If the words “”poetry reading”” conjure in your mind darkness and greasy beret- and scarf-wearing types snapping their approval, you’ve never been to a poetry reading at the UA Poetry Center. Tomorrow the Poetry Center presents the first opportunity of the semester for you to watch the stereotypes of poetry readings be disproved.

The “”Next Word in Poetry”” series is bringing three up-and-coming poets to the UA for one reading and one panel event each year. The poets are chosen specifically for their potential, not for being established.

“”The list gets boiled down to three people out of one big list,”” said Rodney Phillips, the center’s senior librarian. Noteworthy poets Dan Beachy-Quick, Joshua Marie Wilkinson and Deborah Bernhardt, he said, are all veteran readers of the series.

And this year’s lineup certainly has the potential to add more notable talents to the past performers list.

Philip Jenks, a vegan and drummer for Howling Hex with an enormous tattoo of Emily Dickinson on his back, will share the stage with Akilah Oliver who, amid an impressive resume of accomplishments, is “”co-founder of the avant-garde feminist performance group The Sacred Naked Nature Girls,”” according to the Poetry Center Web site. The well-traveled Brandon Shimoda, also known for his drawings and collaborative projects, will join them.

Glimpse three poets set to launch into their careers, then seize your chance to ask them about the state of the art of poetry — the next word of which will be theirs.