The latest from Mass Poetry

View this email in your browser Starting next week, watch for Poetry on the T! These three poems, by 2015 Mass Poetry Festival headliner Edward Hirsch, 2015 Common Threads poet Rhina P. Espaillat, and U35 poet Hannah Larrabee, will be up on the red line beginning Tuesday, March 9! Plan your visit to the Mass Poetry Festival In case you missed it this week, the schedule for the 7th Massachusetts Poetry Festival is now live! Join us May 1-3 in Salem with headliners Rita Dove • Richard Blanco • Stephen Burt • Denise Duhamel • Nick Flynn • Regie Gibson • Jorie Graham • Edward Hirsch • Richard Hoffman • Adrian Matejka • Marge Piercy • Rachel Wiley • and with the hundreds of fabulous poets participating in sessions. Buy your button today! Check out Tuesday's release email for information on creating your custom schedule, joining the attendee directory, participating in the Small Press Fair, listing an off-site event, volunteering, and more.  Common Threads at Grub Street with Ben Berman • April 2, 6-9 p.m. Join Mass Poetry and Grub Street Writers for a Common Threads discussion and writing workshop. We will both discuss the wonderful selections in this year's Common Threads Poems and use these poems as inspiration to write our own original pieces. There will be an opportunity to write and receive feedback during the workshop, and everyone will leave with a richer appreciation of the Common Threads Poems and a new draft of an original poem. This session is free and is limited to fifteen attendees. To reserve your spot, click here and sign up to add the event to your Common Threads calendar. Common Threads events have been taking place all over the state! Don't forget to be checking out our Common Threads event calendar regularly.  On Festival Poet Denise Duhamel by Dawn Paul Poetry is Duhamel's affirmative answer to all that life throws at her, from the dissolution of love to the certain knowledge that our time here is limited. Though she will welcome you with the familiar or even the frivolous, she will drop you off at the big questions of transcendence and mystery. Read more. Poem of the Moment Linda McCarriston: Mr. No Class, USA Thinking of how he will live             just shy of retirement                         if all goes well if all goes the way the ads             on t.v. suggest it must                         urge him to think it will, gardening with the little lady             say, golfing maybe, just                         tossing the ball with the dog in Continue reading. Why I Love Poetry by julie ann otis "The dusty manacles of what we think poetry and theatre are still weigh on us. But though the outdated or overwrought may give our art a bad name, they also provide the springboard for our minds to be blown by the true, clear voice of those gifted few who pierce thru and captivate us." Continue reading. Coming up March 24 7 p.m., The Marliave, Boston Featuring: David DiSarro Richard Shideler Denise Warren RSVP & share the Facebook event, and visit our website for more info! Coming up on our statewide calendar: Tonight (Thursday, March 5) • The Ones We Carry: A Literary Evening with Lesléa Newman Friday, March 6 • Fundraiser: An Evening with Harbor Mountain Press & Alice B. Fogel, Diana Whitney, Peter Money, and Partridge Boswell  Sunday, March 8 • Calliope Poetry Series featuring Danielle Legros Georges, John Holgerson & Sandra Storey To submit an event, click here. To submit a Common Threads event, click here. Statewide Poetry Calendar • Participate • New Books by Massachusetts Poets • Massachusetts Poet Database • Poetry Partners • Sponsorship Opportunities Share Tweet Forward Facebook Twitter MassPoetry.org Copyright © 2015 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 update, The Writers House, Common Threads,                                                   View in your browser Poem of the Moment, U35 on Jan 20, and more Mass Poetry Festival Update We are in the process of finalizing the programming for the 2015 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, May 1-3 in historic downtown Salem, and the schedule will be up soon! In the meantime, learn more about one of our featured poets, Denise Duhamel. Denise Duhamel's most recent book of poetry Blowout (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and winner of a 2014 Paterson Poetry Prize. Her other books include Ka-Ching! (Pittsburgh, 2009), Two and Two (Pittsburgh, 2005), Queen for a Day: Selected and New Poems (Pittsburgh, 2001), The Star-Spangled Banner (winner of the Crab Orchard Award, Southern Illinois University Press, 1999) and Kinky (Orchises Press, 1997.) She is the recipient of awards including fellowships from the Guggenhiem Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The guest editor for The Best American Poetry 2013, she is a professor at Florida International University in Miami. The Writers House at Merrimack College An installment in our Poetry Communities series Since opening its doors in September of 2013, the Writers House has become a creative community for writers, filmmakers, playwrights and poets in North Andover, Massachusetts. As a part of Merrimack College, the Writers House creates a niche space for students to write, read and create. It is the "president of the college's investment of the imagination," says Andrea Cohen, poet and director of the program. The Writers House fosters imagination and ingenuity across several mediums. In order to reach out to  as many students as possible, the Writers House offers a variety of programs and workshops. Read more. Join us for 2015's first U35! Tuesday, Jan 20, 7 p.m. The Marliave Restaurant, Boston   Featuring Alyssa Mazzarella, Matt Parker, and Victoria Thompson RSVP & share the event via Facebook Alyssa Mazzarella is an MFA candidate in poetry and a creative writing instructor at UMass Boston. In 2013, she received an Academy of American Poets Prize and a Mary Doyle Curran Creative Writing scholarship. She's previously taught at Baystate Correctional Center and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and holds a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College. Her poems have appeared in Freshwater and Common Ground Review. Matt Parker has been an avid fan of poetry since his childhood, and used it as a life saver during his tumultuous adolescence. Matt began to share his poetry and encourage others to use it as a coping tool in his career field as a youth development professional; he is still learning and teaching poetry to students in schools & community settings, co-facilitating the Boston S.O.U.P. (society of urban poetry) project, and supporting community causes everywhere. Victoria Thompson studied in the MFA poetry program at the University of New Hampshire. She currently teaches 4th and 5th grade English as a Second Language in Boston Public Schools and lives in Arlington, MA. Poem of the Moment Jennifer Markell: Montebello Road How quickly they shut it down— three men, a garbage truck, cars backed up, leaves blowing wild. A gust sends stink: pork rind, coffee grounds, ferment of rotting pumpkins. The men haul bags, heave bales, bassinette, oven door. They laugh and shrug, step up, jump down Continue reading. Common Threads has arrived! We are thrilled to release Common Threads 2015, guest edited by Alice Kociemba, contributed to by Robert Pinsky, and graced with eight stunning poems by Massachusetts poets! It includes discussion questions, writing prompts and more, and boasts a complementary media package and a host of exciting events throughout 2015. Check out yesterday's official launch announcement for all the details. This week is a good one to curl up with our updated list of favorite poems for winter nights, wouldn't you say? Happy new year and warm thoughts to you and yours!   Donate Now Statewide Poetry Calendar • Participate • Articles • New Books by Massachusetts Poets • Massachusetts Poet Database • Poetry Partners • Funder Wall of Fame • Sponsorship Opportunities • 2014 Activities Report Share Tweet Forward

Mass Poetry · 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103 · Boston, MA 02210 · USA

Mass Poetry: Common Threads 2015 is here!

View this email in your browser Common Threads 2015 has arrived! We are excited to release the fifth edition of Common Threads, guest edited by Alice Kociemba, contributed to by Robert Pinsky, and graced with eight stunning poems by Massachusetts poets! It includes discussion questions, writing prompts and more, and boasts a complementary media package and a host of exciting events throughout 2015. Check out the Common Threads page of our website or use these quick links: FREE PDF $10 HARDCOPY MEDIA PACKAGE EVENTS (to be continuously updated throughout the year) New this year: 1) Common Threads events can take place anytime in 2015, so if you are interested in hosting a discussion or writing group, you can still do so! We just ask that you sign up so we can keep track of all the groups happening across the state. 2) Please send us photos & videos! We would love to add you to the media package--record yourself reading your favorite poem from the issue, take a snapshot of yourself with the issue, etc., and send to commonthreads@masspoetry.org or share via social media using the hashtag #CommonThreads2015. If you are hosting a Common Threads event that is open to the public, please submit your event info when ready so that we can add it to the calendar. Where might I run a Common Threads group? At a library near you! (Check out the simple search feature in the upper right-hand corner.) With seniors in your area With your church group or school At a local coffee shop or bookstore With friends! We've got poets available to partner with you if needed (you can request one during sign-up or via email), and a live webinar with Alice Kociemba on Jan 16 (limited spots available) if you'd benefit from a run-through with a Common Threads veteran. Our Suggestions for Common Threads Discussion Group Leaders might also be helpful. Questions? Contact us at commonthreads@masspoetry.org. Help us spread the word on social media with these ready-made posts! On Facebook: Common Threads 2015 is here! Bring poetry into your community today. masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 Common Threads: Diverse, accessible, contemporary poems by MA poets + discussion questions, writing prompts, & more. Explore the free PDF & ways to get involved at masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 Not sure you like poetry? Step out of your comfort zone this year by checking out Common Threads, an outreach program connecting people and communities with poetry. Get the free PDF & find events near you at masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 On Twitter: Common Threads 2015 is here! Explore the free PDF at masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 @masspoetry Diverse, accessible poems by MA poets + discussion questions, writing prompts & more masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 @masspoetry Not sure you like poetry? See if you connect with one of these 8 poems by MA poets. masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 @masspoetry Lead or attend a poetry group this year with Common Threads! masspoetry.org/commonthreads #Threads15 @masspoetry Share Tweet Forward Facebook Twitter MassPoetry.org Copyright © 2015 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 Add us to your address book