Spilling Some Ink
By Dan Verner
Anyone walking by Jirani Coffeehouse in Olde Town Manassas on a fourth Friday evening of the month will see the front room comfortably filled. Spilled Ink, an open mic opportunity started by John Dutton, a local teacher and writer, has drawn both writers and listeners. Dutton, who emcees the affair, doesn’t look like anybody’s idea of a poet. The well-built, crew-cut wrestling coach has a commanding voice and an outgoing personality, and he teaches sixth grade language arts at Benton Middle School. He crafts whimsical poetry and pointed stories about SOL testing, among other works. This past July at the open mic, he started his poem, “Armadillo Lost Her Pillow,”
On the day Armadillo lost her pillow,
the sun blazed high in Amarillo.
Delusions danced and her mind did go
while she frolicked about, to and fro.
When she stumbled into her bungalow,
her only thought was of marshmallows
toasted soft and brown in the fire’s glow
and went on to animate a tale of a hapless armadillo who can’t find her pillow. His voice alternately cracking with concern and wistful with hope, and then joyful in triumph, Dutton doesn’t so much read the poem as perform it (It’s notable that “Armadillo” only uses one rhyme for the whole poem, a difficult proposition for anyone).
The twenty-six or so writers at the event in July, who ranged in age from four-years-old to some in their 80’s, joined with the thirty people in the audience to applaud Dutton’s effort, and he then introduced the next reader. The room was full that night, but such was not always the case with Spilled Ink.
The open mic started out at Grounds Central Station, another Manassas coffee house, in January, 2015. Dutton writes, “The idea for Spilled Ink came after I had attended a writers’ and poets’ night held at Deja Brew in Haymarket, Virginia, hosted by former Prince William County Poet Laureate, Robert Scott. My problem was that Haymarket was a two-hour round trip for me, so I could not attend the event on a regular schedule. I wished for something more centrally located so that more people in Prince William County could attend on a regular basis, myself included. I felt the people on the east side were missing out on a great opportunity.”
General Manager Matt Brower had allowed writers to meet at Grounds Central informally for some time, and he also displayed their books for sale. “At first, Spilled Ink sometimes only involved writers reading to each other,” Dutton says, “but as time went on we outgrew the space. Jirani opened about the same time, so it was a perfect opportunity. We first met there in April of 2016.”
Dutton believes Spilled Ink is successful because of, “the relaxed attitude and community feel… It is meant to be fun. I want it to have a ‘no stress’ atmosphere.” Asked what he likes about the open mic, he replies, “I love the sharing of ideas and inspiration each month and seeing the smiles on the people’s faces. I also like to see people get together before, during, and after the event, talking about what they will be reading, what they have heard. Listening to them also increases my vocabulary.”
And why Spilled Ink? Jan Rayl, the former president of Write by the Rails, a group of local writers, notes that, “Spilled Ink is an important outlet for local writers since writing is a solitary craft and as authors we connect with others when we read our work aloud. Many of the works we hear at Spilled Ink may never be published, but they have an audience there.”
“The writers at Spilled Ink are nurturing, and they encourage others in their writing while providing honest feedback when asked. When we read our writing, we can find areas of our writing that need polishing. We would not notice these places since we work so much in silence.”
Dutton took part in the Poetry Laureate Circle (led by Alice Mergler) when it was staged at Arts Alive this past September and the In the Company of Laureates event held on October 8 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. He anticipates being involved in other similar events throughout the year.
The best thing about Spilled Ink for Dutton is “seeing people grow in confidence. Each month, I see people being brave to come up and speak for the first time. It only takes once to go from ‘One Time to Long Time’ participants. This is true for all ages.”
Writer Judy Petruskie speaks of this experience,“It exceeded all my expectations. I am so glad that I was motivated enough to join the group. The readings were inspiring, some funny, some informing but all very interesting. I was even invited to read a few of my short poems. I am looking forward to the next meeting and will be able to read some of the mountains of words I have put on paper in years past.”
Dutton concludes, “If Spilled Ink interests anyone, he or she can come to Jirani Coffeehouse on the fourth Friday of every month. The open mic is from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.” Dutton also warns, “Spilled Ink has many ages of presenters so I ask that all material be at a PG-13 rating.”
Spilled Ink obviously has given Dutton the same kind of joy that the Armadillo had when she found her pillow:
Her relief exploded from above and below.
Armadillo even felt it in her left little toe!
The world was, once again, good to go,
for Armadillo had found her lost pillow.
And John Dutton and the writers of Spilled Ink are certainly good to go.