Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Sunday, November 21, 2021

wfpr.fm: Senior Story Hour - November 2021 (audio)

"In this episode, the Franklin Senior Center writers group presents stories and poems about nature, boot camp, Falmouth MA, discussion on language and prose, life and spirituality, the dark times during the height of COVID-19, and running cross country."

This episode aired on Franklin Radio for November 2021.


Find more episodes in Google Podcast (or your favorite podcast app) ->   https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9zZW5pb3Itc2NyaWJibGVycy5jYXB0aXZhdGUuZm0vcnNzZmVlZA

Yes, listeners might recognize my voice towards the end of this episode. The cross country quintet I wrote can be found ->  https://www.quietpoet.com/2021/11/sherku-cross-country-quintet.html

You can also find the Senior Writer's group on the air anywhere in your browser window at wfpr.fm  or 102.9 on the local Franklin area FM band. Friday's at 11 AM, 2 and 8 PM, repeating on Saturday's at 4 PM

wfpr.fm: Senior Story Hour - November 2021
wfpr.fm: Senior Story Hour - November 2021

Monday, September 6, 2021

The Freedom Trail: Imaging the Age of Phyllis


On September 1, 1773, Phillis Wheatley's "Poem's on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" was published in London. Wheatley's collection was the first volume of poetry by an author of African descent to be published.  https://t.co/vzW8rtgG7x https://t.co/PwEZPZkt4F

"For many, Phillis Wheatley Peters is well known as a poet, but not as a woman. She is mainly remembered as a literary prodigy and enslaved girl in 18th century Boston who became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry.

Poet HonorĂ©e Fanonne Jeffers sought to revive and expand our collective memory of Phillis through her award-winning book The Age of Phillis. Jeffers’s evocative work calls on us to imagine Phillis through her other identities: a daughter of Africa, a friend, a wife, a mother, and an author who spoke to the historical moment of the American Revolution."

Imaging the Age of Phyllis ->  https://www.revolutionaryspaces.org/exhibits/imagining-the-age-of-phillis/

The Freedom Trail: Imaging the Age of Phyllis
The Freedom Trail: Imaging the Age of Phyllis

Monday, August 30, 2021

"poetry reminds me of those mysterious truths that can’t be reduced solely to linear thought"

"In this weary and vulnerable place, poetry whispers of truths that cannot be confined to mere rationality or experience. In a seemingly wrecked world, I’m drawn to Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Autumn” and recall that “there is One who holds this falling/Infinitely softly in His hands.” When the scriptures feel stale, James Weldon Johnson preaches through “The Prodigal Son” and I hear the old parable anew. On tired Sundays, I collapse into Wendell Berry’s Sabbath poems and find rest.

I’m not alone in my interest in this ancient art form. Poetry seems to be making a comeback. According to a 2018 survey by the National Endowment for the Arts, the number of adults who read poetry nearly doubled in five years, marking the highest number on record for the last 15 years. The poet Amanda Gorman stole the show at this year’s presidential inauguration, and her collection “The Hill We Climb” topped Amazon’s best-seller list.

There is not a simple or singular reason for this resurgence. But I think a particular gift of poetry for our moment is that good poems reclaim the power and grace of words."
Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required) 
I wake fearful
take a breath
realize
it is a
new day, we
can do this!

For more sherku and other verse I write visit https://www.quietpoet.com/


in our age of social media, words are often used as weapons. Poetry instead treats words with care
"in our age of social media, words are often used as weapons. Poetry instead treats words with care"


Thursday, February 18, 2021

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: HOME Poetry reading March 5-6

Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston (@ArtsinBoston) tweeted on Wed, Feb 17, 2021:
"The next HOME poetry reading and workshop will be on March 5-6. The theme is "I Belong There", and the facilitator is Monica Sok. In this workshop, we will read poetry of exile and ask ourselves what it means to create (be)longing inside of our poems."


City of Boston poet laureate  https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/city-boston-poet-laureate
 
 
Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: HOME Poetry reading March 5-6
Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston: HOME Poetry reading March 5-6

 

Sunday, January 24, 2021

"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


Thursday, January 21, 2021

Sunday, December 20, 2020

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

Monday, July 27, 2020

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

Sunday, May 17, 2020

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.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

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.
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.



Thursday, March 28, 2019

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
Poetry Foundation photo of Anne Bradstreet

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Mass Poetry: Poetry for a New Year



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Mass Poetry: Poetry for a New Year
Poetry for a New Year
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

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.

Saturday, October 6, 2018

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.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Join us at the 10th Mass Poetry Festival



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Join us at the 10th Mass Poetry Festival
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

A Letter from the Festival DirectorHas 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
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.
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.
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. 
Join us at the 10th Mass Poetry Festival - WBUR
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.