calendar

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

Poets of the Past

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

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

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

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

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.

Vermont Poetry Month Finale

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?

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.