Fall for Poetry -- Events, Contests, Festivals

Lots of news to share, poetry gang! Here we go:

Sunday, September 26
Laura & Shirley Brewer at the Baltimore Book Festival
POEMS AND GEMS: LETTING IN THE LIGHT - two luminous poets illuminate the writing craft.

4-5 PM in the CityLit Tent
 
The pink is in honor of Shirley. She is fabulous as a person and as a poet. We always have a lot of fun together. Join us and you'll have fun too.
 
Friday, October 1
Deadline
Clarinda Harriss Poetry Prize and Chapbook Competition 2010
Submit 20-25 pages of poetry (and $25)
Prize is $250 and publication. Final judge is Dick Allen.
 
My chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone won the inaugural Harriss Prize. I had an amazing experience with CityLit Press. Highly recommended!
 
Tuesday, October 5
Howard County Poetry and Literature Society hosts poet Mark Doty
 
I'm sad to have to miss this one. Doty is a remarkable poet, but he's also a wonderful speaker. You will leave this evening feeling enriched.
 
Thanks to HoCoPoLitSo to bringing national voices to Howard County, MD. Info: www.hocopolitso.org
 
Thursday, October 7 - Sunday, October 10
13th Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival
New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ
 
If you've never been, do yourself a favor and GO! This is the biggest poetry festival in the nation. It's amazing and Friday is free for teachers. Wow.
 
Info at www.DodgePoetry.org
 
Saturday, October 16 - Sunday, October 17
Women's Poetry Retreat
Harpers Ferry, WV
 
Three of my favorite local poets are leading the retreat: Shirley Brewer, Barbara Morrison and Christine Stewart of the Maryland State Arts Council. For just $99 including lodging and meals, you can't go wrong.
 
Info at http://baltimorewriterscollective.blogspot.com
 
Wednesday, October 27
Deadline: Maryland Writers Association Poetry Anthology
 
The theme is Love, in all its facets.
Members are encouraged to submit 1-3 poems on this theme. Non-members are encouraged to join!
www.marylandwriters.org
 
More exciting news on this anthology in a separate post. I'm very excited to be editing the anthology.
 
 
Monday, November 1
Deadline: Little Patuxent Review
www.littlepatuxentreview.org
 
The next issue's theme is Water.
 
LPR is a beautiful local journal that consistently supports local poets, essayists and fiction writers.
 
Anyone would think it's National Poetry Month! Good luck with your submissions. Get out there and hear some poetry.

Amok Behind the Scenes at the Dodge Festival II

It's the thrilling conclusion of my interview with Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival Assistant, Michael Z Murphy.

AA: Tell us about some of the poets you’ve met. I’m interested in authors whose personalities “fit” what we see in their poetry – either its tone or subject matter. Maybe people who don’t fit their poetic personas would be more interesting. You decide! MZM: Meeting poets after you know their work is always intriguing because you never know what you are going to get. Mark Doty (pictured right at a 2008 Dodge Festival panel) exudes the intelligence and humanity of his work, but his surprise is a drollness I do not see in his work. Edward Hirsch is surprisingly hysterical. He totally caught me off guard. Gerald Stern [AA: one of my favorites] still has the energy of a 20-year-old.

Lucille Clifton (pictured left) [AA: a Howard County, MD local and another fave], the only poet to attend every single Festival, is a total charmer. After meeting her, I was better able to see the sly humor in her work. All of these poets relate to the high schoolers as though they were old buddies. AA: The Dodge Poetry Festival has been compared to a rock concert or music festival. What is it about Dodge that invites the comparison? MZM: The beautiful outdoor setting is certainly one contributing factor. And there is music throughout the festival which comes as a surprise to many people.

A concert is a focused event because attendees are, for the most part, fans of the musicians. It is no different for poetry. Those who avoid it, and suffer for the loss, don’t attend. Those who love the stuff, come to hear the stuff, and they know that every other person they pass on the winding trails to various performance spaces also loves the stuff. It does a body good. In addition to being a Festival Assistant for Dodge and a communications professor at New Jersey's Union County College, Michael is a wonderful poet. He’s sharing a recent narrative poem about a childhood experience. The title says it all…but look for Michael’s use of detail to anchor us in elementary school. SHOW ‘N TELL DISASTER By Michael Z Murphy My hands held the smell of death One shouldn’t do what one shouldn’t do They were robin’s eggs in the nest Prettier and smaller than the pictures The color as delightful as Lady’s Collar and leash—robin’s egg blue Patent leather with rhinestones Not so many though as to be tasteless I held one up to the light Still it was opaque As I turned it between Thumb and forefinger A sickening sounds and goo This death burned me I replaced the disaster I returned to my seat I do not like the smell of death No amount of finger rubbing on creased School pants could rub out death’s smell Enough so my chest would not seem to crack I could not hear about borrowing From the tens column--the merry semicolon Never existed—Johnny Tremaine moved on Without me—the boy with death on his fingers Cramping began at once Within the hour I leaned over And barfed cheerios and milk All over creation Children slide back Mr. Wilson said without missing a beat Young Man, to the boys’ room fast Fred, here is a pass—ask Mr. Byrd To please come here quickly I returned to class ashen and still Stinking of death so strongly That even Mr. Byrd’s pine mop water Could not overwhelm death’s perfume As he walked out Mr. Wilson asked What else happens on Friday I knew the answer: Friday is when I murder

Michael Z Murphy, thanks for visiting! I'll say goodbye with a virtual hug.

Amok at the Dodge Poetry Festival: Friday's Poetry Sampler Part I

There are pockets of down-time at the poetry festival. Thousands of people attend, yet you bump into friends, acquaintances, school buddies. On my way to the Poetry Sampler, I found author Lisa Greenberg. We know each other through our regional SCBWI list-serv, but had never met before. Lisa and I shared a grilled veggie wrap (delish). She told me about her work, writing children’s fiction and non-fiction about the Middle East. For about 30 years, she has lived much of the year in Saudi Arabia. We were serenaded by the musical troupe Yarina. They’ve been part of the festival for years, dance-walking throughout Waterloo Village playing panpipe, guitar and drum. The group plays indigenous music from Ecuador (http://www.yarinamusic.com/). I picked up an Ecuadoran percussion instrument -- a beautifully decorated gourd with beans or pebbles inside -- for my 11-year-old drummer at home. Made a stop at the Borders tent. More on that later. Then it was on to the big tent/main stage for a two hour poetry sampler. 21 big names – each reading 1-3 poems. Alphabetical order. The sampler started with a bang. Poet/novelist Chris Abani read a poem about being beaten in his native Nigeria, where he is considered a political dissident. He’s now teaching at University of California at Riverside. Abani was funny, gracious, and powerful. The poem was deceptively simple: Reflexology Beatings: To the top of the head Elicit and idiot’s smile. To the ears and nape Affect your balance, Tipping you dangerously close to insanity. You can find the rest of the poem in the Dodge Festival Teacher Packet or Abani’s book “Kalakuta Republic.” His website is http://www.chrisabani.com/ Another discovery for me was Mexican poet Coral Bracho. She and her translator read a beautiful, sensory list poem describing water. Billy Collins had a response poem to an exhibit of Greek and Roman Statuary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It focused on the absurdity of the lost limbs, noses, heads. I’ve heard Mark Doty read, “Messiah,” before. It’s a wonderful narrative poem about the power of art (Handel’s Messiah) to elevate us and create a sense of community. I love Doty’s reading style. His ennunciation makes every single word count, and builds the sense of story in this poem. We were about halfway through the sampler – that’s when the rain started pouring. This is the view from inside the tent. Coming up: Friday's Poetry Sampler Part II Jane Hirshfield, Ted Kooser, Linda Pastan and more