First poem contest - deadline to enter is March 15

First poem contest - deadline to enter is March 15

Hey, batter-batter swing! If you’re a New England poet, Mass Poetry wants you to step up to the plate and take a crack at our First Poem Contest for the chance to kick off the first headlining event of the 2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, taking place May 31st and June 1st.

The winner and two honorable mentions will be invited to read their poem in person at the Festival. The cash prize is $250 for the winner and $50 for honorable mentions. 

There is a $10 entry fee, which supports the Festival and the contest. A fee-free option is available for students or anyone for whom the entry fee would present a barrier. The deadline to submit is March 15th.

More info here:  https://festival.masspoetry.org/first-poem-contest/

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Save The Date! Evening of Inspired Leaders Reading their Favorite Poem - Nov 14 (hybrid fund raiser)

Mass Poetry warmly invites you to join us at the eighth annual Evening of Inspired Leaders an in-person and live streamed event that brings together exceptional leaders from diverse fields to each read their favorite poem and reflect on its connection to their life and work. 

The event will take place on Monday, November 14th from 7:30 - 9 PM at Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116. You can register, become a sponsor, RSVP, and more here, as well as view the attached save the date here with full details. 

Confirmed speakers for this year's event include:

• Lee Pelton | President & CEO, The Boston Foundation
• Michael Bobbitt | Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council
• Dr. Kimberly Frazier-Booth | Instructor, Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers
• Dr. Jennifer Childs-Roshak | CEO, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts
• Bill McKibben | Author, Educator, Activist, Founder of the Third Act; The New Yorker
• emcee Rupa Shenoy, WBUR reporter  

• Josie Colon | Teen Council Member, Mass Poetry.

The night will be full of inspiring words, surrounded by our community as we celebrate poetry, uplift organizations in Massachusetts and elsewhere, as well as fundraise for our program. 

We appreciate your support and hope to see you there. 

Sincerely, 

Daniel Johnson

Executive Director/Tel: 617-600-6372

Save The Date! Evening of Inspired Leaders Reading their Favorite Poem - Nov 14 (hybrid fund raiser

Mass Poetry: Poetry for a New Year

View this email in your browser Dear Friend of Mass Poetry – New Year's Resolutions come in many stripes; here at Mass Poetry we're resolved to double our reach in 2019. But to do that, we need your help. In 2018, we put poetry in front of more New Englanders than ever before: ·      With our "Poetry on the T" program, tens of thousands of Bostonians encountered a poem on their commute, while riding the T; ·      More than 4,000 middle school and high school students across the state of Massachusetts participated in one of our "Student Day of Poetry" events – for many of those students it was their first encounter with poetry; ·      "Raining Poetry" (if you haven't watched the video – more than 24 million views! – watch it now) surprised people all over the Boston metro area by revealing poetry on the sidewalk – but only when it rains; https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkMag/videos/10154210845129826/ ·      Thousands of people from across New England attended our Poetry Festival this past year in Salem; ·      Hundreds of classrooms and book groups used our Common Threads poetry guide to celebrate National Poetry Month; ·      Our Spring Showers poetry installation at the Prudential Center in Boston brought poetry to a whole new audience. But our aspirations for 2019 are even greater. Why? Because words matter. In our increasingly connected-but-distant world, poetry captures a kind of magic that makes the moment sing. Bringing poetry to all kinds of communities around Massachusetts is the purpose of Mass Poetry – and your contribution, no matter how modest, makes a difference. With your help, we can double our reach in 2019. Please give today. Thank you for everything you do for poetry – Nicco Mele P.S. Please give – every dollar counts 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.

Electrifying News from Mass Poetry

Given the discussion around a Mixed Business Innovation District for Franklin, it was timely to see how a similar mixed business use in Boston is developing.

View this email in your browser https://mailchi.mp/e79251110b53/the-mass-poetry-festival-bordello-beckons-348845?e=97cf13d93c Dear poets, bibliophiles, friends, colleagues, and Mass Poetry champions, We just learned this truly stunning news, after hoping and waiting for months…   The City of Boston has selected GrubStreet to open a narrative arts center in Boston's Seaport District with Mass Poetry as a key partner and an anchor tenant! Thank you to so many of you for backing this dream of a long-term home for Mass Poetry. Thousands of you signed our petition. Countless others placed calls and wrote letters of support. It worked! Spearheaded by GrubStreet, the new narrative arts center will be a long-term home for writing and reading in Boston. It will come to life at 50 Liberty on Fan Pier. GrubStreet will oversee and operate 13,000 square-feet of cultural space featuring a literary stage, classrooms for writing workshops, podcast studio, and a bookstore and a café. And Mass Poetry will bring the poetry - from renowned poets featured on the literary stage to expanded workshop offerings and site-specific poetry installations such as Raining Poetry and more. "It's our collective vision to lift up all voices and ensure that artistic education is available to everyone – especially those who have been marginalized," said Eve Bridburg, GrubStreet's executive director, about making the narrative arts center a home for all. "Mass Poetry couldn't be more excited to partner with GrubStreet, a pioneering organization that has transformed Boston's literary scene," added Michael Ansara, Mass Poetry's co-founder. As sawdust begins to fly, Mass Poetry will be launching a strategic planning process, so we can dream together with our partners and backers about what having a long-term home in Boston's Seaport will mean for us. We will also be placing the Spring 2019 Massachusetts Poetry Festival on hold, as we do so. But don't worry; the festival will be back, bigger and better than ever! Lastly, we would like to offer our own thanks to the Calderwood Foundation for supporting the creation of Boston's first narrative arts center with a $2,000,000 pledge to GrubStreet. Thank you for backing Mass Poetry's work at every turn. We look forward to showing you our new home soon. And congratulations again to GrubStreet and to all writers and readers in Boston as we move forward together on this exciting collaboration! With pride and excitement, Daniel Johnson, Executive Director, Mass Poetry Nicco Mele, Board Chair, Mass Poetry 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.

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.