6/18/2009

Poetry News June 22, 2009

****POETRYNEWS****
To receive Poetry News in your email write to
or check it out online at
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Here is your Poetry News for the week of June 22, 2009.
Spoken word events are as prolific and colorful as Summer flowers in the Pioneer Valley and beyond.

Scroll all the way down for more poetry in CT, Boston, NH and VT.

THIS WEEK check out:
Open mic on the Green, 5:00pm, Westfield, MA, Tuesday June 23.
Riverwood Poetry Festival, CT, June 21-28 (see below under CT Poetry)

Juniper Summer Writing Institute Readings, UMass, Amherst, June 21 - 27
Slam Friday June 25 at Friday open floor reading, Luna Pizza, Northampton

Baron Wormser at Sunken Garden Festival, Wed. June 24, Farmington, CT


Spoken Word in Westfield:


Open mic on the Green
Tuesday, June 23rd, 5:00pm (under the tent)
Spoken Word and Music welcome
There will be an open mic on the Green
June 30, July 14, 21, 28.


Wednesdays
at Teapot Gallery
22 Elm Street (route 10/202)
in Westfield, MA

Hosted by Eli Baenziger and Maurice Soulfighter Taylor

There will be music at 6, then open mic UPSTAIRS at 7.
All are welcome.
Open mic (only) every Wednesday night


Poetry, Prose,
Verse, Yarns

Come to listen, come to speak,
Your words, words for our times,
Immortal words, mortal words...

Call 562-6966 (Teapot) or 348-7218 (Eli B.)


for info and encouragement




Chicopee/Holyoke/Springfield Area Poetry

Central Library Poetry Writing Workshops
Saturday mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 June 27, July 18, August 8, August 22


Once again, the Central Library will be hosting Saturday morning poetry writing workshops, which will be facilitated by María Luisa Arroyo. Sessions will include time for new writing as well as for feedback on existing pieces. If you want feedback, bring 10 copies of your piece.

Both newcomers and regulars ages 12+ are welcome to join any or all dates.
Please watch this space for upcoming dates.
Pre-registration is not necessary, but feel free to contact Anna Brandenburg
for more information at (413) 263-6828 x426 or .
A native of Springfield's North End educated at Colby (B.A.), Tufts (M.A.)
and Harvard (A.B.D.), María Luisa Arroyo won a 2004 Massachusetts Cultural Council
grant in poetry and first place in the Spanish-language division of the Library's 2006 Poetry
Contest. In addition to being an award-winning poet, Arroyo is an educator, single parent,
and currently, a GED instructor at a local non-profit organization.
Her poems have been published in many journals including PALABRA:
A Magazine for Chicano and Latino Literary Art , CALYX , and The Women's Times .
The Bilingual Review/Press (AZ) published her first full-length volume of poems,
Gathering Words/Recogiendo Palabras, last summer (2008).

These workshops are supported by the "Write On, Springfield!" grant from the Springfield
Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council


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/




SPRINGFIELD LIBRARY POETRY

There are still a few weeks to submit your entry for the Library's "Write On, Springfield!"
book project. http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/writeon.html

Mark your calendar for Poetry in the Park!
The Open Mic series moves outdoors for the summer,
and will also be moving to Wednesday evenings at 5:30.
July 15 + August 19.

Any questions, please contact Anna Brandenburg at 263-6828 x426
or by e-mail at .



Word in the Valley and Beyond

2009 Juniper Summer Writing Institute
Reading Series - June 21-27, 2009

7:30 p.m at the
Bezanson Recital Hall
Fine Arts Center
Umass at Amherst

All readings are open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5-$10.

June 21 - Lydia Davis and Dara Wier

June 22 - Terrance Hayes and Noy Holland

June 23 - Holly Black and Mark Doty

June 24 - Charles d'ambrosio and Alex Phillips

June 25 - Paul Lisicky and Lisa Olstein

June 26 - Shauna Seliy and James Tate

June 27 - Chris Bachelder, Arisa White and Matthew Zapruder



SLAM CIRCUS
A night of slam poetry (competitive poetry) featuring the Worcester National Slam Team who will be competing in August at the National Poetry Slam competitions in West Palm Beach, FL. After the feature, audience members will have a chance to compete with their own poems for prizes and poetic glory. Come early to ensure your spot to slam! This is a fundraiser to send the team to Nationals.
Friday, July 17, 8pm at P.A.C.E. Tickets available at http://www.pioneeerarts.org/ or call 413.527.3700.



New Open Mic
Open floor!
Hosted by Maurice "Soulfighter" Taylor
Friday nights at 9pm
Luna Pizza
88 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA



Green Street Cafe Poetry Series
Thursdays, 8pm
Green Street Cafe
Northampton, MA


Summer Poetry Open Mic
Forbes Library

Wednesdays July 1st and August 5th
7:00 PM
Celebrate with summer poetry!
Refreshments will be served.
Everyone welcome.
Sign up to read from 6:30-7:00 p.m.
First-come, first-served. 5-10minutes
depending on the number of participants.
Location: Community Room

Forbes Library
20 West Street
Northampton, MA 01060


Bryant Day
Saturday, July 18 12 PM- 4:30PM
Bryant Homestead,
207 Bryant Road,
Cummington

A celebration of poetry and speech at this National Historic Landmark. Poetry reading by William Jay Smith, former poet laureate of the U.S. Music by Rhubarb Pie. “Architecture of the Homestead” talk by Bonnie Parsons. Also featuring a nature walk, tours, and home made ice cream. Trustees of Reservations members free; non-members $5/ per car. Call 413-532-1631 x13 on weekdays or 413-634-2244 on weekends for information.



Valley Writers School:
Now Accepting Applications for Summer Session

The Valley Writers School offers (variously) fiction, non-fiction,
and poetry workshops for writers seeking to generate new work,
refine works-in-progress, read and discuss great literature,
and join a supportive writing community.
This summer we will run two workshops: one in poetry and
one in non-fiction/memoir.
Session begins the week of July 6 and runs for six weeks.
Workshops are in the evening and held at the Writers' Mill in Florence.
Tuition is $180.
Workshop will be serious, fun, eye-opening, and supportive.
Please contact us at
or at 413-636-5088 if you have any questions or if you'd like to apply.



Open Words Writing Workshops
Let your words out to play! Explore fiction, poetry, memoir,
and more in a supportive, inspiring group.
Wednesday nights, 5/27 through 7/15.
Easthampton. Sliding scale.
http://www.openwordswriting.blogspot.com/
413-695-8251,
.


Writing Group
Wednesdays at 2pm,
Windhorse Associates,
211 North St, Noho.
Chaya Grossberg and David Stark.
Lots of poetry, lots of humor.



FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY .


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS SILKWORM 4
WE NEED YOUR FINE POETRY SUPPORTED
BY A NORTHAMPTON ARTS COUNCIL GRANT
and the FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY
DEADLINE: 8/15/09
EMAIL: (NO ATTACHMENTS ACCEPTED)
Website: http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/ NO ATTACHMENTS ACCEPTED)
Mail to: Florence Poets Society P.O. Box 60355 Florence, MA 01062-0355

Next business/sharing meeting Thursday July 9, 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 Nights in Northampton:

Writer's Group at Packard's in Northampton:
Northampton Writer's Group is an ongoing writer's group
for any kind of written word. We currently have several openings
for new members.
For information please contact Lori

It meets in the library room at Packard's restaurant/bar at
14 Masonic St. in Northampton.
Participants bring copies of their work to read and have
critiqued in a supportive, gentle, constructive environment.
The next dates -

Sunday July 19, 6:00pm



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.




Greenfield/Shelburne Falls and North


Spoken Word Greenfield
Always the third Tuesday of the month

This month we will be featuring a Franklin County group as our featured readers
When I asked Mary about the group, she said, "We don't really have a name, but most of us live in Franklin county and we've been meeting as a group, people coming and going, for over 20 years."

Tuesday the 21st of July
At 9 Mill St in Greenfield

Doors open at 7:00
Open Mic at 7:30
10 - 5 minute open mic slots
$1-5 sliding scale cover
Book signing and selling of local writers works will be available
Always the third Tuesday of the month

Refreshments
Come up to read
Bring your chap books to sell
We will have tables at no cost
Open mic will be 10 five minute slots
Hope to see you there
Paul Richmond
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 Rt
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 conner
You can park in the Art Space next door
or on the street
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 READING

at the Deja Brew Pub
57 Lockes Village Road,
Wendell, MA.
The last Monday of Every Month

Open Mic Sign Up 7-7:15
Open Mic Readings 7:15-8:00

$1-$5 sliding scale admission
This program is supported, in part, by the Wendell Cultural Council, a local agency, The Massachusetts Cultural Council, astate agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

$1 - $5
Sliding scale admission
For directions and additional information see our website
http://allsmallcaps.blogspot.com/

We hope to see you there. Come read, listen, eat food, drink beer, and celebrate this wonderful reading series that wouldn't be possible without your continued support. Thanks very much.

Jess, Paul, Charles, Stephen

Deja Brew Pub
& Cafe
57 Lockes Village Rd.
Wendell MA
(978) 544-2739

__________


Bart’s Bards
Second Thursdays Open Microphone for Writers

Next month, July 9,

Greenfield's own Maria Williams-Russell will be our featured reader.
Maria has shared some of her writings at open microphone.
Her intensity and grace is obvious to all who know her work.
July 9 should be a banner night at Bart's.

Maria Williams-Russell is a writer who sometimes thinks of herself as a lost bird whose feathers don't match the feathers of the other birds where she has landed. Adopted by a Lithuanian mother and a Mayflower descendant father, she is not quite sure what it means when people ask her for directions in Spanish or marvel at her olive skin. Her poetry seems to revolve, in various ways, around this idea of displacement, of where and what is home. Maria received her MFA in poetry from Goddard College and her poems have been published in The Bellevue Literary Review, Chronogram, Sous Rature and other small journals. Her poem "The Woven River" will be stenciled on the site of the new River Culture Art Pathway in Turners Falls, MA in the summer of 2009. She writes from her home in Greenfield, MA.

Please join us.
Bart’s Café of Greenfield
286 Main St.
Greenfield, MA
7:00-9:00 P.M.
(Sign up to Read at 6:45)
(Open Microphone Readings of 5 Minutes or Less)

For More Information, Please Contact:
Larry Fader (413) 475-3321
Free to All
_______


Collected Poets Series

July 2, Features Dara Wier, Lesle Lewis, and Elizabeth Hughey

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
Jan. 8 Patrick Donnelly, Jeffrey Levine, Art Opening by Liz deNiord
Feb. 5 Mary Clare Powell and Diane Lockward
Mar. 5 Nikki Finney, Tara Betts and poets from The Holyoke Care Center for Teen Mothers
Mar.29 Martha Collins and Lynne Thompson
April 2 Anne Marie Macari and Carey Salerno
May 7 Genie Zeiger, Dorianne Laux, and Kerry O'Keefe
May 24 Maxine Kumin and Sydney Lea
June 4 Two Massachusetts Poet Laureates: Gertrude Halstead of Worcester and Lesléa Newman of Northampton
July 2 Dara Wier, Lesle Lewis, and Elizabeth Hughey
--- no CPS for August and Sept.---
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 Ginger Cat Press

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

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



Word in the Berkshires

Power of Words, Open Mic
Tuesday July 21, 2009 AT 7PM,
Hosted by Garfield Reed.
This is an open opportunity to share poetry,
readings, music and other spoken word.
Free and open to the public
Berkshire South Regional Community Center
Crissey Rd. Great Barrington, MA
Every third Tuesday of the month.
Please call Garfield at 528 4127 for more information.



In Words, Out Words in Housatonic

In Housatonic, MA there is an open mic for poets and performers
of all styles and ages.
1st Tuesday of each month at
the Deb Koffman Gallery
137 Front Street,
Housatonic, MA 01236. “In Words, Out Words.”
is hosted by John Meeks and there is usually
a $7 suggested donation for heat and electricity.
There are snacks there provided by whoever wants to bring them.
The sign up technically is at 6:30 however the way it works is a
lottery system. If you go to check it out once, then you can put
your name on the contact email list. The following month you
get an email reminding you of the upcoming event.
If it’s your first time performing at In Words, Out Words,
you are guaranteed a spot on the roster as long as you reply
to the reminder email. If you’ve performed there before then
you are put into the lottery system and randomly names are selected.
Sometimes there are still slots open at the door.
The open mic begins at 7 and the featured performer goes on
for about 20 minutes. It usually lasts until between 9 and 9:30.



Zeitgeist Gallery Pittsfield

Monday Poetry Nights
6 to10pm
648 North Street in Pittsfield
call Alan Nidle, the Director at (857) 991-8448 for detail



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:

___

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 dave...@.


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, former The Spot,
is a weekly poetry reading in the Ship Room at the Hotel Vernon
(1 Kelly Square, Worcester).

The reading gathers starting at 8:00 p.m. but honestly things don't usually get started until 9ish. They hold an open mic followed by a feature.

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:

June 28
Join the Poets' Asylum this week for a feature by Chad Anderson. Chad is a poet, teacher, skateboarder and A/V geek from the Jersey Shore. He's been a member of 4 nationally competing poetry slam teams and has performed around the country twice. He was a member of the 2005 NYC Urbana team and the 2007 New Jersey Grand Slam Champion. He is a member of the Executive Council of Poetry Slam Inc. and the creator and host of New Jersey's own poetry slam, self deprecatingly titled, Loser Slam.
Listen to samples of his work on his MySpace page.

July 5
This week the Poets' Asylum will host the first of two open qualifying slam to determine who will battle it out to be the 2009 Worcester representative to the Individual World Poetry Championship. This will be a two round slam with 3 minute time limits. The usual rules apply. The top finishers tonight moves on to the iWPS Finals on

August 30th.





July 12
This week members of the 2009 Worcester Youth Slam Team will be our features. Help us send the Youth Slammers on their way as they prepare for their trip to the Brave New Voices event in Chicago, IL. Jeff Seigrist, Kate Richardson, Elyse Bianchet, Carolyn Mshooshian and Eddy Habib are expected to perform.

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


Prominent Poets Appearing in Second Annual Poetry Festival
June 24 through June 28

Riverwood Poetry Series, following the success of their first annual festival in 2008, is proud to present their festival for 2009, which will include an impressive array of well-known published poets. For “The Main Event” at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, host Colin Haskins will present Ernie Blue, Bessie Reyna (Hartford Courant’s popular columnist), Kate Rushin, Ameen Storm and Sue Ellen Thompson, reading their award winning poetry. Other venues will feature many published poets, including two-time nominee for California’s Poet Laureate, Lisa Ann LaBasso and a nominee for Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, Bob Jacob. Open mic will also be held in several venues.

Additional Poetry venues include Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor, Faxon Branch Library in West Hartford, City Steam Brewery in Hartford, Buttonwood Tree and Gatekeepers Tavern, Middletown. Also, an open invitation to a gathering of poets and friends and fishing enthusiasts, at the Moose Meadow Camping Resort, Willington, CT, hosted by poet, publisher, Victoria Rivas. Riverwood has reserved seven campsites, called the River Sites, with wonderful facilities. Here’s an opportunity to read your poetry and perform acoustic music around the campfires. Even if you're not a camper, come enjoy the company and go back to your comfortable bed.

The festival takes place from June 24 through June 28. For a complete list of poets, venues, and the times of scheduled events, please visit http://www.riverwoodpoetry.org/ and click on “Schedule”. Contact information is provided on the web site.



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



A Reading of the Riverwood Poetry Festival
at Broad Street Books

Poets from Artemis Rising!! Artemis Rising is a Connecticut-based poetry circle of accomplished, electric, powerful, vibrant and bountiful women writers. The group formed in 1997 when a few of us had been seeking a serious writers' group. We wanted to develop our own voices in the company of other women. We also wanted to be part of a group that would be supportive in an emotional sense, that would share life experience as well as poetry, and poetry information. The group provides a strong, supportive community to each member, and we wish you as much success and community spirit in your own group(s) as we experience in Artemis Rising. Featuring Eileen Abrizio, Priscilla Herrington, Suzy Lamson, Mary Elizabeth Lang, Suzanne Niedzielska, Paula Panzarella, Victoria Rivas and Linda Yuhas.
AN OPEN MIC WILL FOLLOW

Saturday, June 27th
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
-at-
Broad Street Books
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457

For more information contact:
Brian at (860)685-7323




Sunken Garden Poetry and Music Festival

Wednesday, June 24
Hillstead Museum
35 Mountain Road
Farmington, CT

6:30 p.m. Music by Uptown Trio Jazz

7:30 p.m. Poetry by Baron Wormser and 5 award winning college student poets

Bring a lawn chair and a picnic!
$10 parking fee

Poetry at Broad Street Books
First Tuesday in July
Charlie Bondhus
July 7th at 7:00pm

Featuring Charlie Bondhus

On the first Tuesday of every month, Broad Street Books hosts a featured poet followed by an open mic. All are welcome to come and read, recite, perform their work!

Charlie Bondhus won his first prize for poetry in the eighth grade, after which he spent four years writing nihilistic high school verse in the style of Baudelaire. Since then, he has earned his MFA in creative writing from Goddard College and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he teaches writing and literature. In addition to poetry, he writes and publishes fiction and literary criticism. His full-length poetry book How the Boy Might See It, which was a finalist for the 2007 Blue Light Press First Book Award, will be out in 2010, along with his novella Monsters and Victims. Charlie currently resides in Chicopee, Massachusetts, with his longtime partner, their two cats, and a very spirited Madagascar Day Gecko.

Come join us on July 7th at 7:00 pm when wel be featuring Charlie Bondhus !

Broad Street Books
45 Broad Street Middletown, CT 06457
For more info: Brian Mitchard (860)685-7323


The Rose Garden Reading
Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 1p.m.
Pond House, Elizabeth Park, Hartford CT

This poetry reading will feature two Connecticut-based poets,
Nancy Kuhl and Brian Johnson.

Nancy Kuhl’s first full-length collection of poems, The Wife of the Left Hand, was published in 2007 by Shearsman Books; her second book, Suspend, is forthcoming in 2010. She is the author of The Nocturnal Factory, a chapbook published in 2008 by Ugly Duckling Presse. She is co-editor of Phylum Press, a small poetry publisher and Curator of Poetry of the Yale Collection of American Literature at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Brian Johnson is the author of Torch Lake and Other Poems, a finalist for the Norma Farber First Book Award. His poems have appeared in many journals, including American Letters and Commentary, The Prose Poem: An International Journal, Quarter after Eight, Sentence, Connecticut Review, and West Branch. He is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets Prize, a Connecticut Commission on the Arts Fellowship, and two Pushcart Prize nominations. He teaches composition and creative writing at Southern Connecticut State Universit y, where he is also President of the Faculty Senate.

This reading is sponsored by the Friends & Enemies of Wallace Stevens, and is part of the Rose Festival Weekend at Elizabeth Park.
For more information, contact:
Jim Finnegan



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 this first Sunday of June (June 7th) from 4.30-6.00 PM at at the Yurt in 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

Returning for its 4th Season in September 2009

at Manchester Community College
Great Path Academy, Community Commons
Manchester, CT 06040

Live music at 7 p.m. /Spoken word at 8 p.m.
Sponsored by MCC Foundation / Hosted by Stephen Campiglio

NEW SCHEDULE: 2nd Thursday during the school year
(September through May, except December)
NEW LOCATION: Community Commons, Great Path Academy, MCC
(Access from Parking Lot B)

Free and Open to the Public

For more information on the 2009-10 schedule,
please visit the Mishi-maya-gat web page at:
www.mcc.commnet.edu/faculty/spoken.php or call (860) 512-2824.



WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
Every Wednesday 7:30
at: 102 Greenwood Ave,
Bethel CT
Open mike sign up begins at 7:30. The open mic begins at 8
open for people to read their work 3-5 minutes.
The first 8-10 poets will read before the feature
who will read for 30 minutes followed by a
Q & A. Open mic will continue till closing time.
WNPS represents a varied community of people with
a common interest and appreciation for poetry.
The open mic is open to poetry, stories and musician (5 minute time limit).

WNPS, going on 12 years has been the longest
CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING WEEKLY Poetry Open MIC
and featured poet reading series in Connecticut!
For more details and updates:20
http://www.wedpoetry.net/
Or
http://www.wednesdaypoetry.com/
and
http://www.wednesdaypoetry.org/




Boston Area Poetry Info:



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

Go to our website and click on the CAT to read about City Lights

Celebrating Poetry One Saturday Every Month

Sat., June 20th 2009

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson http://gbspa.homestead.com/JeffreyThomson.html
Ravi Shankarhttp://gbspa.homestead.com/RaviShankar.html
Gillian Kileyhttp://gbspa.homestead.com/GillianKiley.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. Jul 18 - Kim Triedman
Tino Villanueva
Sat. Aug 15 - Doug Holder
Kate Chadbourne
Sat. Sep 19 - Nancy Brady Cunningham
Sheila Mullen Twyman
Joanna Nealon
Sat. Oct.17 - Ellen steinbaum
Paul Hostovsky
Sat. Nov. 21- Wendy Mnookin
Daniel Tobin
Sat. Dec. 19 - Faye George
Everett Hoagland



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:

• Wednesday, June 24
Lowell native Patrick S. has been surprising, engaging, and pushing the Cantab’s open mic audience since 2007. His chapbook titles —Don't Laugh at My Hilarious Pain and I Use Defense Mechanism as a Humor— portend his self-referential (and sometimes unintentional) sense of comedy. But don’t be fooled: his presentation may be raw, but his talent is anything but. Summertime Speed Slam: 8x8 with 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds.
• Wednesday, July 1
Our second Regional Poetry Slam of the year! For this event, we’ve invited the loose cannons from Manchester, the spunky upstarts of Worcester, and our long-time cross-town rivals from the Lizard Lounge. These three teams will take on the Cantab in a 4x4 under National Poetry Slam rules as we count down the last month until Nationals in West Palm Beach!
• Wednesday, July 8
Reviving an old Cantab tradition, SlamMaster Simone Beaubien has challenged the 2009 Cantab Slam Team to The Chicken Slam: a head-to-head competition between the lone SM and the five-man team. Weeks of trash-talking will culminate in five rounds of heavy-duty competition. Come on by and wish the team luck: they'll need it. (Wait—who writes these blurbs, anyway?)
• Wednesday, July 15
Even before Airea “Dee” Matthews took the three-spot at the 2009 Women of the World Poetry Slam, she was already moving poetry audiences with her extraordinary persona work. Internationally acclaimed, widely anthologized, and downright otherworldly on stage, Dee comes to us for her first Boston feature. Summertime Speed Slam: 8x8 with 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds.
_____

THURSDAYS
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



* * *
the Poetry Session at O'Shea's
THE CAPE GETS ITS VOICE BACK
7 to 8:30PM Every Third Thursday!
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

* * *
Returning to the Black Spot (formerly the Prodigal Son)
in Hyannis the last Thursday of the month! Cape Poets
Theatre Fourth Thursday Open Mic at The Black Spot.
Free
Mary Ellen Redmond and Jose Gouveia host at the old
Prodigal Son, under new name and ownership, now called
The Black Spot Cafe, 10 Ocean St., Hyannis.
We are the last Thursday of every month, 8PM,
(508) 771-4004

_____
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!

_____
SUNDAYS
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 Librar y 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:
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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

Namaya Reading from Vermont My Home




on Blue Heron Pond
Thursday, June 25, 2009
7PM at Brooks Memorial Library,
Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont.
Vermont My Home On Blue Heron Pond: by Namaya





New England College MFA and Post MFA Program
Faculty and Guest Readings
New England College
Simon Center, 7:30pm
98 Bridge Street
Henniker, NH

July 8, 2009 (free and open to the public)
PANEL WITH DONALD HALL and Post-MFA faculty
on Donald Hall's historic essay "Poetry and Ambition"
2:00 PM in the Great Room.
Readings
All readings held in the Simon Center, 98 Bridge Street at 7:30 PM
Free and open to the public
Call 603-219-9172 to confirm reading
Wednesday, June 24
Ilya Kaminsky and Carol Frost
Thursday, June 25
Featuring NH Poets Pat Fargnoli and Maura MacNeil
Friday, June 26
D.A. Powell
Saturday, June 27
Performance with Regie O'Hare Gibson
Sunday, June 28
NEC alumnus Chris Goodrich and Paula McLain
Tuesday, June 30
NEC student reading
Wednesday, July 1
Brian Henry and Eleni Sikelianos
Post MFA Symposium Readings
Monday, July 6
Major Jackson
Tuesday, July 7
Rachel Hadas
Wednesday, July 8
Peter Campion
Thursday, July 9
Chard deNiord & Peter Everwine
Friday, July 10
Ed Ochester and Ilya Kaminsky

Poetry Workshop & Writers’ Conclave
with Pam Bernard, poet, professor, editor, painter
Walpole, New Hampshire 603-756-4177 http://www.pambernard..com/

Full Scholarships Available. Call or email Pam
Mondays 7-9:30 PM
June 1— July 20 - 8 Evenings $300

Beginner and Intermediate Level
Small group sessions in my home, around a big table in an inviting space, fireplace in cold months, lovely porch and deck in warm.

I provide a nurturing, productive atmosphere where we go forward as a group toward a better understadning of how to draft, shape, and finish poems . This workshop will be more than a group critique. It will provide a community of writers where each will be encouraged to share work, receive careful, particularlized attention, and offered a safe place to discuss ideas and thioughts, and where participants’ poems are given thoughtful, rigorous feedback.

Each session is based on three components and conducted in this format:
A) We start by reading a poem by a contemporary poet, which we will explore and discuss with regard to craft.
B) I will offer writing prompts in a relaxed, free-write atmo sphere for the purpose of generating new drafts of poems.
C) We will then work as a group on each poem brought to the workshop, focusing in particular on whether the poet’s deep intention is successfully translated into language. As well, we will explore and discuss artistic choices related to craft as a way to further the poem’s project.
Not sure whether a workshop is right for you? Come to a free introductory session or two.


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News for Poetry News should be sent to .
Please send your announcements in text only format - do not format (no special fonts, colors, etc.) and do not
include underlined links, as my server will not accept them for the email list. Typed web addresses are fine.
Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you ,
Lori Desrosiers - Publisher.