phayvanh-a-thon

Queen of a Rainy Country

2008-05-06T15:20:00.004-04:00

I've been on a reading streak latley and though unplanned, I picked and read Linda Pastan's newest collection of poems, Queen of a Rainy Country, a finalist for the 2007 Paterson Poetry Prize. I've written about it on Good Reads here.

poetry letter

2008-04-30T10:07:00.006-04:00

**This is my annual April letter. If you'd like to be on the mailing list, do let me know. *

Greetings,

Last year this time, I was finding my footing here in Montpelier, looking for work and figuring out my future trajectory. I've been occupied as a barista, office assistant and artist model. I'm still getting used to this full-time working schedule. Outside of that and making friends, I haven't been as prolific in producing poetry as in years past.

That is, until this past September, when I participated in a small group poetry postcard project with some friends of mine in which I had to write and send off a poem a day to someone in the group. It was an invigorating exercise and one I'd like to continue. In that vein, I'm inviting you be on my postcard poetry roster for this year. Let me know by e-mail or post if you (or someone you know) would enjoy a one-of-a-kind poem written on a postcard sometime this year. (I'll need your snail mail address for this.) I can't guarantee when it will arrive, but it will between now and May 2009. No charge, just for kicks.

Since I was uprooted early last year, I didn't get around to writing my annual letter last year. For that, I heartily apologize.

This past year, I've conducted two after school poetry workshops at Brattleboro Area Middle School for the BEAMS enrichment program, which resulted in some wonderful collaborative poetry. I am so glad to have met these young writers and sincerely hope they continue on with their craft. I've also blogged occasionally, which you can read by going to my website: www.phayvanh.com. The site, surprisingly, still receives quite a bit of traffic each month. I've also got poems in the April issue of Bakka Magazine

This summer I look forward to writing again with friends on a couple occasions, including at Soul Mountain, a poetry retreat in CT hosted by the poet Marilyn Nelson. It has been a while since I've participated in a writing community, and I miss it so much. I'm really looking forward to this one particularly.

Many of you noticed I've been away from the stage. Please note I'm working on a new show. I'll keep you posted.

All the while I think of you and am grateful for your continued support for my endeavors. Thank you so much for you kind words and thoughts, your suggestions and connections. My heart is swollen from
all the love I've received thus far.

Until I see you again, do stop by the Tea Lounge in Brattleboro to pick up the current Quarter Poems (or I can send them, if you're away). Keep in touch as always. Here's one dedicated to that frilled shark they found off the coast of Japan last year.

Eulogy

for the bone cold dark

for the silent slick of millennia

across your unseen skin

for the needle sharp dark

for the unheard piercings

of your hundred teeth

for the cradle comb

for the throwing net

the hands of man finally descend

for the dwindling dark

for the tired triple lids

now seeing first light

~ Phayvanh Luekhamhan

* PO Box 1224, Montpelier, VT 05601 * www.phayvanh.com

4 poems

2008-04-15T12:35:00.000-04:00

I have four poems in the April 2008 issue of Bakka Magazine. The journal itself is chock-full of great reading and art this month. Do check it out. Some of you might recognize a couple of poems from the Quarter Poems series, though they have gone through a few changes.

Happy National Poetry Month!

4 poems

2008-04-15T12:23:00.003-04:00

Dreams 57 - 60, Love 61 - 64

2008-02-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

Dreams 57 - 60, Love 61 - 64

Quarter poems have been shipped out. Some of you subscribers got your January (Dream) poems before they arrived at the Twilight Tea Lounge. I hope you’re enjoying them. The February (Love) issue should also be reaching you within the next few days.

And since it’s 2008, why not add a little flash? They $1 packets include new color inserts for a slicker package. Check it out and tell me what you think. That’s 4 poems for $1. A pretty good deal.

In case you’re keeping track, the series list continues as such:

#57 [dream124]
#58 squids and disappearances
#59 [dream 907]
#60 for my parents (comic with Colin Tedford)
#61 your wings, how they carried me
#62 in 10 years I will leave you
#63 it’s not you, it’s me
#64 in the beginning

I haven’t updated the list on the website for a bit, but soon it will reflect the record.

bookstore moment

2008-02-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I can be a little snooty as a bookstore customer, having worked in a bookstore before.

The store clerk did some looking up on the computer. “Do you know the name of the book,” she asked. I shook my head. “Sorry.” Whatever it was, I already knew they didn’t have it--I’d already checked on the shelf. She reaffirmed this.

“Is it even out yet,” I asked.

“And you don’t know the title?” She said this a little disapprovingly.

“I’m sure you can just look up his name and find out,” I suggested.

“What’s his last name,” she asked.

“Um, you had it under L,” I said.

“I mean, is Li his last name, or Young Lee, or Lee..?”

“I think it’s Lee.”

She typed it in and scrolled through the list, shaking her head.
“It’s just such a common name,” she said, still shaking her head.

What? A common name?

All this time, her co-worker was hovering behind her, ready to jump in and help if it was needed.

“Anything I can do,” he asked.

“The last book he write was Breaking the Alabaster Jar,” I offered, trying to be helpful. “I know you used to have that one. I don’t want that one.” She found that title in the inventory.

“She doesn’t want that one,” the co-worker said. “She wants the next one.”

“Should I look on the internet?” It was a good thing I had time.

Turns out the co-worker couldn’t tell if it released as a book, or just a CD or combination of both. So I said I’d do some more research. I didn’t think they were up for calling their rep or the publisher for more info.

The female clerk was still scrolling through the inventory list, shaking her head, and her co-worker looked on.

“It’s just such a common name,” she told him. And he muttered some sort of agreement.

I’m sure they didn’t hear the irony in that statement. Here in what has historically been the whitest state in the union, they’re saying a name like Li-Young Lee is so common as to make their work harder.

calendar

2007-11-08T01:45:00.000-05:00

Instead of posting new events, I've created a Google calendar, which you can subscribe to or simply view as you wish. I've posted a link on the left sidebar of this blog.

Oh, and I got bored with the layout and the title of this thing, so it's changing. Don't let it throw you. -p

Jessie

2007-11-07T23:36:00.001-05:00

You know how sometimes you get those incomperhensbile pieces of spam in the mail? This one was a poem I recieved this past August. I'd replied back to sender, asking about it, but the e-mail bounced back. I haven't really figured it out...

from: carolin roanna
subject: jessie

Covering the land-
Between the vertex that the far-lit gray
How can they get the point of how a world
Away from their profundity of surface.
watching calisthenics from the grandstands.
Glimmering of light:
Among us, only Alberti, then Sangallo,
Alberti, Brunelleschi, Sangallo,
In Winter Haven, the ballplayers are stretching
Escapees from the cold work of living,
Away from their profundity of surface.
Blurring the terrain,
He is harsh, dismal, ice-that is, exiled;
Archangel Winter, darkness on his back
Will hear the storm-blast of his clarion.
Summer bees were saying
Figures of light and dark, these two are walking
Through the back of the picture at the patch of white
Through the back of the picture at the patch of white

postcard poems

2007-10-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

This is Rolf Parker and Eric Blomquist. After our reading, we (Tara Gorvine included) went to Flat Street Brew Pub for drinks and dinner. I'd tried taking video, but it didn't come out too well, especially since the battery on the camera blitzed out shortly after I started taking photos.

Other news: I've been asked to teach a couple of poetry workshops for an extra-cirricular series focusing on creative writing, for middle schoolers. I'm excited about it. That's happening on November.

Projects: Throughout September, some friends and I participated in a postcard poetry exchange. Meaning, each day we wrote a poem on the back of a postcard and sent it to the next person down the list of participants. It was really fun. And though I started late, I was able to get all but one sent out before the end of the month.

My method: creating them on my computer and laying them out in postcard-sized boxes and printing four at a time. There were some days I wrote 8 or 12 small poems, just so I could catch up. Surprizingly, the work wasn't that hard. I had plenty of material to work with. And though many of the poems were predictable (to me at least), I liked them, for their readability, their music, and my relationship to them. Most of them I was proud to send off to my friends, unedited as they were. It was a great reminder to me that I liked writing poetry and that I have a natural talent for it.

The best part of this whole exchange,though, was receiving a steady stream of poems in the mail. Each of them speaking, as if to me personally, of flowers and monkeys and mermaids and conviction. It was awesome. And this most of all, helped to fuel my writing.

Poets of the Past

2007-10-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 21, 4 p.m. - The Poets of the Past reading series will resume at the Twilight Tea Lounge. This month’s featured poets will be Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) (read by Phayvanh Luekhamhan), James Dickey (1923-1997) (read by Rolf Parker), Donald Justice (1925-2004) (read by Eric Blomquist), and Jane Kenyon (1947-1995) (read by Tara Gorvine). Each will read for about 15 minutes. The series will continue on the third Sunday afternoon of the month through the spring.

last minute events in So. Vt

2007-10-16T11:16:00.000-04:00

NAMAYA READS AT PUTNEY LIBRARY
Thursday, October 18
7 - 8:30 p.m.
Namaya will present works from his new collection of poetry and fables Blue Heron Pond: A long Song for the Earth at Putney Public Library, Thursday, October 18, 7:00 p.m. Included in Namaya’s new work are tales from the monk Li Pon. In this intimate evening Namaya will weave an enchanted story of the Green Mountain State. Namaya is an internationally renowned performance artist of the spoken word. He has performed throughout the US, NYC, on tours in Europe and recent performances have take him to Ireland, Japan, Malaysia & an extended tour in New Zealand. www.vermontpoet.com

And the Poets of The Past series starts up again for the winter on Sunday, October 21st at 4 pm. Held monthly at The Twilight Tea Lounge, readers will present works of dead poets. This month features Eric Blomquist presenting Donald Justice, Rolf Parker reading James Dickey, and others (Including yours truly), as yet undecided on their choice of poet. Please come!

upcoming events throughout the state

2007-10-10T19:39:00.000-04:00

Note: this does NOT include any previously-posted-about events. Scroll through past posts to find them.

Thursday, Oct 11th

Karin Gottshall reads from her book, Crocus at 7 pm at the Ilsley Public library in Middlebury. info: 802-388-4095.

Open Mike Reading at Boccelli's in Bellows Falls, starting at 7:30. Early sign up is encouraged. This is ongoing, 2nd & 4th Thursdays.

Friday, Oct 12th

Marathon Reading / Recitation of Homer's epic, The Odyssey pn the steps of the Middlebury College Library, from 4-6. This continues Saturday, Oct 13th, 10 am - 3 pm. Info: 802-443-5013.

Also on Saturday, a poetry and music performance opens the gallery exhibition of photojournalist Orin Langelle's work at the Plainfield Community Center. Starts at 7:30 and free! Performers not listed. Info: 482-2689.

Wednesday, Oct 17th

Spoken Word Open Mike at Dobra Tea in Burlington, featuring a few Otter Creek Poets. 7 - 9 pm. Free. Info: 802-999-1664.

Tuesday, Oct 23rd

PoeJazz at the Black Door Bar and Bistro in Montpelier featuring a variety of folks including David Budbill, Tony Weedon, Jeff Salisbury and others. Continues the next night, too! Starts 8:30. Nominal cover.

Thursday, Oct 25th

David Cavanagh reads as part of the Vermont Independent School for the Arts Thursday reading series in Sharon. 7:30 pm, donation.

october events, so far

2007-10-02T19:10:00.000-04:00

OK, it’s not that there hasn’t been poetry in September in Vermont. I’m bummed that www.poetz.com’s Vermont section had only one listing. You will have missed the great poetry happening in both Burlington and Brattleboro, in each of their respective literary festivals (follow the links). I at least got to attend Major Jackson’s reading in Burlington. More on that later.

This month, poetz has three listings. But here’s more:

Oct 2nd [TONIGHT]: poet Tom Absher gives a special reading from his book, The Paper Rose, at 7:30 in Noble Lounge on the Vermont College campus. This event is open to the public.
For more information contact:Gail MacDonaldUnion Institute & University 36 College St Montpelier, VT 05602-3128 802.828.8500gail.macdonald@tui.edu

David Budbill and others will hold a reading here in Montpelier, above the TW Wood Gallery at the Vermont College Chapel on Sunday, Oct. 7th at 3 pm. It’s a memorial reading in honor of the late Vermont State Poet Laureate, Grace Paley.

Poet and novelist Chris Abani holds a public reading in Johnson at the Vermont Studio Center’s Lecture Hall on Main Street at 8 pm on Monday, Oct 22nd. Reservations suggested, (802) 635.2727. This is FREE.

And the wonderful poet Brian Turner, who read at last year’s Brattleboro Literary Festival returns to Vermont on Oct. 25th for a reading at Kingdom Books.

new news

2007-08-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

yeah, Grace Paley also died this past week. Former VT Poet Laureate, she moved here from NY with her family. She will be missed.

Looks like in September, The Poetry Society of Vermont will celebrate its 60th Anniversary. Congraulations.

Poet Jay Parini was recently featured in Seven Days.

Jan Fazier has a couple openings in her writing workshops in Southern Vermont. JAN FRAZIER'S FALL WRITING WORKSHOPS start the week of September 10. There are still several openings in the Tuesday workshop in Guilford, which meets from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuition is $250, with some financial aid available. A $30 deposit holds a space. The fall weekend writing retreat, co-led with Kate Gleason, will be November 2-4 in Gill, MA. Tuition is $195, with a deposit of $50 needed to hold a space. Contact Jan at jan.frazier@verizon.net or (413) 498-5435.

What else? Burlington Book Festival is soon approaching, so check out their list of poets slated. Includes David Budbill, Major Jackson and Neil Shepard among others.

I'm continually updating my links and calendar. So keep 'em coming.

so much for this ...

2007-08-22T21:26:00.000-04:00

...for the summer that has sped by like a tramp on a mission
...for the resolutions to make better nad be better
... this writing thing
...for what I thought I wanted

It's been a month and a half and so many, many things (poetically and otherwise, have steamrolled ahead without me.

The appointment of Charles Simic as our new US Poet Laureate, the big and small things in and around the state. Literary contest deadlines, the annual Write Action picnic and announcements of the Brattleboro Literary Festival and Burlington Book Festival participatants.

Mostly, and just recently, I was moved by this notice in the New York Times or the death of poet Liam Rector, who taught at Bennington College until recently, and the excerpt of the poem the included in his notice. Click here.

so please continue to send me your notices and surprises in my inbox. I am recovering from my move and will post them more timely now. Thanks.

Vermont's Poet Laureate: Ruth Stone

2007-07-05T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ruth Stone of Middlebury was named Vermont's newest State Poet Laureate, following Grace Paley's 4 -year term. Kingdom Books has a nice write up about it.

You can listen to some of her work here.

The public ceremony will be held on Thursday, July 26th at 4pm in the House Chamber of the State House in Montpelier.

April QP

2007-05-01T12:11:00.000-04:00

April Quarter Poems came in a limited edition ribboned purple box, with a few random extra poems thrown in, just because. After all, it was National Poetry Month. How did you celebrate?

The place-based poems were printed on a daffodil-yellow paper. Here's the index in case you missed it. There are only a few left at The Twilight Tea Lounge.

#49: abomination 2 [in Texas] part of my abominations series, this was inspired by a story from The Innocence Project.

#50: to Montpelier a prose-poem rant

#51: driving through Barre it's pronounces "BEAR-EEEE!"

#52: your room a poem for a place I'd not been in a long time

Poetry is Dangerous

2007-04-24T11:34:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

My friend and past Kundiman faculty member wrote about this incident that happened to him recently. Feel free to share it. Poetry is Dangerous by Kazim Ali.

Willard & Maple

2007-04-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

Seven Days has a spotlight on a small literary journal called Willard & Maple, published by the students at Champlain College, out of Burlington, VT. The current issue features local poets Amanda Northrup, Kathleen McKinley Harris and Jackie Bishop.

Vermont Poetry Month Finale

2007-04-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

If you've been snoozing through National Poetry Month, wake up and try one of these events. I'm expanding the events list to cover ALL of Vermont. If you are hosting an event, I'll galdly receive email notices of it.

Apr. 12th, all day: ARTS ACHIEVEMENT DAY 2007 - POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS - a celebration of achievements in Vermont’s creative community with special guest Eileen Mason, Deputy Chair of the NEA at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. Tentative Schedule:

11am - Advocacy Orientation and Roundtable Discussion with Eileen Mason, Deputy Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts
10am-2pm - Demonstrations by Vermont’s American Masterpieces craftspeople Noon - lunch with legislators
1:30pm - Showcase of Vermont’s American Masterpieces performers including Pete & Karen Sutherland, Karen Amirault, and Social Band
2 - 4:30pm - Poetry Out Loud State Finals Competition
4:30 - 6pm - Poetry Out Loud Reception

Apr. 12th 7-8:30 pm: PSOV (Poetry Society of Vermont) poetry reading, Border's Books, 125 Cherry Lane, Burlington.

Apr 12, 7pm:Ralph Culver, 2006 VT Arts Council fellow in poetry, reads at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street) Free. 802-658-2657 or 802-254-5290 Web Site. Brattleboro.

Apr 13, 7 pm: 3 Southern VT Poets. Barbara Benoit has published in The Advocate, PKA's Publication. Last year, she gave a reading at The Twilight Tea Lounge. She attended Jan Frazier's writing workshops for five years, and is nowa graduate student in the New England College's MFA Poetry Program. She has been living and teaching piano for the last twelve years in the Brattleboro area. Arlene Distler is a freelance writer and poet. Her work has been published in North American Review, Kalliope, The Chrysalis Reader, and in the anthology, Freedom's Just Another Word. With a degree in painting from Rhode Island School of Design, she came to writing later in life. She co-founded the local writers' organization, Write Action, with her partner, the late Marty Jezer. She is currently working on a manuscript of her poems for a chapbook. Tim Mayo's poems have appeared in The Atlanta Review, Del Sol Review, The Rose & Thorn, Paris/Atlantic, Four Corners, Mannequin Envy, PoetLore, 5 A.M. and The Chrysalis Reader. He received his MFA in Literature & Writing from Bennington College in 2004. He was a Semi-Finalist in the "Discovery"/The Nation 2000 Poetry Contest and has received two International Merit Awards for poetry which appeared in The Atlanta Review. He recently received a grant from the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT and is currently studying trapeze and fabric at Nimble Arts Circus School in Brattleboro, VT, though he doesn't plan quitting his day job. Moore Free Library, Newfane. Free

Apr 13, 7 pm: Vermont Poets Reading at Northshire Bookstore. Martha Zweig, the recipient of a 1999 Whiting Writer’s Award, is the author of What Kind and Vinegar Bone, both published by Wesleyan University Press. Julia Shipley, Director of Writing Studies at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, won the 2006 Ralph Nading Hill Award for her essay Coming Into the Barn: Bales of Prose about a Small Dairy Farm. Also from Craftsbury, Peggy Safire will read from A Possible Explanation, her first book of poetry. Greg Delanty, a native of Ireland who now resides in Vermont, will present his latest book of poems, The Ship of Birth. Delanty is a recipient of the Patrick Kavanagh Award and is artist in residence of the English department at St. Michael’s College in Burlington. www.northshire.com. Manchester.

Apr 13, 7 pm: Adventures in Poetry: “Efficient Novels” New England Style: A reading and group discussion of poems by contemporary New England writers.. Essex CHIPS Teen Center, Essex Junction. Free. 802-878-6956

Apr 14, 2-4 pm: Open Mic Poetry Readings. Hear local poets from the River Voices. Bring your own original work to share or read from a favorite author. Call (802-463-9404) or email us at vsbooks@sover.net to participate as a reader or let us know that you'll be attending as a listener. Village Square Booksellers provides light refreshments during the event. On the Square, Bellows Falls.

Apr 15, 4pm: Poets of the Past. Poets and performers, TBA. Twilight Tea Lounge, 51 Main Street. Brattleboro. Free.

Apr 15, 2:30 pm: David Budbill plays his shakuhachi and reads ancient Japanese poems at Matsuri 2007, Ross Sports Center, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT. For more information contact Tony Beard at: tbeard@vtlink.net or mbeard@cambridgealliance.com

Apr 16, 7:30 pm: David Budbill will be Fran Stoddard's guest on Vermont Public Television on her interview program, PROFILE.

April 16, 8 pm: David Budbill reading/performance. For more information contact Laird Christensen at: christensenl@greenmtn.edu. Green Mountain College. Poultney.

Apr 17, 7 pm: 10th Annual Open Poetry Reading, Bear Pond Books, 77 Main Street, Montpelier. Sign up early, 5 minute limit. Info: (802) 229-0774

Apr 18, 2007, 7pm:Ralph Culver, a 2006 Vermont Arts Council fellow in poetry, will give a reading of his work.. South Burlington Community Library (550 Dorset Street). Free. 802-658-2657 or 802-652-7080. South Burlington.

Apr 19, 7pm:Music & Formal Verse: Burt Porter discusses the relationship between poetry and music.. Sheffield Town Hall (Route 122). Free. 802-626-5735. Sheffield.

Apr 19-May 13: JUDEVINE, a Play in Two Acts, written by Wolcott poet, David Budbill. This will be the first staging of this now classic play in northern Vermont in 15 years. For curtain times, days of the week and ticket information contact: http://www.lostnationtheater.org or call: 802-229-0492. Lost Nation Theatre, Montpelier.

Apr. 19, 6:30 pm: 2nd Annual Poets' Banquet, Shelburne Art Center, Shelburne. $15. Info (802) 985-3648

Apr. 19, 7-9 pm: Philip Levine reading at Middlebury College's Warner Hemicycle (Warner Science Building). Info: (802) 443-5276. Middlebury.

Apr 19, 7 pm: JOHN ENGELS Reading and Booksigning. Engels, professor of English at St. Michael's College and noted American poet, will read from 'Recounting the Seasons', a colloection of his poetry from 1958-2005. Barnes & Noble. 102 Dorset Street, S. Burlington.

Apr 21, 12 pm: 5th Annual Poetry Reading & Pie Eating. Poetry Reading. Read your own poem, or your favorite poet's. Read a poem, eat a piece of pie, Bring a pie to share with others. Children encouraged to participate! Dover Free Library. 22 Holland Rd. 802-348-7488. East Dover.

Apr 21, 7 pm: POETRY SLAM with Geof Hewitt. Come as a performer, judge or just be part of the audience! Geof Hewitt, VT Slam Champion and author of Hewitt's Guide to Slam Poetry and Poetry Slam, will emcee and perform at tonight's intergenerational event. Reserve your spot by contacting Nance Nahmias, Barnes & Noble Community Events Manager at 802-684-7505. Place prizes will be awarded, as well as an award to the performer with the biggest following. Barnes & Noble, 102 Dorset Street, S. Burlington.

Apr 25: Ralph Culver, Poet, Writer, & Critic: Poetry reading sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (1171 Main Street), St. Johnsbury. Free. 802-748-8291

Apr 26, 7pm: Lesle Lewis, author of Small Boat, which won the 2002 Iowa Poetry Prize and most recently Landscapes I & II. Her poems have appeared in many journals including the following: Pleiades, American Letters and Commentary, Northern New England Review, Old Crow, Green Mountains Review, Barrow Street, Mudfish, Slope, LIT, Sentence, and Pool. She teaches literature and writing at Landmark College in Vermont and lives in New Hampshire. Putney Public Library, Putney.
On-going, Thursdays 10 - 11 am: Otter Creek Poets meet at the Isley Public Library for a poetry workshop open to novice and advanced folks. Middlebury.

got poetry?

2007-04-02T14:30:00.000-04:00

Here's some poetry-type things happening this coming week, Vermont:

Apr. 3, 7 pm: Open Poetry Slam, Bear Pond Books, 77 Main Street, Montpelier. Bring two poems. Win gift certifcates to bookstore.

Apr. 5, 7:00 PM: Patricia Fargnoli, the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire. Patricia Fargnoli is the author of five collections of poetry, and her latest book is Duties of the Spirit ( Tupelo Press, 2005) won the 2005 Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Poetry. Her first book, Necessary Light (Utah State University Press, 1999) was awarded the 1999 May Swenson Poetry Award judged by Mary Oliver. Brooks Memorial Library, Main Street. Brattleboro.

Apr. 9, 4 pm: Poets' Tea. Honoring Poet Julia Shipley of Craftsbury, who won the Ralph Nading Hill prize for 2006, and welcoming Canterbury, NH Poet Dudley Laufman. Info: 802-748-5488 [this was also mentioned for Apr. 17th. Call first]Kingdom Books, Waterford.

Apr. 10, 6:30 pm: Peter Burns, Brandon Free Public Library, Brandon. Elocution from Lear to Carroll to Tennyson.

Apr. 10, 7 pm: Three Vermont Poets: Phyllis Larrabee, Cora Brooks and Merry Gangemi will be reading from their work. Bear Pond Books, Montpelier.

Apr. 10, 7 pm: Open Poetry Night Very tame. Participants read their own work and, this year, are also invited to bring favorite poems by other poets to read.No need to register. Borders Bookstore. 102 Dorset St. S. Burlington.

Glad to be a Gladiator

2007-04-02T14:04:00.001-04:00

I've got my poems set up this month on the retro-fitted cigarette vending machine here at the Langdon Street Cafe called The Gladiator. I've heard of one other, somewhere in Northampton, MA. Instead of cigarettes, this machine sells handmade art, puzzles, pins, zines and ... Poems!!! Yay! I'll put up a photo once I take it. There is also a "Mystery" selection which will net you any of these choices.

$3 gets you your choice. My poems are in a handmade box, carrying March Quarter Poems, and a random selection of back stock, as much as could get jammed in the box without the box jamming in the machine.

Brattleboro Folks! April poems are on their way, to celebrate National Poetry Month, in pretty little purple/pink packages, just for you! Pick yours up by the end of the week at The Twilight Tea Lounge, or Everyone's Books.

Central Vermont Poetry happenings, March

2007-03-21T18:43:00.000-04:00

I probably won't make it to all of these events, but here's what's happening in this area. Hope to see you around. Culled from various newsletters & online sites:

Mar. 26, 6pm: Poetry Out Loud Competition - Washington County division. Goddard College, Plainfield.

Mar. 27, 6 pm: Poetry Out Loud Competition - Orange County division. Chandler Opera House, Randolph.

Mar. 30th, 3:30: Cleopatra Mathis reads at St. Johnsbury Academy, Grace Stewart Orcutt Library, St. Johnsbury. Free. Info: (802) 751-2100

Mar. 31, 4 pm: Poet Rachel Hadas reads from The River of Forgetfulness and other work and receives the Athenaeum Award in the arts. Ticketed event ($15) includes reception to follow. Limited seating, reserve in advance. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 1171 Main St, St Johnsbury, VT. Info: (802) 748-8291, ext. 307

On-going, Thursdays: Otter Creek Poets meet at the Isley Public Library in Middlebury. It's a poetry workshop open to novice and advanced folks. 10-11:30 am

March Quarter Poems: Vernal Equinox

2007-03-20T12:04:00.000-04:00

'strue! March Quarter Poems have been sent down to Brattleboro. Pick yours up at The Twilight Tea Lounge. If you have a subscription at Everyone's Books, please pick up there. These four are vernal equinox themed poems.

#45: "wassail" -- originally written at a wassail party in Marlboro where everyone blessed the apple trees with an original poem.

#46: "I hate spring for its caterpillars" -- a fun poem inspired by one I'd read years ago in Green Mountians Review about slugs and marigolds. They day after I printed these, I had a dream about caterpillars.. :(

#47: "hair newly cut is a flirtatious dress" -- some of you might remember this and the night I wrote it in writing group.

#48: "falling song" because when I can't come up with a title, I usually call it a song. Included because despite Spring's approach, about a foot of snow recently fell on my house.

All poems are 25-cents individually, or $1 for the quartet. If you're missing specific numbers in your collection, I can customize a packet for you, let me know.

new address

2007-03-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

~more computer troubles, so I will have to put out a limited edition of this month's Quarter Poems. If you're not a regular reader and would like to start, please let me know and I will get them to you.

~I have a new mailing address--send all love, inquiries, etc to this address:

PHAYVANH LUEKHAMHAN

PO BOX 1224

Montpelier, VT 05601

Thanks. -p