The latest from Mass Poetry

Poetry on the T Contest open for voting; Festival poet Stephen Burt; Workshops at the festival; Poem of the Moment; Charles Simic at Peabody Institute Library; U35 next Tuesday; Coming up on our statewide calendar; and more View this email in your browser Cast your vote! Public voting for our Poetry on the T Contest is open. Our Poetry Partners have helped us narrow down hundreds of Poetry on the T Contest entries and we have 15 wonderful finalists awaiting your votes. Which poems do you want to see on the T in May? Cast your vote by next Thursday, March 26 at 8 a.m. Winning poems debut on the T May 4. Festival Poet Stephen Burt: Suburbia Seasoned with Unease by Jacquelyn Malone Here are poems about babies and children, about shopping and Subarus, about the wedding of friends and the occasions of suburbia. The tenderness with which he views life in the town of Belmont, Massachusetts is both unexpected and captivating. And yet these poems about the commonplace of our lives are offset by a deep unease with both what is and the alternatives to what is. Continue reading. Festival Spotlight   Workshops galore! Everyone loves a good workshop, and at this year's festival, we've got 19 workshops on the docket.  How do the workshops work? A button to attend the festival readings and panels for all three days is $15, but if you are interested in attending workshops, there is an additional $10 flat fee. For that $10, you can take as many workshops as you like. We highly suggest you register for the workshops of your choice ASAP by creating a profile on our site and adding the session to your calendar. In workshops, seats are reserved for those who have registered. If the workshop registration is full, you'll be placed onto a waitlist. We also suggest that on the day of the workshop, even if you weren't able to register, you come to the door to see if you can get in. Sometimes people who register don't make it, and about five minutes after the session has started, those spots are fair game. Poem of the Moment Alan Albert: Essay on a Son I had this in a dream: Tom will marry once. He will have two children and be happy in his marriage and it will be a long one. This will come from me, his father, though I did not marry once and have a long and happy marriage. He will have children and be a good father. With his beloved wife he will have Continue reading. Getting to Know Karina Borowicz and Her New Book Proof Available now from Amazon.com  "Poems often come from something I've witnessed, read, or experienced. It's not an intellectual process for me, however. I like to say that something has to cease being an idea in my head and become a feeling in my gut before it becomes a poem." Continue reading. Next Tuesday March 24, 7 p.m. The Marliave Restaurant, Boston RSVP & Share U35 on Facebook. Featuring David DiSarro, Richard Shideler, and Denise Warren. Each poet will read for 15 minutes, with short breaks in between for mingling, drink refreshments, and food orders! David DiSarro From "I Used to Play In Bands" "The crowd, unaware, thinned, pushed through carved doors out into the chorus of sirens and car horns, and necked beneath the neon," Richard Shideler From "Note on a coffee table" "if I ever tell you I'm planning to move back, talk me out of it. My overcoat is underused and my trenchcoat has never seen the trenches." Denise Warren From "Please Take Care When Eating A Kiwi" "In the skin of the kiwi I have found four pinholes. I have found a child climbing high in a tree, a string quartet, a bicycle." Experiencing Poetry, This Time with Charles Simic: Peabody Institute Library by Kelley Rae Unger Opportunities to experience poetry are sought after by many, and the Peabody Institute Library strives to create opportunities for community members to do just that. Through writing workshops, discussion groups, classes, and author visits, the library reaches out to the poetry community of the North Shore, offering multiple events each year all free to the public. Continue reading. Coming up on our statewide poetry calendar: Tonight (Thursday, March 19) The 15th Annual Robert Creeley Award Night Andrea Cohen & Danielle Jones-Pruett Reading Saturday, March 21 Wake Up and Smell the Poetry Calliope Poetry Series, 'The Music of Syntax' Got Poetry? Open Mic Series Poesy Magazine 40th Issue Celebratory Reading Sunday, March 22 Love, Poetry, and the Things of the World More Money Than God - Publication Party Tuesday, March 24 U35 Reading Series John Hodgen and Fred Marchant Reading at Assumption College Reading: Martha Collins and Jeffrey Harrison Stephen Mitchell Poetry Reading Wednesday, March 25 Speak Up Spoken Word Open Mic On March 25, Mass Poetry is partnering with MASSCreative for Arts Matter Advocacy Day, to show our state political leaders that arts matter in Massachusetts. Beginning at the Citi Wang Theatre in downtown Boston, Arts Matter Advocacy Day will bring together the statewide creative community for a half-day event, featuring speakers, performers, connecting with colleagues, and an "Arts Matter March" to the State House to meet with our legislators. RSVP to attend Arts Matter Advocacy Day. Visit these presses and orgs at the Small Press Fair: Adastra Press • Bottle Rocket Press • Hedgerow Books • Human Error Publishing • Journal of the Month • Mock Orange Magazine • Perugia Press • Salamander • Slate Roof Press • Swamp Press • Tuesday: An Art Project • Tupelo Press • Zephyr Press Interested in having a table? Sign up or contact M.P. Carver at mp@masspoetry.org. The ad deadline for the festival program book is Sunday, March 22. Check out rates and book your ad space now! Partners & Small Press Fair exhibitors, ask about your discount when booking. Statewide Poetry Calendar • Participate • New Books by Massachusetts Poets • Massachusetts Poet Database • Poetry Partners • Sponsorship Opportunities

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