Chad Reynolds and Timothy Bradford started Short Order Poems to make poetry more accessible and appealing to the general public. My documentary explores how Short Order Poems got started, with the help of Brian Bergman and the H&8th Night Market, the history of writing poems for people, and their Make It Rain Poems project in connection with Downtown OKC. Riley Cole and Steve Willingham also share their perspectives on the Make It Rain Poems.
I have been following the work of Short Order Poems since the beginning, seeing them at H&8th, which I had regularly posted articles about on Uncovering Oklahoma when the event was active. There’s footage I shot of them at the August 2015 H&8th.
This was one of those documentaries that turned out bigger than planned. Originally, my interview with Chad and Timothy was going to be shorter with a focus on the Make It Rain Poems. This would’ve been a segment for my Inviting Art documentary. The interview itself went over 30 minutes, giving me a ton of material. I realized the story was big enough to warrant its own video.
The project grew more as I decided to include interviews with Brian, Riley, and Steve. Plus, my doing a solo documentary, it gave me a chance to talk about the Make It Rain Poems during the rainy season so more people can experience them instead of waiting for the release of Inviting Art. I do still plan to include the Make It Rain Poems in Inviting Art, which will include pieces of this and perhaps more.
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