another poetry walk

We’ve mentioned the artist Gordon Young before. His large-scale public art projects often incorporate words or poetry. Here’s another.

Bird Stones is an installation at Mill Road Cemetery in Cambridge, England. Each of the seven pieces is engraved with a poem about a bird that frequents the cemetery and a description of the bird’s call. The standing stone sculptures are also designed to serve as perch, shelter and water source. “House Sparrow,” above, includes a bible inscription and a poem by Andrew Motion.

countdown

Okay, Whatcom County poets, you have today (March 30), and you have tomorrow (March 31) until 6:00pm to submit your poems to the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest. It’s too late to mail your poem, but you can deliver it to Mindport Exhibits, 210 W. Holly Street, Bellingham (open both days Noon to 6pm) OR email it to BoyntonPoetryContest@hotmail.com. Of course, read the guidelines carefully — line count and character count matter here, and poems that don’t meet the guidelines will be disqualified. This year’s judges are Luther Allen and Luci Shaw and we have it on good authority that they want to read YOUR poem!

P.S. Whether you submit a poem or not, be sure to mark your calendar for Thursday, May 12, 2016, and join the judges, the award winners, the contest committee and poetry fans from all over at the 2016 Boynton Awards Ceremony, 7:00pm at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.

poetry, a postcard at a time

If you visit this page regularly, you know that the August Poetry Postcard Fest gets regular coverage here. But in case August is just too far away, you might consider participating in a postcard poetry exchange for National Poetry Month. Using the August Poetry Postcard Fest as a model, Lenora Rain-Lee Good has started an April poetry postcard exchange and invites you to participate. To sign up, use the form on her Contact page to provide your name and correct snail mail address, then gather your postcards and stamps and start writing. Lenora will send you your list of names and addresses.

process

The other day, we posted on the subject of what editors want. Today we look at the other mysterious aspect of writing: How a Poem Happens.

In each posting of his blog, poet, teacher and editor Brian Brodeur introduces and then interviews a poet. They discuss a single poem, which is included in the post. Although Brodeur doesn’t post as often as he did in the first several years, the archive of poets is long and there’s much insight to be gained from reading what they say about their process.

Have a look: How a Poem Happens.

poetry park

Should you find yourself near Sacramento, California, take a detour to Poet Laureate Park in south Natomas. There you’ll find six large corten steel sculptures that honor past and present Sacramento Poets Laureate: Bob Stanley, Julia Connor, Jeff Knorr, Viola Weinberg, Dennis Schmitz and José Montoya. Artist Troy Corliss interpreted and fabricated each poet’s words for the installation, which was completed in 2015.

Additional details and photos on the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission website and The Natomas Buzz.
. . . . .
photo: “Continental Drift” by Jeff Knorr

on poetry

“Today is merely an hour. Remember in the time ahead of you to hold out your hands so that beauty may fall safely into them and find a place — however briefly — to rest.”
 
Patrick Lane
(b. March 26, 1939)
. . . . .
quote
photo by Diana Nethercott

now sounding

It’s been several years since we mentioned Moby-Dick Big Read and it definitely seems worth a reminder. Out of a symposium convened in 2011 at Peninsula Arts, Plymouth University, UK, by artist Angela Cockayne and writer Philip Hoare was born an online version of Melville’s epic tome, each of the book’s 135 chapters read aloud by voices celebrated and unknown and broadcast online, public and freely accessible. With readers from Tilda Swinton to Mary Oliver, each chapter is accompanied by a piece of artwork.

Listen at Moby Dick Big Read, read along with your copy of the book, or, as you listen, look at Moby-Dick through the eyes of artist Matt Kish, whose book Moby-Dick in Pictures (Tin House 2011) offers an illustration for every page of the original book.

Be a Park poet

The date has been set for Poets in the Park — Redmond’s annual poetry fest. On Saturday, June 25, 2016, Anderson Park will be filled with readings, performances, open mic, hands-on poetry workshops, music, books…and maybe even YOUR new poetry activity!

Poets in the Park is looking for proposals for readings (25-minute slots) and workshops (55-minute slots). Send proposals as soon as possible to Michael Dylan Welch at WelchM@aol.com. He has provided the following details.

Reading Proposals
As with our previous festivals, we’re looking for readings by groups or organizations (if in doubt about what qualifies, just ask — a theme might work). Include this info:

1. Title of reading, group, or organization.
2. Organizer’s name (who should also be willing to MC their reading segment, or let us know who will MC).
3. Names of possible readers (at least three).
4. Any audio-visual or other stage needs.

Workshop Proposals
Workshops should focus on the craft of poetry and include generative and sharing/discussion activities. With your proposal, include a catchy title, the workshop facilitator’s name(s), and a sentence or two describing what participants can expect to learn from the workshop.

Please send your proposals as soon as possible, along with any creative or wacky ideas, and any questions. And watch for Poets in the Park news.

what do editors want?

It’s a question that writer/editor Jim Harrington has been asking for a long time. And while knowing an editor’s preferences, style and idiosyncrasies is no guarantee that your poems will be accepted, it surely can’t hurt.

Harrington interviews editors of literary journals and, every Friday, posts their replies on Six Questions For…. The list of journals is impressive, running far down the right sidebar of the page. Harrington himself writes flash fiction and that genre is well represented.

Of course, the best way to understand an editor’s preferences is to 1) read the publication and 2) read and follow the guidelines. But Jim Harrington’s interviews (and similar interviews on Duotrope, a subscription-based service for writers) provide valuable insights that might just give you the edge you need.

more Noisy Water!

Other Mind Press has announced an expanded calendar of readings for Noisy Water: Poetry from Whatcom County, Washington. Selected poets from the 101-poet anthology will be reading at each of these upcoming events:

• TODAY, Tuesday, March 22, 7:00pm at the Ferndale Library, Ferndale
• Thursday, March 31, 7:00pm at the Everson Library, Everson
• Wednesday, April 13, 7:00pm at The Jansen Art Center, Lynden (co-sponsored by Village Books)
• Thursday, April 14, 7:00pm at Village Books, Fairhaven
• Sunday, April 24, 6:30pm at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center, Fairhaven

The Firehouse event, organized by Jeni Cottrell, Harold Niven and FAIM, includes an exhibit by 16 Noisy Water poets who created artwork inspired by or related to their poem. The art will be on display at the Firehouse Café throughout National Poetry Month, April 1-30, during café hours, 7:00am – 4:00pm daily, and the poets will read at the reception/reading on April 24.

All readings are free and copies of Noisy Water will be available for purchase. There’s more information about Noisy Water and a complete lineup of poets for each event on the Other Mind Press Noisy Water page.