John Hollander - birthday
Today, October 28, was the birthday of American poet John Hollander [1929-2013].
Five Quotes
- Great poems are all fables about life.
- A good poem satisfies the ear. It creates a story or picture that grabs you, informs you and entertains you.
- I try to teach writers how to teach themselves.
- A short [poem] will be written quickly, at one sitting, usually under an hour. A really long one may take over two years.
- I always write in longhand, and I revise when I type.
Hollander was a poet and literary critic. He was Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University. ‘His verse reflected deep knowledge of poetic forms and wide-ranging interests.’ He was awarded the Frost Medal from the Poetry Society of America in 2007.
PAUL RICHMOND & CANDACE CURRAN 9/17/23 1-4 PM
From poet Robert Eugene Perry:
Hello Poets!
Have been looking forward to this one for a long time! Hope to see many of my Western MA poetry peeps come and join the revelry!
This will be the closing event for the outdoor Slightly Off-Beat Poets 2023 series at Betsy’s Backyard Stage 185 Arvidson Rd Woodstock, CT.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR FOR THIS OUTDOOR EVENT!
WHAT: Slightly Off-beat Poets Presents: Paul Richmond and Candace Curran!
WHERE: Betsy’s Backyard Stage 185 Arvidson Road Woodstock, CT.
WHEN: Sunday September 17th, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
WHAT HAPPENS: Our feature poets of the month will each read for 20 minutes. Then we will take a quick break for book sales, snacks and the raffle before starting the open mic. Open mic will be round robin, one poem at a time until 4 PM.
COST: There will be a 50/50 raffle, split between the feature and the winner. 5$ to enter.
SIGN-UPS: There is room for 20 poets/ 40 guests total. To reserve a spot please email: roberteugeneperry@gmail.com
PLEASE NOTE:
185 Arvidson Road is a dirt road. GPS will send you to ways: If you come off Roseland Park Road (right near Roseland Park) onto Arvidson it will begin as paved and a sign will tell you when the pavement ends. Just stay to the right and 185 is about 1/2 mile up on the right side.
If it sends you up Child Hill Rd, you will make a left onto Arvidson dirt road and it will be less than a 1/4 mile on the left.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON STREET! Pull in the driveway and you can park on the grass along the edge or pull all the way around. Plenty of parking!
BIOS:
Paul Richmond was awarded beat poet laureate three times. He is best described as political, deadpan and wryly humorous delivered in his own style. He has been called, “Assassin of Apathy” – “power of words / humor - on the unthinkable, the unsolvable, to analyze, to digest, to give birth, to creativity and hope.” He has performed nationally and internationally. He created the project “Do It Now” He is also a publisher of over 50 writers and has 7 books himself. For more - www.humanerrorpublishing.com
Candace R. Curran is author of Playing in Wrecks, Haleys Press. She is the 2022 Slate Roof Elyse Wolf Prize winner with a chapbook released next year. A full length poetry collection is expected in the Spring with Human Error Press. Her poetry has appeared in New Generation Beats, Writing the Land, Meat For Tea, the Valley Review, and RAW NerVZ Haiku. She is looking forward to being a Slightly Off-Beat Poet, featuring with the infamous Paul Word Richmond.
Richard Fox and his poem Revival
- Revival by Richard FoxLocal Poet Richard Fox reads his poem "Revival."
Anne Sexton
- Anne SextonOn this day in 1960, Massachusetts poet Anne Sexton had her first collection of poems published, To Bedlam and Part Way Back.
Featured Poets 2023
Alan Ira Gordon
Alan Ira Gordon is an urban planning professor at Worcester State University and writer of science fiction/fantasy poetry and short stories. His fiction has been published in various genre magazines and anthologies. His poetry publications include Analog Magazine and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and he’s a frequent contributor to Star*Line, the quarterly journal of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA).
Alan’s science fiction/fantasy poetry has received seven Rhysling Award nominations, a Dwarf Star Award nomination and an Analog Magazine year’s best nomination (Second Place Award). He has two published poetry collections, Planet Hunter and The Doggo Book (Hiraeth Books). Planet Hunter was nominated for the SFPA Elgin Award. Alan guest-edited Issue #24 of Eye To The Telescope, the on-line publication of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA). His poetry, short stories and articles have been published in various genre magazines and anthologies, a partial list of which can be found on his website at www.alaniragordon.com.
Gordon is the author of Tales from the Quantum Cafe
Click here for details about his Reading at TIDEPOOL Bookshop
Rush Frazier
Tina E. Gaffney is the Artistic Director of Stage Presence Productions; is the Host, Writer, and Producer of the Radio Show "The African American Experience" (which was recognized in O Magazine) and is the FIRST and ONLY Woman of Color to portray Esmerelda Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (produced by Stage Presence Productions).
Maura MacNeil is a writer, editor and a professor of creative writing at New England College. She is the author of three poetry collections and is the founder and editor of the website Off the Margins. She serves on the board of the Monadnock Writers’ Group and is a New Hampshire Humanities-to-Go program presenter with the interactive writing workshop: Family, Memory, Place: Writing Family Stories.
Susan Roney-O’Brien earned her MFA at Warren Wilson College and is the author of five poetry collections. She hosts monthly poetry readings, teaches workshops and coordinates the Stanley Kunitz summer writing series.
Xaulanda Thorpe is a spoken word poet from Worcester, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in biological anthropology in January 2020. During her time at BU, when she was not examining primate samples, she wrote short stories for Charcoal Magazine, a student-led publication. In 2021, Xaulanda’s poem was chosen for the African Burial Ground National Monument’s "Still I Rise" tribute to Maya Angelou.
B.G. Thurston now lives on a sheep farm in Warwick, Massachusetts, after a career in computers and finance. In 2002, she received an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College. She has taught poetry courses at Lasalle College, online at Vermont College, and conducted many poetry workshops. Her first book, Saving the Lamb, by Finishing Line Press was a Massachusetts Book Awards highly recommended reading choice. Her second book, Nightwalking, was released in 2011 by Haleys. Her third book about the history of her 1770’s farmhouse titled Cathouse Farm will hopefully be published this year. She hopes to return to teaching and editing poetry as soon as the pandemic recedes.