Poetry News

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Here is your Poetry News for the week of October 5, 2009.
Spoken word events are transforming the Pioneer Valley and beyond like the turning leaves.
Scroll all the way down for more poetry in CT, Boston, NH and VT.

THIS WEEK check out (scroll down for details):

Wed. Oct. 7 - Art with Poetry at Forbes Library, Northampton, MA 7pm

Thu. Oct. 8 - Bart's Bards presents Lea Banks & Cyn Horton, Greenfield, MA 7pm

Thu. Oct. 8 - Florence Poets Society meeting, Lilly Library, Florence, MA 6:30pm

30 Poems in 30 Days: The Challenge is On!

Northampton poet laureate Lesléa Newman is issuing a challenge to the poets of the Pioneer Valley: write 30 poems in 30 days to raise money for literacy.

Newman got the idea from National Novel Writing month. “Fiction writers write a novel during November,” she explained. “So why not have poets do something similar and raise money for a worthy cause at the same time?”

Poets will download from the Northampton Arts Council (http://www.northamptonartscouncil.org) website pledge sheets and sign up sponsors who donate a dollar amount per poem. “A dollar a poem, a nickel a poem, any amount will be appreciated,” Newman said. Poets will also get a prompt sheet containing 100 poetry ideas to inspire them, such as “Write a love poem to an inanimate object” and “Write a poem that will change the world.”

Poets will write their first poem on November 1st and write a poem every day through November 30th. On Wednesday, December 2nd there will be a public reading and celebration at Forbes Library and all poets who participated in the project are invited to come read a poem that came out of the project.

“It’s a lot of fun,” says Newman, who has written 30 poems in 30 days before. “Remember, they don’t have to be great poems. They just have to be poems. But you may very well surprise yourself.” Newman plans to participate in the project herself, and is actively looking for sponsors.

Money raised from the 30 Poems in 30 Days project will be donated to the Center for New Americans (CNA), a non-profit community-based education and resource center for immigrants, refugees, and other limited English speakers in the Pioneer Valley. The organization offers free English classes, free literacy classes, free child care for students, family literacy, and many other services. Newman’s goal is to raise $3,000 for CNA’s Family Literacy Project. “Thirty poets who each find 3 sponsors to pledge a dollar a poem will almost do the trick,” she said. Newman fully expects to meet and exceed her goal. “There are a lot of poets in the Pioneer Valley,” she said. “And a lot of people committed to raising money for literacy.”

Anyone can participate in the project, regardless of writing experience. To receive a pledge sheet, or to find out how to sponsor the poet laureate, click here.

(Visit http://www.northamptonartscouncil.org to download pledge sheets and for more information.)

To find out more about the Center for New Americans, visit www.cnam.org.

Saundra Dubow Azmitia, author of “Do it Differently, Do it Differently!” will speak about her memoir on Wednesday, October 28, 7:00 p.m. at the Westfield Athenaeum.

Coming of age in the forties and fifties under the thumb of a “titan” of a mother whose ambitions for wealth and security for her daughter focused on steering her into marriage with a “good catch,” Saundra wavered between her own instincts and society’s values. Resisting her mother’s traditional standards of a woman’s “proper place” and limited horizons, Saundra struggled to honor her mother and still carve out a meaningful life for herself through the arts and theater. Saundra last appeared in Westfield as Gertrude Stein in a play written expressly for her.

Holyoke/Springfield Area Poetry

Starving for Art Presents
open mic Tuesdays
@ Blue Fusion Bar and Grille
487 St. James Ave
Springfield, MA
doors open at 6pm for social hour.
Showtime is 7-9pm
All poets, musicians, singers, and visual artists are welcome.
This event is free
For more info visit http://www.brendaschild.com/

Anthology on Bullies and Bullying

Call for submissions!

Poetry – A Way of Contemplation

Autumn Retreat for Poets and Writers

The six mini retreat sessions are designed to create a contemplative experience for the writing of poetry. Practice of meditation, contemplation and performances by poets, musicians and storytellers to infuse your writing in response to the “speech of the world.”

Saturday Mornings 9:30 – 12 noon

Sept. 5, 19; Oct. 3, 17; Nov. 7, 21

Holyoke Community College www.hcc.edu

at Kittredge Business Center

To register call: 413.594.1255

Refer to: CRN35374 SEC 77

$149 for Six sessions

Dan Shanahan has offered meditation and writing retreats since 1992 and has published three books of poems. He is a founding member of Stone Soup Poets of Boston.

Word in the Valley and Beyond

POETRY READING with Award- Winning MEG KEARNEY
Sponsored by Adoption Journeys
Saturday October 17, 2009 7PM
Food for Thought Books
Downtown Amherst MA

Adoption Journeys, a state-wide non-profit serving adoptive and guardianship families is sponsoring a poetry reading with Meg Kearney. This event will take place at Food for Thought Books in Amherst, MA on Saturday October 17, 2009 from 7-9 pm. It is free and open to the public.

Adoption Journeys brings Meg to the Valley to highlight the value of writing in helping to make sense of the sometimes complicated feelings and emotions associated with adoption.

Meg Kearney will be reading from The Secret of Me, a book of poems written in the voice of a 14- year old girl who was adopted. In the Afterward, Meg writes about her own adoption experience, the adoption process, and how writing poetry became important to her life. Meg may be joined on stage by some of the young adults who will have worked with Meg earlier in the day at a writing workshop also sponsored by Adoption Journeys.

Meg Kearney's work has been featured on Poetry Daily and Garrison Keillor's "A Writer's Almanac." Recipient of 2001 Artist's Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, Meg also received a New York Times Fellowship and the Alice M. Sellers Academy of American Poets Award in 1998. She is also an adoptee.

Meg is the author of a collection of poems for adults, An Unkindness of Ravens, and director of the Solstice Creative Writing Programs of Pine Manor College in Massachusetts. Four Way Books will publish her third collection of poems, Home By Now, this fall.

Mass. Poetry Festival Kickoff Event in Amherst

The 2nd Annual Massachusetts Poetry Festival,

a three-day celebration of the poets, poetry, and

literary heritage of a state whose contribution to American
poetry is unsurpassed in the nation, will have its premiere western
Massachusetts launch in Amherst on

October 15th at the Amherst Cinema at 7 PM.

Presented as part of the Going Public Contemporary Lit Series,

the Amherst event features readings by award-winning poets

James Tate, Ellen Doré Watson & James Haug.

Simultaneous readings around the Commonwealth

on October 15 will ring in two days of literary festivities

in Lowell on October 16 & 17.

Amherst’s own James Tate, winner of the Pulitzer Prize,

National Book Award and William Carlos Williams Award,

and author of over twenty books of poetry and
prose; Ellen Doré Watson, author of three collections of poetry;

and James Haug whose third book, LEGEND OF THE RECENT PAST,

is recently out, will read from new and selected work.

The state-wide festival will include readings by renowned

and emerging poets, teacher workshops, performance poetry,

films & music, programs for children and young writers,

literary heritage tours, a small press fair, poetry in the
streets, and much more.

For more details about the 2nd Annual Massachusetts
Poetry Festival visit www.masspoetry.org

Green St. Poetry Series

The Green St. Poetry Series showcases the voices of emerging and noted poets from the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and beyond.

Please join us Thursdays nights at 7:30 (starting October 15th).

Green Street Café
Northampton, Massachusetts

October 15th — Tim Mayo & Kerry O’Keefe

October 22nd — Ben Estes & Brian Foley (Maria will host)

October 29th — Karen Johnston & Oonagh Doherty

November 5th — Lori Desrosiers & Ellen LaFleche

November 12th — Marie Gauthier & Kim Rogers (Maria will host)


If you are a poet and would like to read at Green Street, please contact Maria Williams-Russell at [email protected].

Evening of Art & Poetry

Forbes Library

Wednesday October 7, 2009

7:00 PM



Please join us for an evening of three talented local women

who are both poets and visual artists.



A sculptor, papermaker and poet, Rosalyn Driscoll

makes sculptures that explore the sense of touch,

as she collaborates with scientists, artists

and people with visual limitation.  Her sculpture

has been exhibited in the US, Europe and Japan;

her poems have been published in various journals

and received numerous awards, including the Pablo Neruda Prize

from Nimrod and nomination for a Pushcart Prize.



Trish Crapo is a writer, photographer and collage artist.

Her poetry chapbook, Walk Through Paradise Backwards,

was published by the Slate Roof press in 2004.

Her Keys series of collages was featured in the

show, Altered Realities, at Cooler Gallery, White River Junction,

VT. Another series, created in response to the events of

September 11th, was shown at a variety of venues around New England.  And recently, one of

her photographs was chosen to be included in Hallmark Museum of

Contemporary Photography’s permanent collection.



Denise Fontaine-Pincince is a graduate of Lesley University’s

MFA in Creative Writing Program where her studies included

art with poetry. As a multi-media artist, she combines acrylic

paint, collage and text on canvas, metal and wood. Her

presentation, entitled “Melding Word & Image: Hardware in

Poetry and Paint,” represents pieces from her work

recently displayed at the Crest Hardware Art Show in

Brooklyn, New York.



This reading is part of the Seventh Annual Forbes Poetry Series.

The series takes place on the first Wednesday of the month

from October to May. Readings are free and open to the public.

Light refreshments will be served courtesy of the Friends of

the Forbes Library.



Location: Coolidge Museum



Lisa Downing

Assistant Director

Forbes Library

20 West Street

Northampton, MA 01060

Phone 413-587-1017

247 Main Street

Northampton, MA 

Anthology of Poems about Northampton
Call for Submissions!
Go to: http://www.nohoanthology.blogspot.com

Poetry Reading: A Newfoundland Journal by Janet MacFadyen,

Monday, October 19th, 7pm, M. N. Spear Memorial Library, 10

Cooleyville Road, Shutesbury



Join us for a reading and discussion of A Newfoundland

Journal by Shutesbury poet Janet MacFadyen. A Newfoundland

Journal began as a journal kept during a trip to western

Newfoundland in 2003, but over five years transformed into a

book-length poem investigating our notions of history and

belonging, as well as our position in the natural world. 



Janet MacFadyen is author of In Defense of Stones-a book Ted

Kooser described as "captivating and arresting." Her poetry

has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly and Poetry, and she has

held a residential fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center

in Provincetown. 



DIRECTIONS TO THE WILDS OF SHUTESBURY FROM AMHERST CENTER:



-At main intersection of S. Pleasant St. & Main St, go east

on Main, crossing Northeast/Southeast St. into Pelham. 

-Left on North Valley Rd. at the large Pelham

library/police/fire complex. 

-Follow North Valley Rd. approximately 1 1/4 miles to the

first road going off to the left. This is Buffam Rd.(not

signed) 

-Follow Buffam Rd.for about 4 1/3 miles (it changes to West

Pelham Rd. after the Shutesbury town line) until it ends at

Leverett Rd. 

-Turn right on Leverett Rd. and follow to town common on top

of hill. Library is the small white building on the left, on

the far side of the common. 



For more information, contact the M. N. Spear Memorial

Library 413.259.1213 or Janet MacFadyen 413-259-1985

FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY .

Next business/sharing meeting Thursday October 8, 6:30pm
ALL POETS OF ALL TYPES AND AGES are welcome, bring one of your original works to share,
(12 to 15 copies will=2 0usually be enough for all to share) The meeting is held at Lilly Library community room and begins at 6:30 PM. Poetry presentation and discussion begins at 7PM

WRITING GROUP
Rich Puchalsky and friends meet every 3rd Thursday
at Lilly Library community Room
at 6:30 PM.
See Rich for details, this group is currently open to join.

LASTLY PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING AS A MEMBER
OF FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY. THE FEE IS $15.00 FOR THE YEAR
FROM SEPTEMBER TO AUGUST. Your membership supports our Fall festival,
SILKWORM our annual journal, (these first two items also are supported in part
by the Northampton Arts Council via a grant)
our website http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/,, our po box, the annual contest,
the JAN SLAM, our spring art gallery reading. and our summer reading
at William Cullen Bryant homestead.

For more information:
Email us at or check out our web
page at http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/



Florence Poets Society Readings:

Listen to "Twilite's Poetry Pub" now Weekly!
Enjoy the "Pub" with Carl and Tom every Wednesday from 9-10 am
on Valley Free Radio, WXOJ 103.3 fm, Northampton and now
with improved streaming at http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/ !!!
Poetry to the people!
WXOJ-FM LP 103.3 and streaming at http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/.
Bringing to you a variety of interesting poetry and music!

-----------------------------
All events are free and open to the public except as noted
For more information, Call Tom at (413) 584-5914
or email at:
or: or visit:
http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/
or visit: http://www.tommytwilite.com/

POETRY A LA CARTE
on WMUA-Amherst 91.1 FM
5pm to 5:30 pm on Tuesdays this Summer,
streamed live at http://www.wmua.org/.
The program, hosted by Daisy Mathias,
includes reading aloud from past
and contemporary poets, and occasionally
features live interview and
poetry-reading with a local poet.

Poetry at the Leverett Library

6:30 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month,

Poetry reading at the Leverett Library.

75 Montague Rd. Leverett, MA

Greenfield/Shelburne Falls and North

Greenfield Spoken Word

October 20, 2009

Featuring: Howard Faerstein and Lori Desrosiers

Always the third Tuesday of the month

9 Mill St

Greenfield, MA

Doors open at 7:00

Open Mic starts at 7:30

Open Mic will be 10 - five-minute slots

Donation - Sliding Scale $1 - $5

Directions

If you come up 91

Come into the center of Greenfield

At the lights of Federal and Main

Where the Common is

You take a right

Down the hill

Toyota will be on you left

You go under the railroad bridge

Come to a light

Take a RT

and you are there

That is Mill St

9 is on the corner

You can park in the Art Space next door

or on the street

OR

If you are coming up 5 & 10 into Greenfield

When you come to the lights

Where you can either go left

Or Right under the Railroad bridge

You want to go left

That is Mill St

9 is the first building

ARMS LIBRARY READING
Third Friday Prose and Poetry Readings.
7 p.m. at The Arms Library,
Corner of Main and Bridge Streets,
Shelburne Falls, Mass.
413-625-0306.

Held in the upstairs Reading Room, readers should arrive a
couple of minutes early to sign up for a reading slot, and then
have five minutes to share their work.
The building is accessible by entering at lower level
and taking the elevator upstairs.

ALL SMALL CAPS

We do it again on October 8. Please come and bring friends. We are fortunate to have two featured readers for our October meeting:

Cyn J Horton cites black & white television, cowboys and spies as her early influences, spicing her work with a film noir flavor. Trained as a child in the graphic arts, she began journaling on the advice of her oil painting instructor. Poetry became a natural outlet. Born and raised outside Boston, MA, Cyn attended Beloit College and received a degree in Theatre Arts. She moved on to NYC where she broke into the union at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the first woman ''art handler." After an eight year stint in San Francisco, she returned to New England craving the change of seasons.

Please bring friends and, if the spirit so moves you, something to read of your own.

Warmly,

~Larry Fader

Collected Poets Series

Thursday, Oct. 1^st, 2009 at 7:30 pm, poets Annie Finch and local author,Lisa Olstein will read from their work. We're excited to be kicking off the Collected Poets Series new season with these two astounding poets!

Free. Mocha Maya's Coffee House, 47 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, 413-625-6292. Wheelchair accessible. See www.collectedpoets.com for more information.

Finch is the author or editor of fifteen books of poetry, translation, and criticism, most recently Among the Goddesses and The Body of Poetry. Olstein is the author of the 2009 Lost Alphabet, Radio Crackling, Radio Gone, and Cold Satellite, an album of songs based on her poems and lyrics, is forthcoming from singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault.

The Collected Poets Series highlights the work of established and emerging poets. Each event showcases the remarkable local poets of Western Massachusetts and the finest regional, national, and international talent. The series is usually held every first Thursday of the month.

(Please contact Lea Banks at this email or 413-625-6702 for more information).

Mocha Maya’s Coffee House,
47 Bridge Street,
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370,
413-625-6292.
Wheelchair accessible. Free.

See www.collectedpoets.com or www.mochamayas.com for more information.

2009 Series
Oct. 1 Annie Finch and Lisa Olstein
Nov. 5 April Ossman, Peter Waldor, and Pamela Stewart
Dec. 3 Mary Koncel and Kate Greenstreet

The Collected Poets Series highlights the work of established and emerging poets. Each event showcases the remarkable local poets of Western Massachusetts and the finest regional, national, and international talent. The series is usually held every first Thursday of the month. See http://www.collectedpoets.com/ for more info about upcoming events.


_____________

Writing Groups
for beginning and experienced writers
Come write in an encouraging supportive environment, experience the
deepening and growth of your own writing, and contribute to the deepening
and growth of others' writing. No experience necessary--only the
willingness to put pen to paper.

Groups meet weekly in Greenfield, are ongoing, and open to all genres. We
follow the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method,
http://www.amherstwriters.com/.
$125 per 5-week session,
6 - 8 people per group.
To join or for more info
call or email Ann McNelly: 413 772 2375,

________________

News from Mo and Booksmyth Press

The web site can be accessed with this address:
http://www.thebooksmyth.com/
Web site: http://www.thebooksmyth.com/ submission guidelines now available

The Equinox is available at http://www.thebooksmyth..com/



Word in the Berkshires

Irene Willis

Reading from her new book, Those Flames

Thursday October 8, 7pm

at Chapters Book Store

78 North Street

Pittsfield, MA

Massachusetts Poetry Festival Berkshire County Opening Event

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival for 2009 the Festival will start on the evening of Thursday October 15th with 7 simultaneous opening events in Boston, Worcester, New Bedford, Salem, Lowell, Amherst and the Berkshires. Then the Festival returns to downtown Lowell for two days.

The Berkshire County kickoff event for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival will be held at The Mount, the beautiful home of Edith Wharton in Lenox on Thursday, Oct 15th and will feature a panel of local publishers discussing how they decide what to publish, moderated by Michelle Gillett. The panel includes: Jeffrey Levine, Tupelo Press; Barry Sternlieb, Mad River Press; Vivian Dorsel, upstreet, Ledgetop Publishing; and Hannah Fries, Orion Magazine. The panel discussion will be followed by a reading by eight local poets who have had work published by the panelists. The poets reading are: Leslie Harrison, Hannah Fries, Abbot Cutler, Lisken Van Pelt Dus, Aaron Beatty and Patty Crane, Jennifer Militello and Mary Koncel.

There will be a reception and book signing after the event which will be held from 5:30-7pm.

For more information about the Festival go to: http://masspoetry.org

Power of Words, Open Mic

October 20^th, Tuesday

7pm to 8:30 pm

Lee Writers Group
(every 2nd Tuesday of the month)
at the Lee Library Conference Room.

Develop and hone writing skills through constructively critiquing
others as well as receiving helpful hints and suggestions.
This forum will host a variety of short stories, poetic compilations,
insightful and original essays, and other varieties of writing similarly
tangible in length. The purpose of this group is to embody character
and narrator through obsessive directive fervor with written and
spoken words.
The group will meet every second Tuesday sharing original works
via recitation and distribution and should be prepared to accept
constructive feedback and be able to, in return, deliver such
feedback in a respectable and deliberate manner.
Contact
or call 413 243-8116 for further information.



Word in Ware/Palmer

Carpe Stylum! (Latin for Seize the pen!)
meets every Wednesday 6-8pm, usually at the Ware Library
but some meetings are held elsewhere.
This group includes poets, short story writers and novelists.
All are welcome.
Call LuWanda Cheney (413) 277-9676 for a schedule.



Word in Worcester:

• Cleopatra Mathis will perform on Thursday, October 8th at the First Annual Gregory Stockmal Reading. The reading will start at 7:30 p.m. and is being held in the Rehm Library at Holy Cross College (1 College Street, Worcester). Free & open to the public. Sponsored by the Worcester County Poetry Association, the Gregory Stockmal Memorial Fund and the College of the Holy Cross.
• A Footsteps in History Tour of the childhood home of Stanley Kunitz will take place on Sunday , October 11th and Monday, October 12th. Tours, readings & discussion of the poet's work will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on both days. Docent tours will be given on the half hour. A poetry open mic will be held daily at 2:00 p.m. in the second floor gallery. The home is located at 4 Woodford Street in Worcester. Hosted by members of the Worcester County Poetry Association.

The Little "a" Poetry Series
at the Q Cafe, 362 Chandler St in Worcester, MA.
We run the reading every Monday night, the sign-up list for
the open mic goes up at 7:00pm and we get started shortly thereafter.


Worcester Storytellers
Worcester Storytellers meets on the second Friday of each month at the Village Arts Gallery
(1 Ekman Street, Worcester). The reading starts at 8:00 p.m. There will be an open mic followed by a feature.
Worcester Storytellers never charges a cover. They ask you throw some money into the basket to support the artists who feature. For more info please contact [email protected]


The d'Alzon Arts Series: Poetry Reading
takes place at Assumption College (500 Salisbury Street, Worcester) in the Emmanuel d'Alzon Library on the third Friday of each month during the academic year. The format is an open mic for the first half-hour or so, a short break with refreshments and then 2 featured poets.. The reading starts at 7:00 p.m. and typically runs for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Readings run throughout the school year.


New Name - Same Great Poetry
The After Nine Poetry Series - Every Thursday Night
The The After Nine Poetry Series, formerly The Spot,
is a weekly poetry reading in the Ship Room at the Hotel Vernon
(1 Kelly Square, Worcester).

The reading is held in the Ship Room of the Hotel Vernon (1 Kelly Square, Worcester). The official start time is 8:00 p.m. but honestly, things get going closer to 9. Maybe this week will be different.

21+ and proper id is required

Speakout! Youth Slam Saturday Night
The Speakout! Youth Poetry Slam returns from the winter hiatus and is back to meeting every Saturday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The format is an open mic, youth slam (ages 13-19 welcome) and a feature. This week their feature will be 2008 Worcester Slam team member Trevor Byrne-Smith. Come share a poem at the open mic or come to see slammers. Join them in The Bisto in Higgins Student Center (950 Main Street, Worcester).


Poets Asylum
Sundays:

The One Minute Slam will be a three (3) round slam and all the rounds will be one minute or less. Other than the time limit the usual rules apply (original work, no props, penalty for going over time). Some amazing work was presented the last time we held a One Minute Slam - come check it out!

Poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it. Slam poetry can be moving, funny and deadly serious, sometimes all in the same poem. If that sounds like a good time then join us for some great words.

Come on down to Jumpin' Juice and Java (335 Chandler Street, Worcester). The reading starts at 6:00 p.m. No cover; please throw some money in the bucket to support the feature.



The Dirty Gerund
There's a new poetry reading in town! The Dirty Gerund Poetry Show will be held every Monday night starting at 8:30 p.m. The reading is being held at Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner (148 Grove Street, Worcester) and is hosted by Rushelle Frazier. There will be an open mic every week with a mix of poetry s lams and featured poets.
No cover; donations accepted. 21+
Please join us at our new home,


Shakti Women's Writing Pact
The Shakti Women's Writing Pact meets
every Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at
the Java Hut (1073A Main Street, Worcester).
Shakti was created with the intention of enhancing women's
sense of belonging within the poetry community through the
an unmoderated writing circle.
For more information please contact Sou MacMillan at
.

THE ECLECTIC WORD, Radio Show
Poet and journalist Victor D. Infante hosts The Eclectic Word, an
Internet radio show that will delve into literature's fringe with poets,
satirists, alternative journalists and even (gasp!) bloggers. We'll be
stepping off the beaten path of literature, taking a close look at the odd,
the eccentric and the cutting-edge. Should be fun.

The show will run at 7 p.m. EST the first and third Friday of every month,
as part of The World Wide Word Radio Network. You can listen to the
shows live, or you can download it later for your listening convenience.
So give it a listen! It's going to be a blast!


CT POETRY
-------------------------------------------------------
Visit the CT Poet Online calendar,
updated weekly: http://www.poetz.com/connecticut

From The Bushnell’s Big Read Program:

Dead Poet Slam

For Middle- and High-School Students

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Bushnell’s Autorino Great Hall

7:00 – 9:30 pm

Doors open at 6:30pm

Admission is Free

Cash Prizes for the Top 3 Poets

($50 / $75 / $100)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore

— from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Many consider Edgar Allan Poe the founder of the horror / suspense genre. We’re celebrating his 200th birthday with a special poetry slam. For middle- and high-school students, the Dead Poet Slam dispenses with most of the traditional slam rules to encourage both new and practiced slam poets to experiment with poetry and Poe.

What is a poetry slam? It’s not a boxing match, a poetry reading, or an open mic. It’s definitely not the poetry you remember from grade school. A poetry slam is a competition. Poets sign up to compete and judges are randomly chosen from the audience to score. The goal of the poetry slam has always been to seek a wider audience for poetry, to inspire people from all walks of life to listen to poetry, to appreciate and to respect its power.

Here are the rules:

§ Poems can be any style but must relate in some way to Edgar Allan Poe; e.g., the poet himself, his life and times, subjects or emotions one might find in the horror genre then or now.

§ Each poem must be an original piece performed by the author.

§ For the Dead Poet Slam, participants can read their poems.

§ For the Dead Poet Slam, props are okay.

§ For the Dead Poet Slam, costumes are not only okay, they’re encouraged.

§ For the Dead Poet Slam, musical instruments and prerecorded music are allowed

§ Performances are timed and should not exceed 3 minutes. After a ten-second grace period, a half point is deducted for every additional 10 seconds. The judges do not subtract points. The scorekeeper handles it.

§ Timing starts when the performance begins, usually with the first utterance of sound from the performer.

§ Each poem may only be used once during the competition.

Thanks to a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, admission to the Dead Poet Slam is free. Poets who wish to perform must sign up at The Bushnell the night of the event. Come early. Space is limited.

Nancy Eimers is the author of three collections of poetry: A Grammar to Waking (Carnegie Mellon, 2006), No Moon, winner of the 1997 Verna Emery Prize (Purdue University Press), and Destroying Angel (Wesleyan/University Press of New England, 1991). She has been the recipient of a Nation “Discovery” Award, two National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships and a Whiting Writer’s Award. Her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and literary magazines, including Best American Poetry 1996, Poets of the New Century, The New Bread Loaf Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, The Extraordinary Tide: New Poetry By American Women, Paris Review, TriQuarterly, and Field. She teaches creative writing at Western Michigan University and at Vermont College, and she lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Wintonbury Poetry Series & Open Mike
Third Thursdays 7:00 PM

An open mike follows the featured guests each evening. Themes are optional.

Wintonbury Branch Library
1015 Blue Hills Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002
860-243-8855

Wood Memorial Library, 783 Main St., South Windsor, CT.

TO CELEBRATE POETRY

Please join other lovers of poetry at 2:00 p.m. next Sunday, October 11, for the inauguration of a poetry series that will present contemporary poets in a delightful setting and provide a meeting place for Connecticut’s literary community during the fall and winter season.

The series, POETRY ON THE LINE, will occur in the beautifully renovated Freight House of the Windsor Art Center at the Windsor (CT) depot, a place where art, verse, and the main line meet. Date & time: Sunday, October 11, 2:00 p.m.

The inaugural reading in the series will feature Marilyn Johnston reading from her new book, Weight of the Angel, hot off the press this week, and Rennie McQuilkin reading from his new book, The Weathering: New & Selected Poems (2009). The reading, entitled “After the Fall,” will also feature flutist Minta White and will be followed by a reception.

Directions: From Route 159 in Windsor turn onto Batchelder Road (right turn for northbound traffic) and take the first left onto Mechanic Street. The Windsor Art Center is in a low brick building at 40 Mechanic St. (corner of Mechanic and Central).

For more information: 860-688-2528, [email protected].

Future readings in the series:

Sunday, November 15, 2:00 p.m.: Norah Pollard and Steve Foley

Sunday, February 7, 2:00 p.m.: Edwina Trentham and John Stanizzi

Sunday, March 14, 2:00 p.m.: Ginny Connors and Jim Kelleher

About the Readers:

Marilyn E. Johnston was born and raised in Hartford in a lineage of Connecticut Irish farmers on her mother’s side and Illinois Finnish immigrants on her father’s. Recipient of an MA in English from Trinity College, for many years she pursued a career in insurance communications, a career she abandoned in order to concentrate on the writing of poetry. In the past decade, her work has received five Pushcart Prize nominations and has appeared in numerous literary journals including The Worcester Review, Atlanta Review, South Carolina Review, and Poet Lore. Her chapbook Against Disappearance was published as finalist for the 2001 Redgreene Press Poetry Prize, and her first full-length collection, Silk Fist Songs, appeared in 2008. Commitments to poetry and to community have led her to work in the Bloomfield Public Library, where she directs a poetry series presenting Connecticut writers to an ever-expanding audience. With her husband, Ray, Marilyn Johnston lives on an old farm in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Rennie McQuilkin’s work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poetry, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, The Hudson Review, The American Scholar, The Gettysburg Review, Chelsea, Crazyhorse, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. This is his tenth poetry collection. McQuilkin has received numerous awards for his work, as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of Connecticut. For many years he directed the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, which he co-founded at Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut. In 2003 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Connecticut Center for the Book. With his wife, the artist Sarah McQuilkin, he lives in Simsbury, CT, where he is the local poet laureate and publisher/editor of Antrim House.

POETRY POTLUCK
at
The Sanctuary

Do you love poetry?

Would you like to be part of an ongoing poetry discussion group offering food for the mind and the heart?

If so, come and join us on the first Sunday of each month from 4.30-6.00 PM. Our next meeting is on Sunday, October 4, 2009, at the Yurt at The Sanctuary in East Haddam, Connecticut, to discuss poetry and build community.

This is not about sharing our own work but instead offers us a chance to share the work of poets we love, so you don’t have to be a poet to be part of this group. Just come and bring your love of poetry and a poem you would like to share.

Hosted by Greg Coleman, Suzy Lamson, and Edwina Trentham

For more information call 860-319-1134.

Directions to the Sanctuary for Poetry Potluck
on Bogel Road – Look for sign: Labyrinth & Yurt
(it’s a dirt driveway)

FROM HARTFORD: Take I-84 East towards East Hartford. Take exit 55 onto Route 2 East towards Norwich. Take exit 16. Go RIGHT onto Route 149. Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Plains Road). Turn LEFT onto Daniels Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134

FROM NEW HAVEN: Take I-95 North towards New London. Take exit 67; stay to the LEFT at the fork on the ramp. Turn LEFT onto Route 154 (Middlesex Turnpike). Take Route 9 North towards Middletown. Take exit 7 onto Route 82 East. Turn LEFT onto Route 154 (Saybrook Road). Turn RIGHT onto Route 82 (Bridge Road). Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Town Street). Turn RIGHT onto Daniels Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road. Phone number: 860-319-1134

FROM NEW LONDON: Take I-95 South towards New Haven. Take Route 9 North towards Middletown. Take exit 7 onto Route 82 East. Turn LEFT onto Route 154 (Saybrook Road). Turn RIGHT onto Route 82 (Bridge Road). Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Town Street). Turn RIGHT onto Daniels Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134

FROM MIDDLETOWN AND POINTS WEST:
Take I-84 East to exit 27 onto Rte 691. Stay on 691 when it becomes Rte 66 East headed toward Meriden. Go all the way through Meriden and Middletown onto Rte 9 South. Take exit 7 onto Route 82 East. Turn LEFT onto Route 154 (Saybrook Road). Turn RIGHT onto Route 82 (Bridge Road). Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Town Street). Turn RIGHT onto Daniels Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134

Mishi-maya-gat Spoken Word & Music Series

NOW IN ITS 4th SEASON!

at Manchester Community College

Great Path Academy, Community Commons (Use Parking Lot B)

Manchester, CT 06040

Sponsored by MCC Foundation / Hosted by Stephen Campiglio

2^rd Thursday of each month; 7-9 p.m.

Free and Open to the Public

For more information and directions: www.mcc.commnet.edu/faculty/spoken.php

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

7 p.m. – Featured Musician: Bob Jordan, guitarist, singer and songwriter

A native of Grafton, MA, Bob Jordan has been touring on the strength of his new CD, The Country That Never Was, which has been critically acclaimed by the Boston Globe and several music reviews in the Worcester area. In the vein of country rock, the CD features several Jordan originals, as well as new versions of songs by Merle Haggard, Joni Mitchell, Gene Clark, and Michael Nesmith. Jordan has toured and recorded with Eugene Chadbourne, Michael Hurley, and Twang, among others. He was a groundbreaking and highly esteemed DJ at WCUW (91.3 FM) in Worcester from 1976-1992. He has also hosted an annual “Bob Dylan Tribute” in Worcester for the last seven years. The CD, and more information about Jordan, are available at: www.myspace.com/vitaminbobjordan.

8 p.m. – Featured Writers: Marshall Brooks, publisher & writer and Marilyn Johnston, poet

Marshall Brooks has been involved in literary publishing for 40 years and has published work in numerous publications, including the Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram, New York Times, Canadian Literature, Biblio, Home Planet News, and the Generalist Papers. He the author of A Brief Illustrated History of the Bookshelf and edited and wrote the introduction to The Romance of the Book (Birch Brook Press), which encompasses a selection of essays based on intense reading experiences. In 1979, Brooks established Arts End Books (www.artsendbooks.com) whose titles include Studs Lonegan’s Neighborhood, Eight Short Short Stories & Sketches by James T. Farrell, and Blackness of a White Night: Stories and Poems by Sherry Mangan. Since 1999, Arts End Books has also been the sole distributor of the pioneering, independent, NYC-based book publisher, The Smith. More information on the writer and publisher can be found at: www.marshallbrooks.com. For his Mishi-maya-gat presentation, “Talking about Books in the 21st Century: Strategies & Anecdotes for Bibliophiles,” Brooks will offer ideas to fellow book aficionados on how best to address the fate of bookmaking in today’s rapidly changing world.

Marilyn Johnston received an M.A. in English from Trinity College and for many years pursued a career in insurance communications, a career that she abandoned in order to concentrate on the writing of poetry. In the past decade, her work has received five Pushcart Prize nominations and has appeared in numerous literary journals, including The Worcester Review, Atlanta Review, South Carolina Review, and Poet Lore. She is the author of two full collections of poetry: Silk Fist Songs (Antrim House Books, 2008) and Weight of the Angel (forthcoming, Antrim House). More information on these titles can be found at: www.antrimhousebooks.com. Her chapbook, Against Disappearance, was published as a finalist for the 2001 Redgreene Press Poetry Prize. She also directs the Wintonbury Branch Poetry Series and Open Mike in Bloomfield.

Boston Area/Cape Cod Poetry Info:

The Poetry Session at O'Shea's is a free monthly all-ages open mic
for poets and lovers of poetry held in the Back Room
at O'Shea's Olde Inne. 348 Main Street,
Rte. 28 West Dennis, MA 02670 Free
Contact Info: Gregory Hischak

The Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts

Presents

Poetry Series at the Brockton Library

304 Main Street. Our website www.gbspa.org

Check out our new bookstore ! We have several signed books for sale.

Celebrating Poetry One Saturday Every Month

Sat., October 17th, 2009

Ellen Steinbaum http://gbspa.homestead.com/EllenSteinbaum.html

Paul Hostovsky http://gbspa.homestead.com/PaulHostovsky.html

Pamela Alexander http://gbspa.homestead.com/PamelaAlexander.html

Our workshop and venue are free, the seats comfortable, the refreshments delicious.

12:00 - 2:00 Poetry Writing Workshop

1:30 - 2:00 Sign up for Open-Mic Reading

2:15 - 3:15 Open-Mic Reading

3:30 - 4:30 Feature Poets

During Open-Mic Reading share your own poetry

or read from works of your favorite poets

Upcoming Features (For information on the following poets click on our website)

Sat. Nov. 21- Wendy Mnookin

Daniel Tobin

Sat. Dec. 19 - Faye George

Everett Hoagland

Sat. Jan. 16 - Fred Marchant

Raena Camacho

WEDNESDAYS at the CANTAB

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Central Square's world-famous Cantab Lounge
presents weekly performances from local and national poets, as well as a
chance to present your own work in the open mic or poetry slam.
DJ Muse spins before the show and between poets.

Upcoming features include:

Last Thursday Open Mic
at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod

307 Old Main St.,
S. Yarmouth, MA
co-hosts Joe Gouveia and Barry Hellman:
The last Thursday of every month, 7pm.
Open mic and featured poet.
Bring your own refreshments.
Arrive early to sign up for open mic.
For updated info on this and other Cape activities go to:
http://home.comcast.net/~bmhellman

_____

The Chapel In The Pines in Eastham
Biannual Poetry Open Mic (April & October)
10AM-Noon
October 25, 2009.
Hosted by Barry Hellman
Free & Refreshments Served
Read Your Own Work
Or Just Come to Listen
Plus this time around: A Featured Poet!



Tony Hoagland (that's right, Tony Hoagland)
will be the Featured Poet
at Open Mic Night at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod in S. Yarmouth
7PM October 29, 2009.
Co-Hosted by Barry Hellman and Joe Gouveia

CHECK OUT http://home.comcast.net/~bmhellman
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILS
ABOUT ALL OF THESE EVENTS.

The Pleasure of Poetry

with Ada Jill Schneider

at The Somerset Public Library

every Wednesday in September, 2009 at 2 PM

1464 County Street

Somerset, MA 02726

(508) 646-2829

Free

Participants are invited to bring a favorite poem

or two to read aloud and share with the group.

Tea and cookies will be served.

Guest Reader on Wednesday, Sept. 30

Janice Miller Potter, author of Psalms in Time

Lowell Poetry Slam and Open Mic Every FIRST Thursday at Brew'd
Awakening! Only poets can compete in the slam and win the prize...
but the mic is open to musical performers as well.
Whether you come to perform, compete or just enjoy some coffee
and great local talent, don't miss this event!
7:00pm - 9:30 pm
*Sign-up between 6:30-7:00*
The event is free and open to the public—so come on down for an evening
of good company and some terrific regional voices!
Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus
61 Market Street
Lowell, MA 978-454-BREW
For more info, please email

* * *

SATURDAYS

The Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts
Presents
Poetry Series: at the Brockton Library
304 Main Street. Map it! New website!! www.gbspa.org

Celebrating Poetry One Saturday Every Month
This is a Free Event
with really comfortable chairs and divine refreshments

12:00 - 2:00 Workshop with Danielle Legros Georges
1:30 - 2:00 Sign up for Open-Mic Reading
2:15 - 3:15 Open-Mic Reading
3:30 - 4:30 Feature Poets

During Open-Mic Reading share your own poetry
or read from works of your favorite poets

* * *
OPEN BARK
meets @ the Out Of The Blue Art Gallery,
106 PROSPECT ST. (the home of Stone Soup)
CENTRAL SQUARE, CAMBRIDGE.
SIGN-UP AT 8:00pm
OPEN MIC STARTS @ 8:15pm,
FEATURE @ 9:00pm
Come and perform or listen!

Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Sunday Night!
Cambridge Common
1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
$5 Cover Every Sunday
Poetry Slam: 8:00 pm,
Feature: 9:30 pm,
Open Mike: 10:30 pm
617-547-0759 http://poetryjam.org/


_____ MONDAYS
Stone Soup Poetry
Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the
Out of The Blue Art Gallery (located on 106 Prospect Street in Cambridge)
with an open mike si gn-up at 7:30 p.m.
http://stonesouppoetry.blogspot.com/

_____ TUESDAYS
Newton Free Library Poetry Reading Series
The series meets the second Tuesday of every month open mic after features.
Starts 7PM For complete information go to
http://newtonfreelibrarypoetryseries.blogspot.com/
Director: Doug Holder http://authorsden.com/douglasholder

* * *
Cambridge Community Television
Tuesdays at 11:00 PM Saturdays at 10:30PM
Catch the latest from the Boston Poetry Slam I
NFO:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LETRA Poetry Nights
in LAWRENCE MASS
Every TUESDAY at
Julio's 99 Club
99 Essex Street Lawrence, MA
Doors open at 7pm open mic starts at 8pm
Admission $3.00
For more information or for directions please call
Michelle Richardson at 978-423-7045


Gypsypashn's Poetry Caravan
at Bestseller's Cafe
24 High Street
Medford, MA. 02155
Third Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM.
Free refreshments open mic.
The Poetry Man' hosts
The Main St. Cafe, North Easton MA.


VT/NH Poetry

BRATTLEBORO LITERARY FESTIVAL

Brattleboro Literary Festival

October 2-4, 2009

Details of events and locations at

www.brattleboroliteraryfestival.org

Featured Poets and Publications:

Katharine Coles-Fault, Burnt Offerings

Michael Collier-The Ledge, Dark, Wild Realm

Wyn Cooper-Postcards From the Interior, The Way Back

Annie Finch-Calendars, Among the Goddesses

Janice Harrington-Even the Hollow My Body Made is Gone

Philip Levine-News of the World, The Simple Truth

Paul Mariani-Gerard Manley Hopkins:A Life, Lost Puritan: A Life of Robert Lowell

Dzvinia Orlowsky-Convertible Night, Flurry of Stones, A Handful of Bees

Baron Wormser -Scattered Chapters: New and Selected Poems, The Poetry Life: Ten Stories

Special Event-Cellist Jody Redhage in American Poetry Takes Flight Through Song

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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