Willow Springs release party
March 3, 2021
You’re invited to celebrate the release of Willow Springs 87, which features poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and an interview with Jericho Brown. Founded in 1977 and produced within the The MFA at EWU, Willow Springs is published semi-annually in both print and digital format.
The online release party (free, of course) will be held this Saturday, March 6, 2021, starting at 5:00pm Pacific, on the EWU MFA Visiting Writers Series YouTube channel.
it’s not too late!
March 2, 2021
The AWP Conference & Bookfair begins tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, and continues through Sunday, March 7. If you are interested in attending this year’s all-virtual event, you can still register. Plus, registration gives you full access to all presentations through April 3, 2021. Check out the featured presenters, the schedule, the bookfair, and then sign up!
call for poems
March 1, 2021
The 2021 Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest is now open for submissions from Whatcom County, Washington, poets of all ages and experience. You can learn more about this year’s judges here and see the complete guidelines and submission details on the 2021 Contest page.
Also, a reminder for student poets: John S Green will offer a free Children’s Poetry Workshop, this Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 11:00am-12:15pm. Participation does not guarantee that your poem will be selected as a winner, but it’s sure to be fun. Advance registration is required.
Underwater*
February 28, 2021
2020 Walk Award
By Qwill Madrone, Grade 6
Alone.
The middle of the ocean.
Wide and scary.
The calm blue surrounds me.
My iridescent tail flashes and circles underwater.
I have nothing to worry about.
I dive under
The silence presses in on me.
I fill my lungs with the salty water of the sea.
Breath in, breath out.
The water evaporates in me
Leaving me with air.
A school of fish dart around me
Little silver bullets.
I use my tail to propel myself
Forward into the water.
I hold my hand out
The silky water flowing around my arm.
A bale of turtles glide under me
Their fins send water towards me
A small underwater current.
The ocean is alive.
And deep.
And blue.
*Copyright 2020 by Qwill Madrone. Broadside illustrated by Angela Boyle.
on poetry
February 27, 2021
“The history of human experience is in many ways a history of dysfunction and conflict, and literature, because it is an accurate record of that history, reflects not only what is peaceful but what is the universal hope and struggle for peace. Literature and peace are at last indivisible. They form an equation that is the definition of art and humanity.”
N. Scott Momaday
(b. February 27, 1934)
Among his many awards, N. Scott Momaday is the 2021 recipient of the Poetry Society of America’s Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry.
. . . . .
quote & photo
watch some poetry
February 26, 2021
Take a break and watch some poetry. Tasty and bite-size, these short, animated films offer a visual perspective on poems and poetry.
- “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry combines the poet’s words and voice with animation by Charlotte Ager and Katy Wang. The video is one of a selection at The Kid Should See This.
- There’s a Poem for That is a 12-video TED-Ed series that pairs contemporary and classical poems with award-winning animators.
- Also from TED-Ed is this 9-lesson animated series on the basic elements of poetry.
On a related note, if you happen to be a young (25 or under) poet or filmmaker, Poetry Screen currently has an open call for short films that combine poetry and visuals. The deadline is June 1, 2021.
Dispatches from Solitude
February 25, 2021
Elliott Bay Book Company presents Conjunctions: 75 Dispatches from Solitude, an evening of readings featuring Conjunctions editor, Bradford Morrow, along with Barbara Tran, Nathaniel Mackey, Sandra Cisneros and Henry Cisneros, and Brandon Hobson. The reading will happen tomorrow, Friday, February 26, 2021, at 5:00pm Pacific. Register here and find out more about Conjunctions here.
on poetry
February 24, 2021
“I always had a few people who liked what I did, and that was enough.”
Etel Adnan
(b. February 24, 1925)
SpeakEasy 27… Round 5
February 23, 2021
Please join Dayna Patterson, Jennifer Bullis, Bruce Beasley, Luther Allen, and Susan Alexander as they present the final round of linked poems for SpeakEasy 27: A Spiritual Thread on Saturday, February 27, 2021, 7:00pm Pacific.
The poets’ bios and video links to Rounds 1 through 4 are available on the SpeakEasy 27 page.
The Zoom reading is free. You may request the link by sending a note to othermindpress [AT] gmail.com.
NOTE DATE CHANGE!!: A final, audience-response round will be held Sunday, March 28, 2021, at 7:00pm Pacific. Poems must be directly linked to a readily identifiable phrase, line, or theme from a poem or poems presented in one of the first five rounds.
To have your poem considered for inclusion, send no more than two original poems to othermindpress [AT] gmail.com as a Word or PDF attachment and clearly explain the linkage for each poem. Approximately 20 poets will be selected to read their poems and explain the connection to the earlier poem(s) during the hour-long March 27 program, which will be video recorded. Submitting a poem acknowledges that it is your original work, that you have Zoom audio and video capabilities, and that you will be available to read on March 27 if selected. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, March 13, with selections and notifications by March 21.
Freedom to Read Week
February 22, 2021
It’s Freedom to Read Week in Canada, which, like Banned Books Week (September 26 – October 2, 2021) in the U.S., raises awareness about intellectual freedom and threats to free speech. Visit the Freedom to Read website to find out more about the freedom to read on the north side of the border, including Censorship at the Canadian border, 1985-2020 and Bannings and Burnings in History. What are you reading?
