the voice of the journey

John James Reid is an Irish poet, architect, and mediator who lives in Bellingham, Washington. Mid-Atlantic is his third book of poetry. On Saturday, August 26, 2017, the poet will read from his latest collection at 7:00pm at Village Books. The reading is free and copies of Mid-Atlantic will be available for purchase.

Workshops!

Be among the first to mark you calendar for a terrific series of four poetry workshops to benefit the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest. Each fall, a number of exceedingly skilled poet/instructors offer two-hour workshops that are certain to generate new ideas and new poems.

This year’s workshops will be held at a new location, the Chuckanut Center in Fairhaven Park, in Bellingham, and are scheduled for Saturday, October 28, and Saturday, November 18, 2017. The instructors are Nancy Pagh, Neil Aitken, J.R. Lara, and Ely Shipley. Descriptions for three of the four workshops are now posted on the WORKSHOPS page. Registration is open. Have a look. Sign up.

postcards and more postcards!

Hope you’ll mark your calendar and plan to attend Poetry Postcards: a panel and conversation on Monday, October 9, 2017. Thanks to Paul E Nelson for sharing all the details.

Send a postcard poem

A number of youth-serving organizations in Charlottesville have come together for the #DearYoungPerson campaign. They are asking people everywhere to send postcards of support and encouragement to Charlottesville youth, many of whom are experiencing the community’s confusion, anger, sadness, and frustration. 85% of the youth served by Big Brothers Big Sisters in Charlottesville are of color. Most of the participating organizations serve diverse populations of children and youth whose identities were publicly attacked on Friday and Saturday.

Send a note, a postcard or a poem to P.O. Box 814, Charlottesville, VA 22902, and your message of support will be distributed by youth-serving organizations in Charlottesville, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, Madison House, The PB&J Fund, Piedmont CASA – Charlottesville, Piedmont Family YMCA, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, Albemarle County Parks & Recreation, and the City of Charlottesville.

See more on Facebook.

especially now

Matthew Zapruder added no question mark to the title of his book, Why Poetry. Perhaps he sees poetry as an answer, not something in need of explanation. This Wednesday, August 16, 2017, Zapruder will read from, discuss, and answer questions about Why Poetry at the Hotel Sorrento in Seattle. The event is free and begins at 7:00pm.

Used To Be*

2017 Merit Award
By Gary Wade

Used to be
there in that field
a barn half ruined
but still it stood in beauty.

It’s gone now,
shadows of its foundation
erased by plows.

Vacant now, that field,
from it only
a ragged cloud of
blackbirds wheeling, rising.

. . . . .
Gary Wade has been a Bellinghamster since 2005. He is fascinated by farm barns and has photographed many of them. His poem “Used To Be” was inspired by a barn he drove past for many years, then one recent autumn it was gone. There was nothing there but blackbirds gleaning a cornfield.

. . . . .
*Copyright 2017 by Gary Wade. Broadside illustrated by Kim Wulfestieg .

Po Fo lo go

If you’ve stopped by the Poetry Foundation website or perused a copy of Poetry magazine recently, perhaps you’ve noticed that things are looking different. Indeed. The Poetry Foundation has a new logo, developed by Pentagram. Read the story on the Pentagram site or on Creative Review. The Poetry foundation also offers an article on its new look as well as a 2012 story about Poetry magazine’s hundred year history of magazine design.