Poetry News

*****POETRY NEWS*****

Here is your Poetry News for the week of April 19, 2010.

It's National Poetry Month!!! Joy to the Poets!

April is a shower, no, a torrent of poetry events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond! Scroll all the way down for more poetry in CT, Boston and other areas. Check out all our links to the right for poetry events everywhere!

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Please Note: To send announcements or comments to Poetry News Do not reply to [email protected]. (Gmail buries your announcement under returned emails, junk mail, etc.) Send announcements to [email protected] by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Please send in a text-only announcement, preferably in the form of a news release.


THIS WEEK in Western MA check out (please scroll down for more events this week and details):

It's Pittsfield Poetry Week! Readings Galore - scroll down to Word in the Berkshires for details
Sun. April 18 - Barbara Lucey & Joan Cinadella at Gallery of Readers Series Nielson Library Smith 4pm
Mon. Apri 19 - Open Mic at Clapp Memorial Library, Belchertown, 7pm
Tue. April 20 - Ko Un at Wright Hall, Smith College, 7:30
Tue. April 20 - Greenfield Spoken Word, 7:30
Tue. April 20 - Beth Goren and others at Leverett Library, also event on 22nd - see below
Wed. April 21 - Poetry from the Phoenix House, Springfield Library, 6:30pm
Wed. April 21 - "Hear a Poet, There a Poet" reading at Forbes Library, Northampton, 7pm
Wed. April 21 - Student Poetry and Music Reading with Lori Desrosiers, Westfield Athenaeum, 7pm
Thu. April 22 - Richard Michelson & Daniel Hall at Green St. Cafe, Northampton, 7:30pm
Sun. April 25 - jubilat/ Jones presents Matthea Harvey & James Tate, Jones Library, Amherst, 3pm

There are many other poetry events in Western MA, CT and beyond this week - Please scroll down!



WORD IN WESTFIELD

A Night of Poetry and Music in celebration of National Poetry Month
with Lori Desrosiers, CT and WSC student poets, musicians and friends,
April 21, 2010, 7pm, Westfield Athenaeum.
Part of the Westfield Athenaeum Spring Lecture Series.



Holyoke/Springfield Area Poetry

From Out of the Ashes: Poetry from the Phoenix House.
Wednesday, April 21st, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
The Phoenix House, located on Madison Avenue in Springfield, is a residential, drug and alcohol treatment program. Please join a small group of talented residents @ the Springfield Public Library ‘Community Room,’ 220 State St., Springfield, for their reading of new work. Free admission & refreshments.

María Luisa Arroyo's popular poetry workshops
have been scheduled through June, 2010. Dates include: March 20th, April 17th, May 15th, June 19th
In the Springfield City Library Community Room, 220 State St., Springfield times: 9:30 am - 11:30 am - March 20th, April 17th, May 15th, June 19th Preregistration required. Check out the poetry page @ the Library: www.springfieldlibrary.org Need more info?: E-mail [email protected]


Poetry Reading/Open Mic
Friday Nights at 8pm
Boriquen Y QuisQueya
326 St. James Ave.
Springfield MA


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/



WORD IN THE VALLEY AND BEYOND


Smith Poetry Center Series
Ko Un
Tuesday, April 20, 2010, Wright Hall, 7:30pm


Reading and Booksigning to celebrate the publication of
HEAR A POET, THERE A POET: A PIONEER VALLEY ANTHOLOGY
Wednesday, April 21st 7:00 p.m.
Forbes Library, West Street, Northampton, MA
Other poets include Henry Lyman, Sally Bellerose, Richard Michelson,
Susan Stinson, Jane Yolen, and a host of other wonderful writers.


Green St. Poetry Series
Green Street Café
Northampton, Massachusetts

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

Please join us Thursday, April 22, at 7:30pm to hear Richard Michelson and Daniel Hall

Starting the last week of March, The Green Street Poetry Series will present poetry readings on Wednesday nights instead of Thursday nights. Readings will still begin at 7:30. Please make a note of the changed dates below.

April 22 – Richard Michelson & Daniel Hall - this remains a Thursday night reading.

If you are a poet interested in reading at Green Street, please contact [email protected]

jubilat and the historic Jones Library
present
A jubilat/Jones Poetry Reading

Featuring: Matthea Harvey and James Tate
3:00 PM, Sunday, April 25th, Trustees Room, Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst
The reading will be followed by a Q & A session with the poets.
At 2 PM, Dara Wier, Ben Kopel, and Zach Savich will host a poetry swap in the Trustees Room. Bring a poem--your own or someone else's--to share and discuss. All events are free and open to the public.

Matthea Harvey is the author of Sad Little Breathing Machine (Graywolf, 2004) and Pity the Bathtub Its Forced Embrace of the Human Form (Alice James Books, 2000). Her third book of poems, Modern Life (Graywolf, 2007), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Cirlcle Award and a New York Times Notable Book. She has also written a children's book, The Little General and the Giant Snowflake, illustrated by Elizabeth Zechel (Tin House Books, 2009). Harvey is a contributing editor to jubilat, Meatpaper, and BOMB. She teaches poetry at Sarah Lawrence and lives in Brooklyn.

James Tate was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1943. He is the author of 15 books of poetry, including The Ghost Soldiers; Shroud of the Gnome; Worshipful Company of Fletchers, which won the National Book Award; Selected Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize and the William Carlos Williams Award; Distance from Loved Ones; Reckoner; Constant Defender; Riven Doggeries; Viper Jazz; Absences; Hints to Pilgrims; The Oblivion Ha-Ha; and The Lost Pilot, which was selected by Dudley Fitts for the Yale Series of Younger Poets. He has also published a novel, Lucky Darryl, and a collection of short stories, Hottentot Ossuary. He teaches at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Library, jubilat, the Juniper Initiative of the UMass MFA Program for Poets & Writers, the Amherst Cultural Council, and Factory Hollow Press, the jubilat/Jones Series showcases established and emerging poets in six readings each year.

If you have questions, please contact the jubilat office at (413) 577-1064.

An Evening of Poetry and Friendship
Thursday, April 29th, 7-9pm at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst (UUSA) Meetinghouse, 121 N. Pleasant Street. Come enjoy an evening of beautiful words and fellowship. The following local poets are generously giving of their time and talent for our enjoyment. Richard Michelson – award winning children’s author, poet and owner of Michelson Gallery in Northampton, Wil Hastings, published poet and poetry seminar moderator for Learning in Retirement, arjuna greist, poet, singer, songwriter, performer and Valley Free Radio show host, Magdalena Cervantes Cassel, sophomore at Amherst College, Teal Van Dyck, senior at Hampshire College, and UUSA member Dylan Klempner. Light refreshments will be served and there will be an opportunity to ask questions of our poets. Please come, bring your friends, and support our local poets. For more information, contact [email protected]

Poetry Reading by Richard Wilbur
Wed., May 5, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Forbes Library
Please join us for a reading by former U.S. Poet Laureate, Richard Wilbur.

From the Academy of American Poets:
About Wilbur's poems, one reviewer for The Washington Post said, "His poems describe fountains and fire trucks, grasshoppers and toads, European cities and country pleasures. All of them are easy to read, while being suffused with an astonishing verbal music and a compacted thoughtfulness that invite sustained reflection."
A Chancellor Emeritus of The Academy of American Poets, Wilbur currently lives in Cummington, Massachusetts. Among his honors are the Wallace Stevens Award, the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, the Frost Medal, the Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two Bollingen Prizes, the T. S. Eliot Award, a Ford Foundation Award, two Guggenheim Fellowships, the Edna St. Vincent Millay Memorial Award, the Harriet Monroe Poetry Award, the National Arts Club medal of honor for literature, two PEN translation awards, the Prix de Rome Fellowship, and the Shelley Memorial Award. He was elected a chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques and is a former Poet Laureate of the United States.

This reading is the culmination of the Seventh Annual Forbes Poetry Series and will take place in the library's Coolidge Museum. Seating is limited so arrive early. Readings are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served courtesy of the Friends of the Forbes Library.

A.P.E. Gallery Community Poetry Reading
The A.P.E. gallery in downtown Northampton will host a community poetry reading Friday May 7th from 6-8 p.m. Poetry Lovers of all ages and types are invited to come read their favorite poems and poets.

“Truly fine poetry must be read aloud. Poetry always remembers that it was an oral art before it was a written art. It remembers that it was first song."
Jorge Luis Borges
As spring fills the air with warmth and life, let’s also fill the air with poetry. The community is invited to celebrate spring and the spoken word by celebrating their favorite poems and poets at an open poetry reading in the A.P.E space, Main St. Northampton.
No offense to our dear poets, but it’s time to put the General Public back where it belongs in poetry: center stage, reading and sharing aloud their most beloved verses. Whether limericks or sonnets; immortal or obscure; famous or infamous, come read or just listen to that art which most separates us from the rest of our animal kin: poetry.
The “Get The News From Poetry” series hosts this first community poetry reading on Friday May 7th from 6-8 p.m. at the A.P.E. space on Main Street in Northampton.
A Sign-up sheet for readers will be available in the A.P.E. space during the week, and on the night of the reading. Each reader will get six minutes. The only condition is you read the work of others, not your own.
“It is difficult to get the news from poems/Yet men die miserably every day/For lack of what is found there.” William Carlos Williams

Come join us for the first in a (hopefully) series of spring and summer readings. Let’s get the GOOD NEWS out – the best space in town is now available for the community to celebrate its favorite poets and poems.


FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY

Next business/sharing meeting Thursday May 13, 6:30pm
ALL POETS OF ALL TYPES AND AGES are welcome, bring one of your original works to share,
(12 to 15 copies will usually 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
Martina Robinson 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.

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 [email protected] or check out our web page at http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/


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: [email protected] or: [email protected] or visit: http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/



POETRY A LA CARTE RADIO SHOW
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

A poetry reading with three local poets, Ziji Beth Goren, Paul Collins, and Petriana Monize will be held at the Leverett Library on Tuesday evening April 20th from 7-8pm. Beth has worked with Natalie Goldberg, the late Frank Waters, Patricia Lee Lewis, Diana Gordon, and Tammis Coffin. Publications include S.O.M.O.S. Anthology (1992/1993), Patchwork Journal (2002/2004/2006), and Currents Magazine.

6:30 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, Poetry reading at the Leverett Library. 75 Montague Rd. Leverett, MA. Area poets are invited to read. For more information contact Petriana at 413. 549.9336 or by email at [email protected]



Main St. Writers at Leverett Crafts & Arts Center
Members of Main Street Writers, participants in two Amherst Writers and Artists workshops in Amherst will present a sampling of their work on Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 6:30 to 9pm at Leverett Craft & Arts Center 13 Montague Road, Leverett, MA. The reading is free, open to public and offers refreshments



GREENFIELD, SHELBURNE FALLS AND NORTH

Bart’s Bards is Back!
Second Thursdays Open Microphone for Writers

May 13, 2010
Bart’s Café of Greenfield
286 Main St.
Greenfield, MA
7:00-9:00 P.M.
(Sign up to Read at 6:45)

Featured Readers:
Authors, Poets: Kerry O'Keefe & Wyn Cooper

"Growing younger toward death every day: finding insight and inspiration in poetry, prose, and song".
New participants are always welcome at a biweekly group, which has been meeting for the past year and a half near Greenfield in western Mass, called "Growing younger toward death every day: finding insight and inspiration in poetry, prose, and song".

Bring and share your own, or a favorite poem, prose piece, or recorded song by others. Also listen to CDs of poet David Whyte reading his own and others' poetry, and discussing its meaning. The line 'growing younger toward death every day' is from Whyte's best-known poem "The Faces at Braga".

We also often read aloud and discuss poems and commentary in John O'Donohue's book "A Book of Blessings", and in the series of books edited by Roger Housden such as "Ten Poems To Change Your Life".

Optional pot luck supper at 6. Poetry-sharing begins at 6:45pm. More info: John Berkowitz 413-625-6374 [email protected]

Slate Roof Press: Reading by Ed Rayher, Paula Sayword and guest poet Andrew Varnon
Tuesday, April 27 at 6:30 PM, Greenfield Public Library, 402
Main St., Greenfield

Ed Rayher will read from his chapbook, Wings Over the Garden, forthcoming from Slate Roof this fall. His work has been published in Antigonish Review, Colorado Quarterly, Washout Review, and 4 Zoas. Among other awards, Ed's Swamp Press has received two NEA grants and has printed work by nationally-known poets such as Billy Collins.

Paula Sayword's forthcoming collection, What Sleeps Inside, is due out from Slate Roof this summer. Her work has appeared in Sanctuary, and she was a 2009 semi-finalist in the Naugatuck River Review's narrative poetry contest and a Poet Seat Contest winner.

Andrew Varnon's poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, The Nation, Voice Male, The Recorder, and elsewhere. He won the Poets Seat Poetry Contest in 2009 and The Nation/Discovery Award in 2002.

Slate Roof is a member-run, not-for-profit press committed to art-quality chapbooks by local poets. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Greenfield Local Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. We thank them for their generosity. For more information call 413-772-1544

May 31st Memorial Day Poetry - Spoken Word Festival
Bring one piece about or by some writer you feel we all need to remember and bring your own work
Wendell MA at the Deja Brew Pub - 57 Lockes Village Road
Doors open at 1:00 in the afternoon The Festival will be from 2-6
First slot at 2
With good weather bring a blanket to sit on, we will be outside with an outdoor stage,
Rain we will be inside
There will be food to purchase and alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. Tables for you to put out your books. I am now taking names of people who want a slot. I will put your names, as I did for the Hope and Olive event, on small cards that will be dropped in the hat when you arrive. When the slots are filled, no more names will be added to the hat. There may be around 24 slots (still working out logistics of breaks, etc). This is looking like it will be a large event, so if you want a slot, now is the time to let me know. Hope to see you there. Directions for Wendell http://dejabrewpub.com. Contact Paul Richmond at [email protected]


Greenfield Spoken Word
Always the third Tuesday of the month
April 20th
Feature Reader - A night of Zen-like Poetry & Jazz: vincent tripi-poetry & Jeremy Starpoli - trombone
Vincent’s main work is in haiku. He runs a haiku festival every year.
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
Book signing and selling of local writers works will be available. Come up to read. Bring your chapbooks to sell. We will have tables at no cost. Hope to see you there



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.



Collected Poets Series

The Collected Poets Series celebrates National Poetry Month with two exciting readings.

$2-$5 sliding scale. Mocha Maya's Coffee House, 47 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, 413-625-6292. Wheelchair accessible. See www.collectedpoets.com for more information on all our poets reading.

(Please contact [email protected] for more information).

2010 Series
May 6 - Margaret Lloyd and Sarah Browning
May 16 - Special Appearance by Maxine Kumin at the Buckland- Shelburne Community Center. Sunday, May 16, at 3:30 pm.
June 3 - Mihaela Moscaliuc and Nickole Brown
July 1 - Kristin Bock and Lee Sharkey
No CPS Readings in August or September
October 7 - Josephine Dickinson and Sharon Dolin
November 4 - Barbara Ras and Jennifer Sweeney
December 2 - Aracelis Girmay and Ross Gay

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.



ALL SMALL CAPS
Monday, April 26th, is our next reading for the All Small Caps series.
Please bring your work, work you admire and want to share, or just
come listen to the outstanding featured readers.

The featured readers:
Patricia Fargnoli and Leslea Newman

The reading will be held, as usual, at the Deja Brew (57 Lockes Village Rd, Wendell). Doors will open at 7 and the open mic portion of the reading will begin at 7:30, followed by a short break, followed by the featured readers. There will be food and drink available. If you need directions, a peek at upcoming readings, etc., please look-see our blog: allsmallcaps.blogspot.com



Announcing The Woven Word Summer Creative Writing Workshop
for Middle and High School Age Writers

For the third summer the Woven Word is offering week long creative writing workshops for middle and high school age writers. We use the Amherst Writers & Artists workshop method as a design to create safe space among peers so that young writers may explore the development of their own unique voice. The program includes 2-3 writing and sharing sessions, afternoons on a houseboat on the Connecticut River, and one ½ day creating hand made books of each individual selected writings.

Three week long sessions are offered: July 19-23, August 2-6, August 9-13. Sessions run 9 AM – 3:30 in Hadley and cost $200 per week.

Program Director Lynn Bowmaster is a published poet with more than 10 years experience leading writing workshops in her home, R.K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary, PVPA, Hilltown Cooperative Charter School, the Springfield Library, Soldier On, and Holyoke Community College.

For info. And a link to a slideshow of program, contact Lynn at 584-3373, [email protected].



WORD IN THE BERKSHIRES

Come Celebrate National Poetry Month and Pittsfield's Poetry Week at...
OUTSPOKEN!

Upcoming Featured Performers:
May 20th: Rock Wilk- spoken word from NYC
June 17th: Taylor Mali- 4-time nat'l slam champ

- Outspoken! A monthly performance series and open mic featuring poets, storytellers, spoken word artists, serial monologists,(musicians, too)
- Hosted by Matt McFadden
3rd Thursday of every month at 8pm (suggested donation $5 - $10)
- Micro Theater: 311 North Street (upstairs) in Pittsfield, MA
(Off street public parking available in Melville Street lot, across from Boys and Girls Club on Melville Street - @ 1 block from theater).
- Open Mic performers can sign up at [email protected]
- For more information, please contact Matt McFadden at [email protected]



Power of Words, Open Mic
Third Tuesdays 7pm to 8:30 pm Hosted by Garfield Reed.
This is an open opportunity to share poetry, readings, music and other spoken word.
Free and open to the public at 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 [email protected] 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

This Week in Worcester:
Monday, Apr. 19
9:00 p.m. April Ranger @ the Dirty Gerund Poetry Show
Thursday, Apr. 22
7:00 p.m. poetry reading @ Frances Perkins Branch, Worcester Public Library (470 West Boylston Street, Worcester)
8:00 p.m. Carle Johnson @ The Little "a" Poetry Series (Dr. Gonzo's All-Natural Mega-Spicy Comestible Emporium, 122 Main Street, 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 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.


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 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


Poets Asylum
Join the Poets' Asylum this Sunday, April 18th, for a feature by Seattle poet Karen Finneyfrock. Finneyfrock is a novelist, poet and teaching artist. She is the author of two books of poetry including the recently released, Ceremony for the Choking Ghost (Write Bloody Press.) A member of three National Poetry Slam teams, Finneyfrock was honored as a "Slam Legend" at the National Poetry Slam in 2006.

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
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 [email protected].


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
Write to Terri Klein at [email protected] to get the new CT Poet newsletter in your email.

FRESHWATER POETRY FESTIVAL
Asnuntuck Community College
170 Elm Street
Enfield, Ct 06082

FRIDAY MAY 7 AND SATURDAY MAY 8, 2010

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010:
7:00 p.m. MUSIC in Café II
7:30 p.m. READING by Winners of 18th annual poetry contest in Café II
9:00 p.m. COFFEE HOUSE in Café II, Music by Asnuntuck Students followed by a Music and Poetry Open Mic

SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010:
9:00 a.m. WELCOME - Coffee
10:00 a.m. WORKSHOPS
Gregory Coleman: 13 Ways of Looking at Revision
Elizabeth Szewczyk: Creating and Organizing the Poetry Chapbook
Edwina Trentham: Singing the Body Electric: Writing Through the Senses

12:00 p.m. LUNCH & POETRY OPEN MIC
FOR WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

1:00 p.m. WORKSHOPS
Robert Cording: The Family Around the Table
Corinne De Winter: Got a Confession?
John Stanizzi: Erasing the Lottery

3:00 p.m. READING by Robert Cording, Corinne De Winter, and John Stanizzi in the Strom Conference Room

WORKSHOPS: $15.00 each, $10.00 each for Students & Seniors (bring your own writing materials)

Poetry at Broad Street Books
First Tuesday in May
Tuesday, May 4th at 7:00pm Featuring Leslie McGrath!

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!

Leslie McGrath received her MFA in literature and poetry from the Bennington Writing Seminars after receiving an MA in psychology from Wesleyan University. Her poems have appeared frequently online and in print, and have been anthologized both in the US and India. McGrath was awarded a 2004 Nimrod/Hardman Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, a 2007 Artist Fellowship from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and has served on the judges’ panels for the Connecticut Book Award in Poetry, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and the Maine Arts Commission. Her literary interviews have been published frequently in The Writer's Chronicle and have also been aired on public radio.
She is the managing editor of Drunken Boat, an online journal of the arts as well as the author of the collection Opulent Hunger, Opulent Rage (2009), and the chapbook Toward Anguish, which won the 2007 Philbrick Poetry Award. In addition, she also edited and published (through Drunken Boat Press, 2010) the posthumous poetry collection of Reetika Vazirani, Radha Says.

Come help us welcome Leslie McGrath to the store on May 4th and share some of your own poetry too!
Broad Street Books
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
-also-
Tune in to J-Cherry Presents every Tuesday night at 6:30 PM on 88.1 FM WESU in Middletown to hear from local artists from across all genres. On the first Tuesday of every month, J-Cherry hosts our featured poet on the show!! Tune in on Tuesday, May 4th at 6:30 PM to hear Leslie McGrath!

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



RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES
The Underwood Café at Wood Memorial Library
Thursday, April 29, 2010 - 6:30 p.m.

Featured poet: Elizabeth Thomas And Open Mike
Admission is free: donations gratefully accepted.
Wood Memorial Library
www.woodmemoriallibrary.org
783 Main St.
South Windsor, CT
860-289-1783

http://www.yeolde.org/riverwood/poetryseries/underwood/underwood%20current.htm



POETRY Reading and Open Mic /Publication Party

In celebration of National Poetry Month, join the Faxon Poets for an open reading and publication party on Sunday afternoon April 18th at 2 PM. Participants are invited to read from their original work or from other poets. The event will be hosted by Tom Nicotera and will begin with readings by the Faxon Poets. Copies of their newly-published chapbook entitled PERSPECTIVES IV will be available for purchase. The reading will start at 2 but open-mic readers are asked to sign in at 1:45. Special guest reader will be West Hartford Poet Laureate Dennis Barone.

The Faxon Poets include: Connie Magnon-Albrizio, JoAnne Bauer, Theresa Beirs, Nancee Cheffet, Francis Cheng, Sharon K. Cormier, Roseanne Daigneault, Maryann Giovino, Diego Horisberger, Dolores Lawler, Alexis Maislen, June Sidran Mandelkern,
Melody Jane Moore, Steve Olechna, Andy Weil, Minta White, and Kevin Wolfe.

The Faxon Library is located at 1073 New Britain Avenue in West Hartford. For more information, call 561-8202.



West Hartford Public Library Reading
April 21, 2010 7:15 p.m.
Featured poets: Marilyn Johnston, Elizabeth Kincaid-Ehlers, and Sherri Bedingfield
West Hartford Public Library
20 S Main St.
West Hartford, CT 06107
860-561-6950 For information: [email protected]



POETRY POTLUCK at The Sanctuary
59 Bogel Road, East Haddam, Connecticut
Poetry Potluck is back after a winter hiatus, now meeting every THIRD Sunday of the month
April through December 2010

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 third Sunday of each month from 4.30-6.00 PM. Our next meeting is on Sunday, April 18, 2010 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. Refreshments will be provided.

Hosted by Greg Coleman, Edwina Trentham and Suzy Lamson
For more information call 860-319-1134.



Calling All Poets (and Poetry Lovers) 2010
Hosted by Victoria Muñoz
First Wednesdays - 6:30 - 8:00pm sharp
Silas Bronson Library
Open mike sign up 6:20

May 5th Theme:“Given that I am going to die, what do I want to do with the rest of my life?” Read your original poem based on this year’s Big Read selection, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. This program is presented in conjunction with the citywide Big Read project. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity.

June 2nd Mother Tongue - World travelling trio in search and support of the written and spoken word
Theme: Slam poetry welcome!
Mother Tongue – a trio of women poets who have traveled the world in search of and in support of the written and spoken word. Valerie Lawson, Elizabeth Thomas, and Faith Vicinanza have been on various and multiple national poetry slam teams and stages, visiting artists in schools, competed side by side in the first Women of the World international poetry slam in Detroit in 2008, are widely published, and occasionally perform together as Mother Tongue. For more information about each of the poets in this troupe, go to their websites at http://www.upwordspoetry.com http://faithvicinanza.net ; & http://poetsforhumanrights.ning.com/profile/ValerieLawson.

Host: Victoria Muñoz, B.A. in music from Western Illinois University. Singer/songwriter, poet, flutist, music therapist, carries on the poetic tradition of her parents. Her work can be found in her Chapbooks: During Your Reading; and Scenes From Nature/Five Poems, translations of her father’s poetry; A collaborative CD, Revelation, by the Not Just Any Tom, Vic and Terri poetry ensemble. Other poems can be found in Appleseeds, Songs from the Meadow: An Anthology from the Wood Memorial Library, Stories from the Other Side, 5th ed., a text from Gateway Community College, poetz.com, and bentpinquarterly.net. She is also currently a member of Greystone Arts and runs the Poetry Salon at the Freight Street Gallery (Waterbury). The Bronson is please to welcome back Victoria Muñoz and all the outstanding poets who participate in this series.
Silas Bronson Library, 267 Grand Street, Waterbury, CT, Parking free after 6:30pm, Handicap Accessible
For more information: www.bronsonlibrary.org



Freight Street Gallery Salon Night of Plays and Poetry
Friday April 23rd, 7:00pm -10:00pm: Freight St. Gallery presents Poetry, Plays and Potluck

Poetry Salon’s Victoria Muñoz and Terri Klein present a night of plays and poetry featuring the Naugatuck Valley Community College Theater Department and Dada Vita Inspired Improv and the Spoken Word of Sympetalous in performances inspired by A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. Sign up for the open mic and share your original poem or present a short original play based on the book; or write on the following theme: "Given that I am going to die, what will I do for the rest of my life." Join the fun and don’t forget to bring a Cajun dish for the pot luck at the Freight Street Gallery, Freight St., Waterbury.

Call for information: 203 -993-2685 and/or Email: www.freightstreetgallery.com to sign up for the open mike. So get a head start, find the book (also in audio) at your local library or book store, read it and write! We'll see you there! A National Endowment of the Arts BIG READ EVENT



Poetry/Reading Series at Billings Forge
The Studio @ Billings Forge is pleased to introduce to its programming a new poetry/reading series entitled,WordForge. WordForge is a series of readings featuring local poets along with an open mike component.
All events will be scheduled for Monday nights, with a 7 p.m. start time.
WordForge is curated and organized by local poet, Jim Finnegan. Harvest Reading, is the first reading in the series, scheduled for Monday, November 16th, and participants are asked to bring a canned good or small donation that will be contributed to a local food bank. Many of the readings will have a featured theme in addition to featured invited poets.
For further information about the WordForge series and to participate, please contact: Jim Finnegan at 860.508.2810 or at [email protected].

The Studio @ Billings Forge is a program of Billings Forge Community Works, a non-profit organization focused on reinvestment in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford. The Studio offers programs that bring vitality and arts to the neighborhood and include jazz and world-class music series, artistic and educational workshops and classes, family film series and more.
Billings Forge Community Works (BFCW), located in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford, is a nonprofit organization committed to revitalization in the community. At the forefront of the project is the award winning Firebox Restaurant.

For further information about The Studio @ Billings Forge contact Janice La Motta,
Program Coordinator, 860.548.9877 or [email protected].



Wintonbury Branch Poetry Series & Open Mike
My time my place my creativity Third Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. Fall 2009 Hosts: Marilyn Johnston/Tom Nicotera. You're invited to evenings of poetry to stir your heart, soul, and your creativity!
An open mike and light refreshments follow the featured poet at each event.

Finally, we will celebrate National Poetry Month on April 15 with Kate Rushin, teacher at the Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts. Ms. Rushin is the author of The Black Back-Ups (Firebrand Books) and is recipient of the Rose Low Rome Memorial Prize and the Grolier Poetry Prize. We are pleased to have two Bloomfield poets, patrons of the Wintonbury Branch, reading with Ms. Rushin. These two sisters are highly talented young poets with many publishing credits between them. Melissa Dione McEwen works from home for a small public relations/electronic clipping company based in Colchester , Connecticut . Her poems have been published in MiPOesias, Rattle, The Litchfield Review, and several online journals. In 2008, her poetry was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Michelle McEwen has had poems published in The Caribbean Writer, Best New Poets 2007, O & S, and online at umbrellajournal.com, http://umbrellajournal.com/ and bigcitylit.com http://bigcitylit.com/>. She also runs the blog theblacktelephone.blogspot.com where she interviews poets and reviews books.

Wintonbury Branch Library 1015 Blue Hills Ave
Bloomfield, CT 06002
860-243-8855
www.prosserlibrary.info



Mishi-maya-gat Spoken Word & Music Series
at Manchester Community College, Great Path Academy,
Community Commons (Use Parking Lot B), Manchester, CT 06040
Sponsored by MCC Foundation / Hosted by Stephen Campiglio
2rd 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, or call (860) 512-2824.

THURSDAY, MAY 13
8:00 p.m. – Special appearance by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning poet, JAMES TATE with Pushcart Prize winner and author of eleven books of poetry, DARA WIER

James Tate’s first collection of poems, The Lost Pilot (1967), was selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets while Tate was still an MFA student at the University of Iowa student, making him one of the youngest poets to receive the honor. He published prolifically over the last four decades, including more recently, The Ghost Soldiers (Ecco Press, 2008), Return to the City of White Donkeys (2004), Memoir of the Hawk (2001), Shroud of the Gnome (1997), and Worshipful Company of Fletchers (1994), which won the National Book Award. His Selected Poems in 1991 won the Pulitzer Prize. Tate has also published various works of prose, including a short story/micro-tale collection, Dreams of a Robot Dancing Bee (Wave Books, 2001). His poems have appeared in numerous magazines, including The American Poetry Review, Kayak, and The Seneca Review. Since 1971, Tate has taught poetry in the M.F.A. Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Dara Wier received her M.F.A. from Bowling Green University and has published more than 10 books of poetry, including Remnants of Hannah (2006), Reverse Rapture (2005), which was awarded the Poetry Center and Archives Book Award, Hat on a Pond (2002), Our Master Plan (1998), for which she was a Phi Beta Kappa award finalist, and The 8-Step Grapevine (1980). In 2009, Wave Books published her Selected Poems, a major respective that spans her career from 1977 to 2006. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as a Pushcart Prize in 2002. Wier is a member of the poetry faculty and director of the M.F.A. Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and co-founder and co-director of the Juniper Initiative for Literary Arts and Action.

7:00 p.m. – Featured Musicians: Choraleers and Vocal Jazz Ensemble from Tantasqua Regional High School in Sturbridge, MA

The Choraleers, a selective vocal ensemble, study and perform a cappella chamber music. The repertoire focuses primarily on musical literature arranged in 4- to 8-part harmony. The Vocal Jazz Ensemble focuses on music of the jazz and swing genres. The ensemble makes a professionally recorded CD each spring and performs throughout the community, including school concerts and the annual Jazz Showcase Concert. Both vocal groups are open to students in grades 9 through 12, with selections based on auditions. Christine Costello, curriculum supervisor for the Fine Arts Department at Tantasqua Regional High School, serves as the choral director for these two vocal groups.



Wednesday Night Poetry Series at the Blue Z
The Wednesday Night Poetry Series (WNPS or Wedpoetry) meets at the Blue Z Coffeehouse, 127 South Main Street (Route 25) in Newtown CT. For 14 Years and counting: poets, spoken-word artists, monologists and storytellers, acoustic performances by songwriters and musicians are welcome! Read your own work or works by your favorite writers. OPEN MYK SIGN-UP starts at 7:30 PM / OPEN MYK – 7:45 PM /FEATURED READING – 8:45 PM We are a warm, friendly environment for 1st-time readers
April 21, 2010 Workshop,"The Seventeen" and Open Myk
April 28, 2010 Featured Poet: Lori Desrosiers

For more information and future features go to http://wedpoetry.wordpress.com/



Antrim Books Poets Reading:
MARILYN E. JOHNSTON
Wednesday, April 21, 7:15 p.m., the West Hartford Public Library: featured reader (with Elizabeth Kincaid-Ehlers and Sherri Bedingfield). The event is free and open to the public. Contact Joe Cadieux at [email protected].

ELIZABETH KINCAID-EHLERS
Wednesday, April 21, 7:15 p.m., the West Hartford Public Library: featured reader (with Marilyn Johnston and Sherri Bedingfield). The event is free and open to the public. Contact Joe Cadieux at [email protected].

JOAN KUNSCH
Sunday, April 25, 4:00 p.m., The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, 10 Upper Main Street, on the Green in Sharon, CT: a literary/musical celebration, Flute Meets Poem, by Kathi Byam and Joan Kunsch. For directions and more information, call 860-364-5041 or go to hotchkisslibrary.org. Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

ELIZABETH THOMAS
Friday & Saturday, April 23 & 24, Newburyport Literary Festival: featured author along with Rhina P. Espaillat, J.D. Scrimgeour, Wally Lamb, Mary McGarry Morris, Dr. Regina Barreca and others. For information: http://www.newburyportliteraryfestival.org/

Tuesdays, April 27 thru May 18 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Manchester Community College, Continuing Education Division: workshop presenter in a series entitled Minding the Muse: The Practice of Poetry. Call 860.512.3232 to register.

Thursday, April 29, Wood Memorial Library, 783 Main St, South Windsor, CT: featured poet in the ongoing Riverwood Poetry Series. For information: www.woodmemoriallibrary.org



BOSTON AREA/CAPE COD POETRY INFO:


CANTAB LOUNGE
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, April 21
It’s kind of a big deal; the Cantab Slam Team Selection Semi-Finals! For the first time ever, the Cantab will run a three-night, seven poem competition to selection the 2010 Cantab Slam Team. This will be the second night of two, inviting the top slammers from the March 31 Prelims to slam off in two rounds to see who will advance to next week’s Finals.

• Wednesday, April 28
Tonight is Cantab Slam Team Selection Finals, the most high-pressure night of the year! Poets who’ve been slamming all year will finally have to buckle down and dig deep for the last three rounds of competition. At the end of the night, the top five poets standing will comprise the 2010 Cantab Slam Team, going on to represent us at the National Poetry Slam in St. Paul, Minnesota! Special $5 cover charge tonight to help raise money to send the team to NPS.

• Wednesday, May 5
Not ready to come down off the annual National Poetry Month high, the Cantab invites Seattle performance poet Denise Jolly to the stage. Denise is a writer, performer, educator and community developer who co-founded Salt Lines Spoken Word Quartet, served as co-host and facilitator of the Seattle Poetry Slam, and served on Seattle’s Eleventh Hour Productions Board of Directors. Her performances range from the delicate to the larger-than-life, as evinced by her 2009 San Francisco Grand Slam Champion title and her performance on the 2009 National Poetry Slam Finals stage.

• Wednesday, May 12
He’s been a three-time member of the National Poetry Slam team for Seattle and was the 2008 Seattle Poetry Slam Grand Slam Champion. More importantly, Matt Gano has a poetic voice that’s clever, conversational, and deliciously original A long-time voice of the Northwest poetry scene, he’s featured all over the upper left corner of the country, and is finally bringing his work east to share. Semi-final slam in the 8x8 series: Kevin, Sam, Oz, Trevor.

Doors for the show open at 7:15. The open mic begins at 8:00, the feature performs at approximately 10:00, and an open poetry slam follows. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3 unless otherwise noted.

Simone Beaubien, SlamMaster
The Boston Poetry Slam at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
http://www.slamnews.com [email protected]



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 presents "Memory & Desire" :
Barry Hellman's Annual Poetry Open Mic in celebration of National Poetry Month. Sunday afternoon, April 11, 2010, 2-4 PM, at The Chapel In The Pines, 220 Samoset Rd., Eastham, MA. Advance online signup to read is recommended by email to: [email protected]. Free Admission. Coffee will be provided, and readers and audience are welcome to bring something to go with it. Readers: bring a favorite and/or original poem on the theme of 'Memory and/or Desire' - however you choose to define these terms - as well as some original poems on subjects of your choice. We'll want to hear as many poems as possible during this 2 hour event ! For further event information, see Barry Hellman's Poetry Website at
http://home.comcast.net/~bmhellman .

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


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 [email protected]


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/


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/


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: [email protected]

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



NH/VT POETRY
For more VT poetry events calendar go to: http://www.phayvanh.com/

PEGGY SAPPHIRE book tour, reading schedule:

Wednesday, April 28, 6:15 p.m., Aldrich Library, Milne Community Room, Barre, VT: reading/signing as part of the ACME Poetry Group. For information: 802-476-7550.

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News for Poetry News should be sent to [email protected]. Please send your announcements in text only format - do not format (no special fonts, colors, etc.) Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you , Lori Desrosiers - Publisher.