"Using your voice is a political choice" | Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman captured my attention (along with many others) on Wednesday. Here are a couple of videos that share insights into her person and poetry. 

Using your voice is a political choice | Amanda Gorman

"For anyone who believes poetry is stuffy or elitist, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman has some characteristically well-chosen words. According to Amanda, poetry is for everyone, because at its core it's all about connection and collaboration. In this fierce Talk, Amanda explains why poetry is inherently political (in the best way!), she pays homage to her honorary ancestors, and she stresses the value of speaking out despite your fears. "Poetry has never been the language of barriers, it's always been the language of bridges."

Direct video link = https://youtu.be/plU-QpcEswo

 

 

'Overjoyed': Hear from poet who stole the show at inauguration

"CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with Amanda Gorman, the nation's first-ever youth poet laureate, after she delivered a poem at the inauguration of President Joe Biden"

Direct video link = https://youtu.be/qHhut5nhI8g

"to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside"

If you were taken by Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem "The Hill We Climb" on Wednesday, you can view the audio and read the text. The turns of phrase are impressive and memorable.

View the video and text:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/amanda-gorman-poem-biden-inauguration-transcript

And be sure to visit her own page for more of her work

https://www.theamandagorman.com/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/689867/the-hill-we-climb-by-amanda-gorman/9780593465271/

Nikki Giovanni: "We find the song in the darkest days"

From the New York Times:

"Over the course of her 52-year career, Nikki Giovanni has written 12 children’s books and eight nonfiction books, and she has released 10 spoken word albums. But the genre for which she is best known is poetry.

When you flip through a stack of her 19 collections (it’s a tall stack), you find her face, still radiant and smiling at 77, staring back at you from the covers. This is an unusual choice for the jacket of a poetry book, but Giovanni is the rare poet whom a good number of people will actually recognize — a distinction that is all the more noteworthy considering how long it has been true.

She was name-checked in the 1980 Teena Marie song “Square Biz,” featured in the Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn in 2016, and both seen and heard reading her poem “Dream” last fall in a campaign ad for Joseph R. Biden Jr. It was 1972 when Ebony magazine first called her “a personality, a star.” Her staying power over half a century comes from a stream of acclaimed work, her proclivity for a punishing schedule of tours and readings, and a fearlessness born of not caring what foolish people think.

“The best thing you can do for yourself is to not pay attention,” Giovanni said during a video interview from her home in Christiansburg, Va."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/books/nikki-giovanni-make-me-rain.html

Listen to a wonderful interview with Nikki Giovanni and Neil Pasricha   https://www.3books.co/chapters/65

Voices of Franklin: Pandemic Poetry by Faith Flaherty

Here is a couple of acrostic, pandemic poetry. An acrostic poem is a poem where certain letters in each line spell out a word.

Faith

Contrary to fear, let’s relish our family time.
Ours to do what we always wanted:
Rest, read, do whatever enters our mind,
Only walk wherever our feet led.
No one to impress, no one to care.
Alone. We can go most anywhere!

***********************************************************

Can I throw kisses
Over fences and through doors,
Very heartfelt messages?
Isolated and alone, catch them,
Destined to outlast a virus.

"Voices of Franklin" is open to all residents and reader of Franklin Matters. Details can be found  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

Pandemic Poetry: The Devil Rides on Bacilli by Faith Flaherty

Pernicious evil growing
from dark pathogens
unearthed in a Wuhan lab
or the open market.

Eaten by an ant.
Swallowed by a bat.
Lapped by a pangolin.
Relished by a man.

No reason to make ado.
Some always look to blame.
Others always find conspiracy.
Then there's just bad Karma.

The fact that it survives
washing hands,
wearing gloves,
donning face masks,

is a testimony to the stubbornness
of an enemy beyond our eyes,
waiting to pounce and ride
round the world with abandonment.

What weapon will kill it?
Soap and vaccine will slow
but never have victory over
a bloodless, fleshless germ.

Wait till summer, some say.
The heat will kill the virus.
Then throw this bane back
to hell where it was conceived.

Library of Congress: Celebrating 200 Years of Walt Whitman

Celebrating 200 Years of Walt Whitman The Library of Congress will celebrate the 200th anniversary of American poet and changemaker Walt Whitman's birthday in spring 2019 with a series of exhibits, public programs and a digital crowdsourcing campaign to showcase the Library's unparalleled collections of Whitman's writings and artifacts. Click here for more information https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-041/celebrating-200-years-of-walt-whitman-with-series-of-exhibits-events-and-digital-crowdsourcing-to-showcase-collections/2019-04-16/. Walt Whitman in his younger years, as shown in this 1854 engraving by Samuel Hollyer used in the 1855 first edition of "Leaves of Grass." Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

In the News: Ryan Martin selected 'Celtics Junior Broadcaster'; Grave search for America's first published poet

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

Ryan Martin selected 'Celtics Junior Broadcaster'

"Like many 14-year-old boys, Ryan Martin enjoys playing baseball and basketball. But unlike some of his peers, he already knows what he wants to do when he can’t play sports anymore. 

Ryan aspires to be a sports broadcaster, and earlier this month he got a taste of what his adult working life might look like. He was selected as a “Celtics Junior Broadcaster” after submitting a short video of himself to the NBA team, and his reward was to join the radio and TV crews for a March 14 Celtics game against the Sacramento Kings at TD Garden. 

Ryan was interviewed on air by NBC Sports Boston anchor/reporter Kyle Draper. He also joined Celtics commentator Sean Grande of 98.5 The Sports Hub for the radio station’s halftime show. 

“That night was truly unbelievable,” Ryan told the Daily News last week. “Just seeing the Celtics shooting around and being three inches away from (players) Al Horford and Aron Baynes. It was really a great experience.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190328/franklins-ryan-martin-14-joins-celtics-as-junior-broadcaster

Grave search for America's first published poet

"Anne Bradstreet was the North American continent’s first published poet, yet her legacy has largely been lost to time. 

Now, professors and students at Merrimack College in Massachusetts are trying to pinpoint her burial site while at the same time restoring her legacy and what they say is her rightful place in the pantheon of Western literature. 

“Even though we don’t know much about her, she was a household name in the 17th century, both here and in England,” said Christy Pottroff, an assistant professor of English at Merrimack. 

Bradstreet’s 1650 book of poetry, “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America,” was a sensation both in the Colonies and in her native England, where people were fascinated by her accounts of everyday life in the New World."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190327/search-on-for-burial-site-of-americas-first-published-poet

The Poetry Foundation has additional material on Anne and her poetry
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anne-bradstreet

Poetry Foundation photo of Anne Bradstreet

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.

Library of Congress: Poet Laureate Launches "The Slowdown"

U.S. Poet Laureate Brings Poetry to Podcast and Radio with 'The Slowdown' U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith will soon bring the power of poetry to listeners across the globe as host of a weekday podcast and radio feature titled "The Slowdown." "The show will debut on podcast platforms in November; it will be made available to public radio stations nationwide early next year." Click here for more information https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-18-126/?loclr=ealn.

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.

Updated: Readers for "A Favorite Poem Project" - Oct 25

FIVE MORE DAYS! In five more days, on October 25, 2017, My Favorite Poem Project will happen. 

Here's the line-up of readers. 
The order is alphabetical according to the poet.

• A Brave and Startling Truth by Maya Angelou, read by Dr. Dawn Poirier, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Dean College 
• Caged Bird by Maya Angelou, read by students in Horace Mann's sixth grade 
• The Lanyard by Billy Collins, read by Franklin Library Director, Dr. Felicia Oti 
• Poem 341 Hope Is A Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson, read by Horance Mann teacher, Noreen Langmeyer 
• The Calf Path by Sam Foss, read by our Town Administrator, Jeff Nutting 
• Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, read by Franklin Cable TV, Ken Norman 
• The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, read by Jeffrey Roy our State Representative 
• Democracy by Langston Hughes, read by Horace Mann teacher, Joe Corey 
• Go Down Death, by James Weldon Johnson, read by Senior Scribbler, Clarice Cargill
  Untitled—by Barbara Karmelin, read by Senior Scribbler, Barbara Karmelin 
• If, by Rudyard Kipling, read by Jean Burke of the Norfolk Quill Writers' Group 
• Mother Earth's Hair by Charmagne Laprise, read by Senior Scribbler, Charmagne Laprise 
• If Only We Were Taller by Ray Bradbury, read by the Editor for the Country Gazette and Wicked Local Franklin, Heather Swails-McCarron 
• Mr. Macklin's Jack O'Lantern by David McCord, read by Faith Flaherty 
• Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver, read by Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Sara Ahern 
• The Story of the Christmas Guest by Helen Steiner Rice, read by the President of Franklin Interfaith Council, Georgia Sander 
• Sick by Shel Silverstein, read by Franklin High School Principal, Paul Peri 
• I Am by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, read by Horace Mann Principal, Rebecca Motte

A Favorite Poem Project - Oct 25

If you have a poem you would like to read, please contact Faith Flaherty at faithflaherty@verizon.net

For more information on the Favorite Poem Project  http://www.favoritepoem.org/index.html

This was originally posted a while ago

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/10/a-favorite-poem-project-oct-25.html