian David Cross.

If you're into poetry, the lineup of participating poets — Jack McCarthy, Rives, Corrina Bain, Matt Cook and Mayda Del Valle — is recognizable for its big guns. If you're not into poetry, the show also boasts special musical guest Emily Wells and comedy from Cross.

“A contemporary poetry show is one that serves multiple purposes,” Tamblyn explains. Tamblyn also describes her vision of contemporary American poetry with the words “punk” and “dangerous,” with a required willingness to “go there.”

Participants were selected for their reputation as the best (perhaps the most punk, or most dangerous to use Tamblyn's characterization) among their diverse genres within the medium, showcasing poetry's various styles.

According to Tamblyn, this year's presentation of The Drums Inside Your Chest may be the last. Taking advantage of the serendipitous timing of having several world-class poets in Los Angeles at once, the first event in 2007 was imagined as a one-time thing and it was only later decided to be produced as a series.

The Drums Inside Your Chest takes place Sunday, November 6 at Largo at the Coronet Theatre., 366 N. La Cienaga Blvd., (310) 855-0350, thedrumsinsideyourchest.com.

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