Soup Can Magazine is New Jersey’s latest buzz – an art and poetry zine based in the Garden State, featuring contributors from across the country and around the world. On Apr. 16, they’re taking over the historic Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ!
Commemorating one year in publication, Soup Can is offering a free public event to feature the artists, poets, musicians, and creatives who contributed to their inaugural four issues, while also facilitating a community food drive. The magazine’s “1st Canniversary” also coincides with an anniversary of the Strand Theater, as they are celebrating their 100th year as one of the most renowned acoustical theaters in the nation.
In addition to the celebration, Soup Can Magazine is also going to be launching their fifth issue, highlighting poets from throughout the country, right in time for National Poetry Month.
“We’ve been trying to use art and poetry to create real change in our community,” Chris Rockwell, editor of Soup Can Magazine, said. “So far, it looks like it’s working better than we’d dreamed, but we couldn’t have done it without the artists, the musicians, and the poets themselves.”
Throughout the afternoon, the Strand’s gallery will be filled with artists from the first year of Soup Can, painting their art live for all attendees to see, as well as presenting local makers and vendors selling handmade wares and work. To bolster the fanfare, Soup Can Magazine has unveiled an electrifying lineup of live entertainment, featuring acclaimed poets and musical acts from across the great Garden State. The talent of the evening promises to be as unmatched as it is diverse, showcasing genres of music spanning from jazz and poetry, folk to hip-hop, blues to pop.
One locally lauded singer-songwriter gracing the stage, Blaise, remarked, “To have the chance to celebrate the fruition of a dream come true is an honor in such harrowing times… I’m honored to have been involved in the first issue of the magazine and look forward to being a part of the Soup Can family for years to come.”
Another performer on the event’s stellar line up, Hip-Hop artist Chill Smith, said, “I’m thoroughly glad to be part of this event that supports the community, supports art and businesses that exist not to feed corporations, but to feed families.”
Issue #5, the National Poetry Month issue, will officially be available on the day of this event.
Cover artist, Paula Nelson, shared, “While I’m honored to have my art on the anniversary cover of Soup Can, I’m excited to collaborate with the creative forces behind this independent publication focusing on social equality.”
