more for September
August 31, 2015
WORD Vancouver returns Wednesday, September 23, through Sunday, September 27, 2015, with a packed schedule of readings, book signings, workshops, panel discussions, performances, exhibits and celebrations (including plenty of poetry) at various venues around Vancouver, BC.
WORD Vancouver is free and you can find a complete schedule on the WORD Vancouver website, plus additional information on Facebook.
Rock Dust*
August 30, 2015
2015 Merit Award
By Téa Beaulieu (5th grade)
Rock on my windowsill
scratched and rigid,
yet strong as can be.
Wind flows through my window
like a ghost passing through an open door.
Layer of dust
flies off of Rock
and into the air.
Dust dances in the sunlight
like ballerinas on stage.
. . . . .
*Copyright 2015 by Téa Beaulieu. Broadside illustrated by Christian Smith.
meanwhile, in Port Townsend…
August 29, 2015
The Writers’ Workshoppe in Port Townsend has posted their updated schedule of workshops and classes, most beginning in mid-September. Have a look!
a winning reading
August 27, 2015
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, a second anthology of winning poems has been published, with cover art © Copyright 2015 by Kim Wulfestieg. A celebratory reading of selected works from the collection will be held at Village Books on Thursday, September 17, 2015, at 7:00pm. Copies will be available for purchase at the reading and through Village Books.
Mark your calendar…and ask for
POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Contest, The Second Five Years – ISBN 978-1-4951-6861-1 – 147 pages, 125 poems by 108 Whatcom County poets (some represented multiple times), $14.99
The Sue Boynton Poetry Contest is particularly grateful to WECU for underwriting the first print run.
NorthWest Poetry Read-A-Thon
August 26, 2015
Christopher J. Jarmick, whose name will be familiar for his role in a number of long-running Cascadia-region poetry enterprises (including PEN & Take a Poem From Your Heart, second Wednesdays at Park Place Books, and his POETRYisEVERYTHING newsletter), is at it again! He has just announced, via his website and Facebook, the NorthWest Poetry Read-A-Thon.
The idea is to support poets and small press poetry publishing by reading a selection of recent poetry books and posting reviews. Chris offers a list of 24 books and suggests that readers pick six to read between now and November 1, 2015. See his list and ideas for posting on his website. To get involved, pick your books and leave comments on the website and the Facebook page.
There’s some fine reading here. Enjoy!
on poetry
August 25, 2015
“Poetry is language that sounds better and means more.”
Charles Wright
(b. August 25, 1935)
. . . . .
photo of Charles Wright by Slowking4
long-form poetry workshop
August 24, 2015
Now in its 30th year, Write on the Sound (WOTS) Writers’ Conference will take place October 2, 3, and 4, 2015, at the Frances Anderson Center in Edmonds, Washington. In addition to a robust schedule of sessions on Saturday and Sunday, WOTS will also present a half-day poetry-writing session on Friday, October 2, as part of its pre-conference schedule of full- and half-day workshops.
Spokane poets Maya Jewell Zeller and Laura Read will present, “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?”: Writing Long or Linked Poems, exploring long-form poetry. In his narrative lyric, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T.S. Eliot sustains a singular voice through 140 lines and teaches us what it means to “disturb the universe.” In this workshop, Zeller and Read will begin by discussing successful examples of linked or long poems, then lead students through a series of generative exercises meant to stretch narrative, lyric, meditative, and dramatic elements to produce a series of pieces that could work together as one long text or in concert as linked poems. Zeller and Read will then suggest revision techniques that will enhance language for sound and image, and assist each student in forming a cohesive project. Expect a variety of reading/writing/revising/sharing rhythms, and a spirit of collaborative play.
Read excerpts of a National Poetry Month interview with Maya and Laura in the WOTS Blog. Information about the poets can be found on the WOTS Presenters page.
Conference (and workshop) registration is available only online: www.writeonthesound.com and the early registration discount ends August 30. Enrollment for pre-conference workshops is limited.
There will also be an after hours poetry reading at the Edmonds Library on Friday, October 2, at 6:30pm, featuring Maya Jewell Zeller and Laura Read.
Ripples*
August 23, 2015
2015 Merit Award
By Chloe Rhodes (4th grade)
Ripples
The creek flows
Through the ravine
Fish swim
Tails swishing
Splashing
Ripples,
making the river move
Churning
Turning
As the cold water touches my hand
Ripples
Everywhere.
. . . . .
*Copyright 2015 by Chloe Rhodes. Broadside illustrated by Kim Wulfestieg.
the poetry of generosity
August 22, 2015
In case you missed this story…when Seattle poet Heather McHugh was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation fellowship in 2009, she had no immediate plans for how to manage such a gift. But, in 2012 she founded CAREGIFTED, a non-profit organization that gives respite getaways to long-term family caregivers of the severely disabled or chronically ill. According to an article by Jen Hayden in Daily Kos, the entire sum of her fellowship has been dedicated to that work. A gift indeed.
Read and watch a 2009 profile of Heather McHugh from PBS and see a bit more on spondee.com, including Heather McHugh’s stunning e-poem.
Wonderful workshops!
August 21, 2015
Once again, two outstanding poets have generously offered their time and inspiration in support of the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest. On Saturday, October 17, 2015, Jeffrey Morgan and Kelli Russell Agodon will each teach a two-hour poetry workshop at the Fairhaven Library in Bellingham (pictured here pre-stucco, pre-parking lot, pre-landscaping).
Jeffrey Morgan’s morning workshop is Submission: A Practical Guide to Literary Publishing. Kelli Russell Agodon’s afternoon workshop is Fire On the Page: Generating New Work With Writing Prompts.
Registration is required and all fees benefit the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest: $30 for one workshop or $50 for both workshops offered the same day, paid by check or cash at the workshop.
Register by sending an email to boyntonpoetrycontest@hotmail.com indicating the workshop(s) you wish to take and including your name and a phone number. Please bring writing materials.
A second set of fall poetry workshops will be taught by Ann Spiers and Michael Daley on Saturday, November 14.
See instructor bios and full workshop descriptions on the WORKSHOPS page.
. . . . .
Fairhaven Library
The Poetry Department . . . aka The Boynton Blog 