on poetry…

“Remember that the poem is a gift. You’re not writing it for yourself; you’re writing it so you can give it to someone else. So what are you going to give them, a handful of wadded up tissues from your trash can or a bright, shiny jewel box you’ve spent weeks making?” David Kirby

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David Kirby photo

there’s still time…but not much!

If you are planning to submit a poem to the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, the deadline is almost here. All poems (one per poet, Whatcom County residents only) must be received by 4:00pm Sunday, March 31, 2013. That’s tomorrow, of course, and it’s also Easter.

You can hand-deliver your poem to Mindport Exhibits, 210 W. Holly Street in downtown Bellingham, today, Saturday, between 10:00am and 5:00pm, or tomorrow, Sunday, between Noon and 4:00pm. Please note that Mindport will be closed to the public for Easter but a Boynton representative will be there to receive poems between Noon and 4.

Please review the guidelines and double-check your poem’s line and character count before submitting it.
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tonight and tomorrow…

Don’t miss this evening’s reading at Lucia Douglas Gallery in Bellingham: The Poet As Art presents Raúl Sánchez and Marjorie Manwaring. Additionally, Marjorie Manwaring will offer a workshop tomorrow, Saturday, March 30, 2013, also in Bellingham: The Persona Poem – Becoming Who (or What) You Don’t Know.

island poetry…

Now in its 15th year, Poetry Corners is an annual National Poetry Month event celebrated each April throughout Bainbridge Island. This year’s theme was “Mischief” and winning poems (see them here) will be on view at island locations throughout the month. On Thursday, April 25, 2013, the public is invited to a celebratory reading of the winning poems at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Poetry Corners is a program of the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council.

poetry WALK!

We know how Crystal Jean Hoffman will be spending National Poetry Month. In fact, we have a pretty good idea what her plans are for the next five months or so: she will be taking a poetry walk across most of North America.

Crystal launched herself on the Poetry Pilgrim Project on Sunday in Windber, Pennsylvania. From there, she heads west, toward Vancouver, BC, for 2550 miles. “Along the way, she will be writing poems for individuals that she meets after a fifteen minute interview/directed conversation that resembles a mixture of a psychotherapy session and a good blind date. She hopes that in listening intently, asking the right questions, and revealing the hero’s journey of each individual that she meets along her path that she will produce a collection of honest myths.”

Read more about Crystal Hoffman and the Poetry Pilgrim Project and hear her talk about it on the Poetry Pilgrim Project Kickstarter campaign.
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Thanks to Harriet for the tip.
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two April workshops in Bellingham

Poet Matthew Brouwer will offer two poetry workshops during National Poetry Month:

Writing Your First Poetry Chapbook
Saturday, April 6, 2013, 9am – noon
“So you want to write a chapbook but don’t know where to start. What poems should you put in it? What should you do with the cover? Should you submit it to a publisher or print it on your own? How do you get people to buy it? This workshop will examine the many material and artistic considerations involved in creating a chapbook so that you can create a great product and start getting it into the hands of readers.”
Cost: $25 if registered by March 31. $35 at the door.

Poetry, Activism, and Nature
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 2 – 3pm
As part of RARE (Recycled Arts and Resources Expo) put on by Allied Arts of Whatcom County.
“A rare poem can give voice to a generation and help to galvanize a movement. More often, poetry becomes the place where we vent our frustrations about the world we see around us and envision our dreams for a better future. In this workshop we’ll explore the role of poetry in the field of activism especially as it relates to protecting the environment. Bringing in the perspectives of several great naturalists and writers such as Edward Abbey, Aldo Leopold, and Gary Snyder, the workshop will also include time to write and share your own words on the ongoing struggle to preserve and celebrate the natural world around us.”
Cost: Free!

Both workshops will be held at
Allied Arts of Whatcom County
1418 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham

To register, contact Matthew Brouwer: matthewbrouwerpoet@gmail.com or (360) 510-9686

the new old…

Funny to think that something created just ten or fifteen years ago could be “old,” but in our continually-evolving virtual world a decade can be ancient history. Still, you might enjoy browsing the Gallery at Word Circuits, started in 1998 as “a showplace for the best in electronic poetry and fiction” and evidently last updated around 2004. (Some Gallery links require outdated plug-ins, but there are plenty that still operate well.) Mouse over the text in Millie Niss’s The Dancing Rhinoceri of Bangladesh to see black-out poetry turned to light-up poetry. And do watch Peter Howard’s amusing lecture, Subatomic and Particle Poetry.

Eclipse Archive…

If you are interested in “radical small-press writing from the last quarter century” or “carefully selected new works of book-length conceptual unity,” you will definitely want to explore Eclipse Archive. This free online archive offers digital facsimiles of hundreds of works by some sixty authors.
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“Generation” from EXTREMITIES by Rae Armantrout

Boynton Contest poets….please note…

• The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest submission deadline is 4:00pm next Sunday, March 31, 2013.
• If you plan to mail your poem (see 2013 Contest page for mailing address), please note that it must arrive in the mailbox no later than Saturday, March 30. Mail delivery is slower than it used to be, so please plan accordingly.
• If you plan to hand-deliver your poem to Mindport (see address and hours on 2013 Contest page), please note that Sunday, March 31 is Easter. Mindport will be closed to the public. However, a Contest committee member will be present during what would be normal Sunday hours, Noon to 4pm, to accept poem deliveries.
• Poems arriving after the deadline, by mail or in person, will be disqualified.
• Send us your best!

NYT found poetry contest for students…

We recently wrote about Pulitzer Remix, a National Poetry Month project that pits 85 poets against classic texts to discover within them a found poem for each day of April.

As long as we’re on the subject of found poetry, here’s an opportunity for poets between 13 and 25 years of age: The New York Times 4th Annual Found Poetry Student Contest.

The source material for the contest is “any Times article ever published” — all available online, of course.

There’s not much we can add to this article in yesterday’s New York Times except read it carefully, including (especially!) the rules.

Happy hunting!