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Sometimes things are only "underground" out of ignorance. The poetry scene in Dallas is an established one, home to both talent and venues, each with its own style.

To develop this guide, I spoke with some of the city's most prolific and involved poets, to find which venues had the most competitive slams, and which provided the best front row seat to Dallas' best poets. "Every venue is a different experience," says local poet Duane Madden . "It's like a different counseling session on different days of the week. Spoken Word is therapy."

"There are a lot of hidden gems," adds Alexandra Marie, Co-Slam Master, Dallas Poetry Slam. "If one takes the time to look."

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Photos by Matthew Lawson

Liza Ellen performs as Liz Mikel (right) and Lady Dwarf (left) watch on.

The night was a warm glow. The mood was soft, the venue low-lit like a candle-filled bedroom. Local blues man Lucky Peterson provided the soundtrack on the piano; he played soft jazz with a creative infusion of something nearing the blues. Free chocolate-covered strawberries and wine heightened the intimate mood, and everyone was relaxed and loose by the time the poets took the stage.

They were all there, in the Blue Room at the Southside on Lamar lofts, for "Blue Mondays," an evolving art show that happens on the first Monday of every month. Every Monday is a different theme, and every Monday draws a unique crowd. Yesterday's theme: "Sex in D City."

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Aralyn McGregor

"It's okay, I don't get art either," Aralyn McGregor claims when asked about her line of work.

After receiving her BFA in studio painting from UNT in 2009, McGregor worked for a while as a middle school and high school art teacher before "retir[ing] at the ripe old age of 25 to pursue painting full-time." One thing she found most humbling about her experiences teaching was a consistent refrain -- even her youngest students frequently doubted their understanding of art and their creative abilities.

"I find that most adults never outgrow this insecurity," she says, "'I don't get art,' or, 'I'm not good at art,' is the most common response I get when someone finds out I paint for a living."

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They grow up so fast! This one is already driving!

A special connection with a soccer ball. How it felt when he left you alone, in front of your locker, with only your Mead 5 Star to catch your tears. Justin Bieber's eyes.

Nothing is off limits when it comes to youth poetry.

Now in its 16th year, "Express Yourself" -- the Dallas Library's annual celebration of poetry, as told by area students -- is calling for submissions.

Last year boasted more than 1200 entries by Dallas youth, which is an amazing feat all on its own. Part of that success is due to the program's ability to rally kids and young adults, on their turf. "We send published poets into the schools to do workshops and get them writing," said Joe Giudice, the event's key organizer.

(Get involved, after the jump.)

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Elaine Liner

Austin Kleon signs a copy of Newspaper Blackout at the DMA.

When he graduated from Miami University of Ohio, Austin Kleon, like many young writers, didn't know where to start his career. But instead of staring at a blank screen waiting for the Muse to deliver a Great American Novel, Kleon put his own pen and ink on other writers' words.

On his bus ride to and from his job at a campus library at UT-Austin, Kleon would take pages from The New York Times and black out lines in news stories with a permanent marker until only a few words remained. The words became poems. And this exercise, a way to break writer's block, he says, became a blog, a book and now a movement to create colorful new language from a printed page. Kleon was just taking literally what Walt Whitman once said: "The true poem is the daily newspaper."

At Friday night's "Fresh Ink" presentation at the Dallas Museum of Art, Kleon talked to an SRO crowd about his success with "found art" and how everyone can find inspiration in the mundane. Kleon's book, Newspaper Blackout, published in 2010 and now out in paperback, contains more than 100 of his "found" poems. His blog invites readers to submit their own blacked-out newspaper poetry and he says he's received them from all over the globe. He's also sold blackout poems as pieces of art. (See one of Kleon's works after the jump.)

Kleon had advice for other writers and artists trying to find an audience, and he said other good stuff at the DMA event:
• "I started a blog not because I had something to say but to find something to say. Having a container can inspire you to fill it."
• "Sit down every day and work at it bit by bit. I wrote a whole book on the bus to and from work."
• The secret to success as an artist is "do good work and then put it where people can see it."
• "Share your secrets. Artists are not magicians; there's no penalty for sharing."
• "The more I stay away from the computer, the more ideas I get."
• "Creativity is subtraction. It's the things we choose to leave out."
• "The obituaries are the best part of the newspaper."

Hear the NPR Morning Edition piece that landed Kleon his book deal here.

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