Tales They Lived to Tell : The Valley Storefront poetry group for seniors features war stories from the battlefield of life. It also proves that young hipsters don’t have a monopoly on authoring verse.

Like a lot of things in our tight-skinned, bright-eyed culture, the L.A. poetry scene tends to revolve around the young. The occasional septuagenarians do climb onstage to read at local coffeehouses--and are admired for their guts as much as for the quality of their work. By and large, though, the poetic airwaves belong to the newly voting set.

One exception to the rule is the twice-monthly poetry discussion group at Valley Storefront senior center, part of Jewish Family Service in Van Nuys. There, on stiff-backed chairs in a no-frills conference room, half a dozen or so writers age 60 and older, and not necessarily Jewish, come together to share their verse--and their war stories from the battlefield of life.

“In poetry, there’s no such thing as age,” reflected the group’s moderator, Isaac Shlein of North Hollywood, who declined to give his own age. “Maybe your feet aren’t as good as they used to be; your face has more wrinkles, your hair is gray. What’s under the hair is the same as it was 35 years ago.”

What’s under the hair, however, includes a storehouse of memories not readily available to the average coffeehouse poet.

During a recent session, Dorothy Lawton of North Hollywood, who also preferred not to reveal her age, drew applause and murmurs of recognition when she read a poem about the emptiness of a mother’s house once the children have gone.

Van Nuys resident Abraham Lenkawicki, 79, nearly reduced his audience to tears with an autobiographical work about being a Jew in Poland during World War II. Mel Menkin of Arleta wrote about old age, “the Last Resort, the end of the Line”; Yetta Wolfe of North Hollywood about isolation and the desire to reach out to strangers; Shlein about the comfort of his dog,Zsa Zsa, for whom “I am a knight in shining armor.”

Humorous, nostalgic, full of hard-earned wisdom, the work of the Valley Storefront poets--many of whom have been meeting together for two years--is more concerned with emotional truth than perfect diction.

“In feelings, you don’t have grammar. When you build a temple, not every stone is in a line,” said Lenkawicki, who speaks in heavily accented English and admits that he has a lot to learn about sentence structure.

While the group does offer criticism (Lenkawicki himself left with a heavily copy-edited poem), their mission is more to support than to correct each other.

“We make comments,” said Shlein, “but we don’t tear anyone down. We’re here to give people courage to write.”

Eudice Feder, 75, of Arleta, who has been a part of the group for two years, admitted that “it’s a nice ego trip” when colleagues like her work, but if they don’t, “I don’t pay attention!” She keeps coming because she enjoys hearing other people’s verse and because, she said, “It’s important to be a doer, a participant, to engage in give and take.”

Wally Richards, 71, of Chatsworth, who has read at San Fernando Valley coffeehouses such as the Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park, welcomes the gentleness of the feedback from Shlein and others. “This group gives me a chance to try work out,” he reported. “Here, if I fall on my face, I don’t have to pick myself off the floor.”

Not everyone, of course, shares the same level of literary accomplishment. North Hollywood resident Edythe Bechersky, who joined the group a year ago, acknowledged that she hasn’t even started writing yet. But, she said, “I’m here because I want to start. I want to be able to express things that are hard to talk about.”

Among the seasoned writers, there is no rancor or impatience for beginners. Sulamith Proctor, 67, of Panorama City, explained that part of the reason she participates is for the fun of being with people. “I go to meet adventures,” she admitted. “Everyone is a unique person and an adventure, to the extent that they share themselves.”

At each session, the sharing begins with the circulation of a sign-in sheet and a can with a slit for a “50 cents or more suggested donation” to cover the center’s expenses. From there, Shlein calls on writers individually to read whatever work they’ve brought.

According to Shlein, an impassioned advocate of literature, “Anyone can write on any subject, in any style. We’re a liberal group. Whichever way they write, we listen and we accept.”

This is not to say the writers always listen quietly. The tone of their meetings runs from restrained glee to raucous debate to wholehearted applause. People sometimes talk over each other in their haste to get their opinions out.

Twice a month, in this room, their opinions matter. Their judgments, albeit tactful, are important. “Do Not Disturb Poets at Work,” says the sign outside their door. Their work is the work of all writers, whatever their age. In the words of Lenkawicki: “I leave politics to crooks. From my feelings, from my heart, I write poetry.”

Where and When

What: Poetry reading and discussion group.

Location: Valley Storefront, Jewish Family Service, 12821 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood.

Hours: 1 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of every month.

Price: Optional, suggested donation of 50 cents.

Call: (818) 984-1380.