2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival - May 30 to June 1 in Salem

The moment you’ve been waiting for is here! 

2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival - May 30 to June 1

The schedule for the 2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival is now live! 

Once you register for the festival, you can view our wide variety of events, panels, workshops, open mics, slams, readings, fairs, and more, with event descriptions and the people involved all attached. You name it, we’ve got it!

You can access the schedule via our website (https://festival.masspoetry.org/schedule), which is also linked in our bio!

Get browsing, poetry lovers!

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CommonWealth Magazine: "Salem BOOting visitors out for Halloween"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin: 

"SALEM MAYOR Kim Driscoll and Gov. Charlie Baker urged the public to stay away from the city until Halloween is over to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and announced a series of weekend measures to discourage visitors, including the shuttering of parking garages, 8 p.m. closings of restaurants and stores, and the shutdown of the municipality’s commuter rail stop.

“This is not the year to come to Salem,” said Driscoll who, even with the unprecedented crowd control measures, insisted “Salem will not be a ghost town on Halloween.”

Baker said in the past 50,000 to 60,000 people have shown up in Salem the weekend before Halloween and Halloween weekend. “The mall area is literally shoulder to shoulder,” he said."

 

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/salem-booting-visitors-out-for-halloween/

Gov Baker's press conference in Salem on Wednesday:  https://youtu.be/qQTiO2Kc8Z4

Affordable housing - What can Franklin do?

Yes, Franklin is sitting above the 40B line at 11.89% per Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. The percent has been known to vary. With additional residential building underway, the number can and will change. 

At the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday (coincidentally), a proposal for 100+ apartments was discussed for the former Keigan auto dealership with no affordable housing as part of the proposal.

Affordable housing should be part of the "What will Franklin look like in 2028?" discussion. Will today's children growing up here, be able to come back after college (assuming they choose that one of many routes), and afford to live here?

Franklin is not alone in this situation, a report in the Milford Daily News today shows the median home price across MA is now approaching $440,000.

"Massachusetts home sale agreements shot up 9% in July, compared to a year ago, and the median price of a single-family home put under agreement last month rose to almost $440,000."

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190814/median-mass-home-price-is-nearly-440k

 Maybe Franklin can begin like Salem has.

"The city of Salem has released a four-part video series to help residents better understand the housing shortage and the importance of creating affordable housing policies for the culturally and economically diverse city.

“Homes for Salem,” produced by the city with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, is a part of a larger community conversation about housing challenges and possible solutions, said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.

“It’s making people stop and think about what is happening in the community, especially those who may not be directly impacted,” Driscoll said. “It puts a face on the housing challenge by having those affected tell their story.”

https://www.mma.org/salem-video-series-raises-housing-challenges/

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/5ikt11DXzCw
Part 2 - https://youtu.be/BH7cHgUogv8
Part 3 - https://youtu.be/KEBgh6BUleM
Part 4 -  https://youtu.be/0417u4hhqLY

Join us at the 10th Mass Poetry Festival

View this email in your browser It's Time to Plan Your Festival Weekend! Make a schedule. Buy buttons. Join our Headline Poets Sonia Sanchez · Kaveh Akbar · Duy Doan  Jeffrey Harrison · Dorianne Laux · Erika Meitner Carl Phillips · Nicole Sealey Sean Thomas Dougherty · Rhina P. Espaillat A Letter from the Festival Director Has it been 10 years, already? Yes, it has -- and the Massachusetts Poetry Festival is back again with 10 nationally recognized, and award-winning poets headlining three days and nearly 100 different programs, including poetry readings, workshops, music, and more. Meet with poets, writers, and publishers at our small press and literary fair, or engage them in conversation at one of many sessions held throughout the weekend. Surround yourself with what's good—you may be surprised, and you may surprise yourself. Please join us for this special 10th year. Are you a first timer? Never been to Salem? Watch this video to see why Salem loves the Mass Poetry Festival! Raining Poetry for the 2017 Mass Poetry Festival Salamander 25th Anniversary Reading Saturday May 5, 2:00pm-3:00pm, The Bridge at 211 Join Ben Berman, Danielle Legros Georges, and Kelle Groom as they commemorate SALAMANDER's 25th anniversary. Poets on Autism: Hope in the Helicopter Rain Saturday May 5, 12:15pm-1:15pm, PEM Connect BLDG Sean Thomas Dougherty · Kamilah Aisha Moon · Oliver de la Paz As poets, we face the double danger of the sentimental and the exoticization of their disability. This panel will address how do poets negotiate the topic and portraiture of autism. Each panelist will read a small selection of poems that they have written about their own autistic children or siblings, and speak to the difficulties of writing these poems. How do we speak our joys, fears, love in language whose intent is to nurture, to elevate, to challenge, and to sing. Workshops are still available! Be inspired. Try something new. Surprise yourself. We have space available in a variety of workshops. You can generate new work, talk about craft with poets and poetry lovers, or ask that question about poetry you've always wanted to ask.  If you love the work we do to support poets and spread the power of poetry to students, T riders, and more, please consider supporting us with a recurring monthly donation. Donate Now Copyright © *2017* *Mass Poetry*, All rights reserved.

Franklin Newcomers Meeting to explore the Salem Witch Trials - Oct 11

The Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club will meet on Wednesday, October 11th. Their speaker for the evening will be Theresa Gillis McDougall. She'll talk about the history of the Salem Witch Trials and its victims, covering the social origins, trials and aftermath. Boston's much overlooked connections and deep involvement in the trials of 1692 will also be explored.

They invite any resident of Franklin, or a surrounding town that doesn't have a Newcomers Club, to join us at "3" Restaurant, 461 West Central Street, Franklin. Complimentary appetizers and beverages are provided and a cash bar is available.  

They meet upstairs at 7:30 PM on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Their meetings run September through May. Additionally, they hold many fun and varied events to stay connected throughout the year.

For more information, please visit their website www.franklinnewcomers.com or our Facebook page, Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club.

image from Franklin Newcomers webpage

Franklin Newcomers Meeting to explore the Salem Witch Trials - Oct 11

The Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club will meet on Wednesday, October 11th. Their speaker for the evening will be Theresa Gillis McDougall. She'll talk about the history of the Salem Witch Trials and its victims, covering the social origins, trials and aftermath. Boston's much overlooked connections and deep involvement in the trials of 1692 will also be explored.

They invite any resident of Franklin, or a surrounding town that doesn't have a Newcomers Club, to join us at "3" Restaurant, 461 West Central Street, Franklin. Complimentary appetizers and beverages are provided and a cash bar is available.  

They meet upstairs at 7:30 PM on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Their meetings run September through May. Additionally, they hold many fun and varied events to stay connected throughout the year.

For more information, please visit their website www.franklinnewcomers.com or our Facebook page, Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club.

image from Franklin Newcomers webpage

The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2017 Mass Poetry Festival!

View this email in your browser The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2017 Mass Poetry Festival! View the schedule here. 10. Sidewalk showers bring poem flowers! 9. Rough Magic, smooth slammin', and book sellin' at the Small Press and Literary Fair. 8. We'll tell the truth, and tell it slant— 7. Disrobe your soul at our late-night poetry bordello! 6. Nowhere else can you find so many people who can rhyme the word "orange." 5. Doughnuts, Death, and Dickinson—'nuff said. 4. It's the only festival where the lines are not too long. 3. Our festival will be big! The biggest! Bigly! Tremendous! Believe me! 2. Poetry in Salem - a sanctuary for all who seek it.   And the #1 reason to attend the 2016 Mass Poetry Festival … 1. Our poets will Sleigh, they'll carry you for Myles, and you'll leave with an abundance of gratitude. See you in Salem! Copyright © 2017 Mass Poetry, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Mass Poetry 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103 Boston, MA 02210

The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2016 Mass Poetry Festival!

View this email in your browser The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2016 Mass Poetry Festival! View the schedule here. 10. Prose Poets vs. Dadaists bake-off. 9. Find poems as hard as granite, as soft as forgiveness. 8. Commit Random Acts of Poetry at the PEM! 7. It's the best place to dote on Marie Howe and wonder how Mark Doty does it. 6. Have the submission process de-mystified—won't that be nice? 5. Slams—where poetry collides with performance and no one's got insurance. 4. The Atlantic's got nothing on Ocean Vuong! 3. Didn't that guy, right over there, win a Pulitzer Prize? 2. It costs hardly a cento.   And the #1 reason to attend the 2016 Mass Poetry Festival … National Poetry Month may be ending, but we're just getting started! See you in Salem! If you love the work we do to support poets and spread the love and power of poetry to students, T riders, and more, please consider supporting us with a recurring monthly donation of $10. Donate Now Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2016 Mass Poetry, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up on our website. Our mailing address is: Mass Poetry 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103 Boston, MA 02210

The latest from Mass Poetry

Festival headliners announced; Proposal deadline extended, Plein air poetry, Poem of the Moment, Archives, Coming up on the statewide calendar and more View this email in your browser Announcing a partial list of #MPF16 headliners! Marie Howe, Sandra Beasley, Mark Doty, Ada Limón, Gregory Pardlo, David Rivard, and Charles Simic are coming to Salem! This is one festival you won't want to miss!  100+ readings, panels, and workshops. All poetry, all day, for three days! If you haven't already, save the date for April 29 - May 1 in Salem! Info on button sales, hotel room blocks, and more coming soon. Have you been working on or considering a festival proposal? We are extending the proposal deadline to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. Get those great ideas in! Read the guidelines and submit. Check out "What is Poetry: Scenes from the 2015 Festival" and revisit our 2015 photo gallery & video gallery! Plein Air: Poetry in and About the Natural World   What is plein air poetry and what are its roots? "En plein air is a French term, literally translated as 'in the open air.' So simply put, plein air poetry is poetry written out of doors. The tradition of identifying artistic work as plein air began in the mid-nineteenth century with the Barbizon, Hudson River, and Impressionist Schools of painting. Although artists had often painted outside, during this period, painters became particularly interested in painting in natural light, and the invention of paints in tubes facilitated this practice." Continue Reading. Check out our archives! Articles, poems, books, oh my! Articles: We publish at least one story every week on masspoetry.org, and all stories from the past year are now available on our article archive page. Stories will be added to the archive page when they come off of our current articles page, which always features the latest eight stories.  Poems: Our website features an archive of all Poems of the Moment that have been featured weekly for the past several years. If ever you are in the mood to browse poems by Massachusetts poets, the Poem of the Moment archive is the spot for you!  Extra, extra: Okay, so this isn't an archive! But be sure to check out our New Books By Massachusetts Poets page, which features--you guessed it--new full-length books of poetry by Massachusetts poets. (Pub date within a year.) At the bottom of the new books page, you'll also find all past interviews from our "Getting to Know" poets with new books series. Poem of the Moment Joyce Peseroff: HitchBOT HitchBOT, you look like a toy in a war zone, a photograph staged to crack the heart. HitchBOT, you're like my kid's old Barbie, dressed and undressed, decapitated with familiar contempt. HitchBOT, you're the highway's first dweeby victim in a horror movie franchise, Son or Revenge Of. Continue Reading. Coming up on the Statewide Poetry Calendar: Saturday, October 31: Voices from Beyond: A one day studio workshop for all writers Sunday, November 1: Concord Festival of Authors  Tom Daley, Rebecca Kaiser Gibson and Kathy Nilsson Poetry Reading Monday, November 2: Open Mic and Poetry Reading with Alan Albert and Susan Nisenbaum Becker I Carry My Mother: A Reading by Leslea Newman Blacksmith House Poetry Series Tuesday, November 3: 2x2 Reading Series Wednesday, November 4: Rebecca Kaiser Gibson and Gary Whited Poetry Reading David Ferry Poetry Reading EXTENDED DEADLINE! Submit your proposal for the 2016 Massachusetts Poetry Festival by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. ALSO: • Nov 1 Deadline: Apply to be Common Threads 2017 Guest Editor • Nov 6 Deadline: Submit visual art to our Common Threads cover art contest on the theme of "threshold moments." Guidelines/instructions on our website. If you love the work we do to support poets and spread the love and power of poetry to students, T riders, and more, please consider supporting us with a recurring monthly donation of $5-$10 per month. Donate Now Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2015 Mass Poetry, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Mass Poetry 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103 Boston, MA 02210 Add us to your address book