PA Poetry

Mary Ann Samyn - March 25 - Johnstown

2010-03-01T15:25:00.001-05:00

Mary Ann Samyn, award winning poet, will appear at 7:30 PM Thursday, March 25 in the J Irving Whalley Memorial Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown campus.

Samyn is the author of Rooms by the Sea (chapbook, Kent State University Press), Captivity Narrative (Ohio State University), Inside the Yellow Dress, Purr, and Beauty Breaks In.

Samyn's appearance is part of a poetry series begun in 2004 and made possible by a generous endowment from UPJ alumna Esther Goldhaber Jcovitz. Previous poets have included Lynn Emanuel, Terrance Hayes, Nick Flynn, Thomas Lux, Marilyn Chin, J. Allyn Rosser, and Mark Halliday.

An Associate Professor in the MFA creative writing program at West Virginia University (where she has won awards as an outstanding teacher and researcher), Samyn's poetry has appeared in many of our nation's best literary journals. She has also been awarded the Emily Dickinson Prize from the Poetry Society of America, the James Wright Prize, and a Pushcart Prize.

This event is free of charge and open to the public. A book signing will follow.

Patricia Smith: Bucknell: 3/23/10

2010-03-01T15:23:00.001-05:00

Poetry reading by Patricia Smith
Tuesday, March 23
7 PM, Bucknell Hall, on the campus of Bucknell University

Patricia Smith is the author of Blood Dazzler (Coffee House Press, 2008), a poetic chronicle of the physical and emotional toil of Hurricane Katrina.

KATRINA

I was birthed restless and elsewhere

gut dragging and bulging with ball lightning, slush,
broke through branches, steel

I was bitch-monikered, hipped, I hefted
a whip rain, a swirling sheet of grit.

Scraping toward the front of you, hungering for wood, walls,
unturned skin. With shifting and frantiv mouth, I loudly loved
the slow bones

of elders, fools, and willows.

K.A. Hays: Bloomsburg: 3/4/10

2010-03-01T15:04:00.000-05:00

Poetry reading by K.A. Hays
Thursday, March 4
7:30 PM at the Bloomsburg Public Library

Poems from Katie Hays' first book, Dear Apocalypse (Carnegie Mellon 2009), have appeared or will be in The Best American Poetry 2009, The Yale Anthology of Younger American Poetry, The Southern Review, and Gray's Sporting Journal.

Her chapbook, Some Monolith, was published this winter as part of the Black Warrior Review Chapbook Series, and contains seventeen poems from her in-progress second manuscript; other poems which have appeared or are forthcoming in American Poetry Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, and Poetry Northwest. Katie is currently finishing her third year as the Emerging Writer at Bucknell's Stadler Center for Poetry. She and her husband are hikers, canoeists, and soon-to-be parents (due in April).

This event is sponsored by the River Poets, and will be followed by an open reading. MC: Mike DeMarco.

New chapbook forthcoming by Noel Sloboda

2010-02-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

Noel Sloboda's new chapbook, Of Things Passed, is now available for pre-order at Finishing Line Press. For preorders placed before April 9th, shipping is only $1. You can pre-order from this webpage (scroll down until you see the grenade and kitty, 15th row).
~
Advance comments on this collection:

"The wry humor and sensibility of the poems within Of Things Passed skillfully draws one into Noel Sloboda's world as he resurrects childhood memories, revisits relationships from a fresh perspective, and dispenses handy advice from iconography to tick removal. Sloboda's gift for creating short and pithy titles often reveals an extra layer of meaning."
--Barry Harris, editor of Tipton Poetry Journal

"According to HowManyOfMe.com, of the 308 million people in the U.S., there's only on eneamed Noel Sloboda. Unique, too, is his poetry, ranging from visceral ("Heat") to clever ("Pinched") to downright heartbreaking ("Organic Recycling"). Of Things Passed is an evocative chapbook--one that deserves the acclaim it's sure to receive."
--Jason Jordan, editor of decomP

"This memorable collection of poems is not sugar-coated: it's ticks in hair, bloody paws, overdue money, stock cras and an inheritance of old hats. These poems tighten stomach knots and tackle the very real fear that lives in middle America. The characters here are anything but mundane: they're sincere and tired and honest; they're pasionate and dedicated and 'squeezed in the middle.' Visit and revisit this family--their seasons and tribulations--these voices tell small stories that need to be heard."
--Micah Ling, author of Three Islands

Michael Blumenthal: Bucknell: 2/23/10

2010-02-01T14:23:00.000-05:00

Michael Blumenthal
A Poetry Reading in Honor of Leo Francis Mackey
Tuesday, February 23
7 PM at Bucknell Hall

Michael Blumenthal is the author of And (BOA Editions, 2009), his seventh collection of poems; the memoir My Mothers and Fathers (Harper Collins, 2002), and many other works.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Tim Seibles: Bucknell: 1/26/10

2010-01-01T13:26:00.003-05:00

Poetry reading by Tim Seibles
Tuesday, 1/26
7 PM, Bucknell Hall

Seibles is the author of five books of poems, most recently Buffalo Head Solos (2004) and Hammerlock (1999), both published by Cleveland State. He currently serves as the spring Poet-in-Residence at Bucknell University.

November news . . .

2009-11-01T23:59:00.001-05:00

Michael Loughran and Lisa Sewell will read their poems on Monday, November 2, 6:30 PM at the Central Library in Philadelphia--click here for the full details . . . Poet Randy Boone will read on Thursday, November 5, 6:00 PM at Cucina Cafe at the Goggleworks (201 Washington Street) in Reading; an open mic will follow Randy's reading . . .

Randy Boone: Reading: 11/5/09

2009-11-01T11:05:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 5, 6 - 8 PM: Poet Randy Boone will read at Cucina Cafe at the Goggleworks, 201 Washington Street in Reading, PA. An open mic reading will follow the featured poet. This event is free and open to the public.

Randy Boone hails from Hellertown, Pennsylvania and teaches at Northampton Community College's Monroe Campus. His most recent publications include poems in Spout, Glimpse, Lehigh Valley Literary Review, English Journal, Connecticut River Review, Clark Street Review, and Epicenter, and a chapbook, Ignoble Daydreams for Impudent Minds (Violent Publications).

October news . . .

2009-10-01T23:59:00.005-04:00

. . . Baron Wormser will give a reading in Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University on Tuesday evening, October 6, at 7 PM . . . Guest judge Karen Weyant has selected Jeff Walt's Soot and Rebecca Lauren's The Schwenkfelders as the co-winners of the 2009 Keystone Chapbook Prize; look for both chapbooks to appear next summer . . . The River Poets will host their annual Dead Poets Reading at the Bloomsburg Public Library, October 29 at 7:30 PM . . .

September news. . .

2009-09-01T23:59:00.007-04:00

. . . Paul Siegell's newest book, jamandbootleg, has reviews up at the following sites: Relix Magazine, Black Ocean, Surrender to the Flow, and Amazon. Congrats, Paul! . . . Fourteen finalists have been named in the Keystone Chapbook Prize competition from Seven Kitchens Press. This year's judge, Karen Weyant, will select the two winning manuscripts in October; check the 7KP blog for further updates and a list of finalists and semifinalists . . . Kudos to poet Shanna Wheeler, whose chapbook Lo & Behold is forthcoming next month from Finishing Line Press. You can pre-order a copy by clicking here . . . The third annual Stillwater Poetry Festival is coming up on Saturday, September 12--find out more by clicking here . . . Sascha Feinstein reports that this fall's visiting writer will be Scott Russell Sanders, who will read at Lycoming College on Monday, September 28 . . . more news added as we get it: pop me an e-mail . . .

Scott Russell Sanders: Williamsport: 9/28/09

2009-09-01T09:28:00.002-04:00

Monday, September 28, 7:30 PM - Essayist Scott Russell Sanders will give a reading in Honors Hall on the campus of Lycoming College. This reading is free and open to the public.

Born in Tennessee and reared in Ohio, Scott Russell Sanders studied at Brown University and earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge University before going on to become a Distinguished Professor of English at Indiana University. Among his more than twenty books are novels, collections of stories, and works of personal nonfiction, including Staying Put (Beacon, 1993), Writing from the Center (Indiana U.P., 1995), and Hunting for Hope (Beacon, 1998). His memoir, A Private History of Awe (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006), was nominated by the publisher for a Pulitzer Prize. His latest book is A Conservationist Manifesto (Indiana U.P., 2009), which envisions a shift from a culture based on consumption to one based on caretaking.　 For his writing, Sanders has won the AWP Creative Nonfiction Award, the John Burroughs Essay Award, the Lannan Literary Award, the Indiana Humanities Award, and the Mark Twain Award. His work has appeared in such magazines as Orion, Audubon, and The Georgia Review, and it has been reprinted in The Art of the Essay, The Norton Reader, and more than fifty other anthologies, including the annual Best American Essays. In his books he is concerned with our place in nature, the practice of community, the relationship between culture and geography, and the search for a spiritual path. He and his wife, Ruth, a biochemist, have reared two children in their hometown of Bloomington in the hardwood hill country of Indiana’s White River Valley.　

EMCA Open Poetry Readings: Tunkhannock: 9/13/09

2009-09-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 13, 2 - 5 PM: The Endless Mountains Council of the Arts will resume its presentations of monthly Open Poetry Readings. The program will be held at the EMCA Gallery, 302 West Tioga Street, in Tunkhannock. Members of the public are invited to read from their favorite poets or read from their own work . . . or just sit, listen, and enjoy. The event is free and refreshments will be served. For more information, please call 836-3622 or 945-7621.

Stillwater Poetry Festival: 9/12/09

2009-09-01T09:12:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 12: The third annual Stillwater Poetry Festival will feature readings by Joe Weil, Lee Upton, Phill Miller, Gabriel Welsch, Ed Ochester, James Hoch, Todd Davis, Jerry Wemple, and K.A. Hays, among others. Participate in morning poetry workshops! Enjoy the live acoustic music! Pay what you wish! Find out more by clicking here!

Don Riggs: Philadelphia: 9/08/09

2009-09-01T09:08:00.003-04:00

The Moonstone Arts Center, 110A South 13th St in Philadelphia, will present a poetry reading by Don Riggs at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 8.

Will Schutt & Michael Scalise: Bucknell: 9/8/09

2009-09-01T09:08:00.002-04:00

Tuesday, September 8, 7 PM: The Stadler Center for Poetry presents a reading by poet Will Schutt and nonfiction writer Michael Scalise.

Will Schutt is a poet and translator from New York City. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Faultline, FIELD, Harvard Review and The Southern Review. In 2003, he co-founded Verso, a culture and arts magazine based in Siena, Italy, where he was a contributing editor and translator until 2007. He is the 2009-2010 Stadler Fellow at Bucknell. Click here for more information and to read one of Will's poems.

Michael Scalise's essays and articles have appeared or are forthcoming in Ninth Letter, Post Road Magazine, Hot Metal Bridge, The Rumpus, PopMatters and many other publications. He earned his M.F.A. at George Mason University, where he studied creative nonfiction. He is the 2009 Philip Roth Resident in Creative Writing at Bucknell. Click here for more information and to read an excerpt from one of Michael's essays.

Fox Chase Reading Series-Open Mic: Philadelphia: 9/08

2009-09-01T09:08:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, September 8, 7-9 PM:

The Fox Chase Review and the Blue Ox Bistro present The Fox Chase Reading Series: 2nd Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic.

Host: Diane Sahms-Guarnieri

Location: Rhawn St and Oxford Ave in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia.

Come early to sign up and enjoy the great atmosphere of the Blue Ox Bistro: excellent menu and ten rotating drafts on tap. Sign up ahead of time for the open mic by emailing foxchasereadingseries@yahoo.com.

Upcoming notices:

The Autumn/Winter 2009 edition of The Fox Chase Review is due first week of September.
September 26: C.A. Conrad and Frank Sherlock will read at 3 Sisters Corner Cafe.

Kudos - Shanna Wheeler

2009-09-01T09:04:00.001-04:00

Kudos to Shanna Wheeler, whose chapbook Lo & Behold is forthcoming next month from Finishing Line Press. You can pre-order a copy by clicking here--just scroll down (chapbooks are listed alphabetically by author).

Vincent Quatroche & Timothy Gager: Philadelphia: 7/25/09

2009-07-01T19:25:00.000-04:00

The Fox Chase Review and The Mad Poets Society present Vincent Quatroche and Timothy Gager.

The Fox Chase Reading Series at 3 Sisters Corner Café
Corner of Barnes and Loney Streets, Fox Chase Section, Philadelphia.
July 25, 2009: 2 - 4 PM

Vincent Quatroche is from Fredonia New York and is a Professor at Fredonia State University. Quatroche has released two CDs of his work at Sleeping Giant Records and has published several full length collections of his poetry and prose. Quatroche was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His latest release is expected this summer. You can view his website at www.rubbereden.com.

Timothy Gager is the author of seven books of short fiction and poetry. Two poetry chapbooks, These Poems are not Pink Clouds (Propaganda Press) and this is where you go when you are gone (Cerena Barva Press) were released in 2008. He hosts the Dire Literary Series in Cambridge, Massachusetts every month and is the co-founder of Somerville News Writers Festival. His short stories have appeared in Twelve Stories, Word Riot, Skive, Dogzplot, Six Sentences, 55 Word, The Binnacle, Scene Boston, Thieve’s Jargon, Long Short Story, The Smoking Poet, Zygote in My Coffee, Slurve, Poor Mojo’s Almanac, Tuesday Shorts, VerbSap, Long Short Story, The Smoking Poet, Write This Magazine and Further Fenway Fiction. His poetry has appeared in The Blood Orange Review, The Fox Chase Review, Night Train, Poems for All, Right Hand Pointing, GUD, Boston Poetry Journal (Bad Ass Edition), Edifice Wrecked, Blue Print Review, Barnstorm, Lit Up Magazine, Hobart, The Long Islander, Spare Change, Delmarva Review, High Horse, Third Lung Review, Poesy XXIV and The Ibbetson Street Journal. He has had over 150 works of fiction and poetry published since 2007 and has four times been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Timothy is the current Fiction Editor of The Wilderness House Literary Review, the founding co-editor of The Heat City Literary Review and has edited the book, Out of the Blue Writers Unite: A Book of Poetry and Prose from the Out of the Blue Art Gallery. A graduate of the University of Delaware, Timothy lives in Dedham, Massachusetts and is employed as a social worker.

Call for performers: Downington: 7/19/09

2009-07-01T19:19:00.002-04:00

passing this along:

Victory Brewing Company announces its third annual performing arts extravaganza, The Victory Collaborative, on Sunday July 19th! Calling local singers, songwriters, poets, spoken word poets, classical musicians, theatrical performers—come share your work! We are also looking for artists to showcase their paintings, graphic arts pieces and photography to be displayed on the stage.

Date: July 19th 2009
Time: 2-4 PM
Location: VBC Restaurant Beer Hall, 420 Acorn Lane, Downington PA 19335

There are only twelve slots available, any interested performers please email Christine Yurick at christiney01@gmail.com with the following information:

Name and contact information
Talent
Brief description of performance, whether song, music, poem, etc. and proposed length of performance
If you are a poet or a theatrical performer, please send a sample of your work for review
Samples of artwork for visual artists
Please remember: no profanity, and no graphic lyrics or literature. Participating artists will receive a free beer and pint glass!

For more information and to see pictures from last year’s event, please click here: http://www.victorybeer.com/V_event.html

Last call for PA chapbooks: The Keystone Chapbook Prize

2009-07-01T19:15:00.001-04:00

Click here for guidelines to the Keystone Chapbook Prize, sponsored by Seven Kitchens Press. The postmark deadline for this year's competition is Wednesday, July 15th. Authors published so far in the series are Harry Humes, Deborah Burnham, Lisa Sewell and Katherine Bode-Lang.

Fox Chase Open Mic: Philadelphia: 7/14/09

2009-07-01T19:14:00.000-04:00

The Fox Chase Review and The Blue Ox Bistro present

The Fox Chase Reading Series
2nd Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic
July 14, 2009
7pm to 9pm
Host: Diane Sahms-Guarnieri

Please join us for the “2nd Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic” at The Blue Ox Bistro located at Rhawn St. and Oxford Ave in the Fox Chase Section of Philadelphia. Come early to sign up and enjoy the great atmosphere of The Blue Ox Bistro, excellent menu and ten rotating drafts on tap. Sign up early for the open mic by emailing us at foxchasereadingseries@yahoo.com

Transportation: Our venues are located one block from the Septa Fox Chase Station. The station is 15 minutes from Market East Station via the R-8 in Center City. If you take the R-8 to “2nd Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic” save your receipt- The Blue Ox Bistro will pay your fare! The Fox Chase Bus Loop also services the 18 and 24. There is free parking behind the Bistro.

JoAnne Growney: DC area: 7/6/09

2009-07-01T19:06:00.000-04:00

Long-time Pennsylvania poet JoAnne Growney will read in the Word Works' Cafe Muse Series on Monday, July 6, at 7:30pm.

The Cafe Muse Series is held at the Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue in Chevy Chase, MD. Classical guitar by Mike Davis begins at 7 pm; featured readings start at 7:30pm. Open poetry mic follows.

Other events in this series:

May 4: Judy Neri & Anne Harding Woodworth
June 1: Wayne Miller & Eric Pankey
July 6: sculptor Mark Behme & poet JoAnne Growney
August 3: Luis Alberto Ambroggio & Yvette Neiser Moreno

Hosts: Adele Steiner & Laura Goldberg. For directions, call 301-656-2797.

The Word Works web site can be found at http://www.wordworksdc.com/.

Fourth River: Poetry & Nonfiction Contest

2009-06-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

Fourth River Award for Poetry 2009
Fourth River Award for Creative Nonfiction 2009

http://fourthriver.chatham.edu/submit.cfm

Fourth River is looking for poetry and creative nonfiction that capture the places—natural, built and imagined, urban, rural or wild—where humans and nature converge and collide. First place winner in each category will be published in Fourth River and will receive a $500 cash prize upon publication. Contest judges to be announced.

Contest Guidelines:

Submissions should be postmarked no later than October 15, 2009.
Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere are not eligible.
Students, faculty and employees of Chatham University are not eligible.
Include a title page with your name, address, phone number and the title of your submission(s).
Your name must not appear on the actual manuscript.
The reading fee is $5 for three poems or one essay (7,000 word maximum), and includes a copy of Issue 7.
Please make checks payable to Chatham University.
Multiple submissions are acceptable, but each submission must be accompanied by a reading fee.
Manuscripts will not be returned.
(Please note: the reading fee does not apply to regular submissions. )
Send your submission, your reading fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
The Fourth River, Chatham University, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh PA 15232, Attention: Fourth River Award for (please insert genre here--Poetry or Nonfiction).

CFS: Autumn House Poetry & Fiction Contests (full-length books)

2009-06-01T18:30:00.001-04:00

Passing this along; the deadline is June 30th--

The 2009 Autumn House Poetry and Fiction Contests
http://www.autumnho%20use.org/index.%20cfm?method=

Guidelines for the 2009 Autumn House Poetry Contest judged by Alicia Ostriker
Guidelines for the 2009 Autumn House Fiction Contest judged by Sharon Dilworth

The winners will receive book publication, $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel grant to participate in the 2009 Autumn House Master Authors Series in Pittsburgh.
The deadline is June 30, 2009.
We ask that all submissions from authors new to Autumn House come through one of our annual contests.
All finalists will be considered for publication.
The final judge for the Poetry Prize is Alicia Ostriker.
The final judge for the Fiction Prize is Sharon Dilworth.
All full-length collections of poetry 50-80 pages in length are eligible.
Fiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 pages. All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible.
If you wish to be informed of the results of the competition, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Autumn House Press assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts.
All entries must be clearly marked “Poetry Prize” or “Fiction Prize” on the outside envelope.
Twenty five dollar handling fee (check or money order) must be enclosed.
MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Send manuscript and $25.00 fee to: Autumn House Press, PO Box 60100, Pittsburgh PA 15211

Kwame Dawes: Bucknell: 6/22/09

2009-06-01T18:22:00.000-04:00

The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets will present a reading by guest poet Kwame Dawes on Monday, June 22, 7pm in Bucknell Hall. This reading is free and open to the public.

PA-themed poetry: York: 6/20/09

2009-06-01T18:20:00.000-04:00

Saturday, June 20, 3 PM: Come to a reading of Pennsylvania-themed poetry at the York Arts Association, 220 South Marshall Street in York, PA. Readers will include Ann Michael and Jerry Wemple, among others. Hosted by Barbara DeCesare. For more information, call 717-755-0028.

Dana Levin: Bucknell: 6/15/09

2009-06-01T18:15:00.001-04:00

The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets will present a reading by guest poet Dana Levin on Monday, June 15, 7pm in Bucknell Hall. This reading is free and open to the public.

EMCA open reading: Tunkhannock: 6/14/09

2009-06-01T18:14:00.000-04:00

Sunday, June 14, 2-5pm: The Endless Mountains Council of the Arts will sponsor another Open Poetry reading on Sunday, June 14, in honor of Flag Day. The theme for this month's event is "Patriotism, Politics, and Poetry." The public is invited to read the works of their favorite poets or read their own work.. Event takes place at the EMCA gallery, 302 W. Tioga Street, Tunkhannock. Refreshments will be served. Call 836-3622 or 945-7621 for more info.

Joaquin Miller Cabin Poetry Series: DC area

2009-06-01T18:09:00.003-04:00

FYI, here's the summer scedule for the Joaquin Miller Cabin Poetry Series (an outdoor reading series held through the summer in the DC area):

Tuesday evenings, 7:30 pm at Joaquin Miller's Cabin in Rock Creek Park, Picnic Area 6 (Beach Drive at Military Road overpass):

June 9: Deborah Bernhardt & Marcela Sulak
June 16: Tyler Caroline Mills, Katherine Casey & Baobao Zhang
June 23: Chris Goodrich & Nancy Krygowski
June 30: Melanie Henderson & Luke Johnson
July 7: April Lindner & Bonnie Naradzay
July 14: George Drew & W Luther Jett
July 21: Cynthia Atkins & Dan Vera
July 28: January Gill O'Neil, Joseph O Legaspi & Joseph Ross

Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets: Staff reading: 6/9/09

2009-06-01T18:09:00.002-04:00

The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets will present a reading by the program staff on Tuesday, June 9, 7pm in Bucknell Hall. This reading is free and open to the public.

Poetry at Robin's: Philadelphia: 5/26/09

2009-05-01T17:26:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, May 26, 7PM: At Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St in Philadelphia, S (Samantha Barrow) & M (Monica McIntyre) present ABUNDANCE -

featuring Katonya Mosely, Shayna Israel, Aaren Yates Perry and Charan Morris.

Philadelphia Poets Magazine Reading: 5/19/09

2009-05-01T17:19:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, May 19, 8 PM: Poets & Prophets presents the 2009 Philadelphia Poets Magazine Reading. Featured readers include Mel Brake, Ashini J. Desai, Joseph Dorazio, and Ruth Rouff. Coordinated by Rosemary Cappello.

For more information: www.poetsandprophets.com

Joel Chace & Ron Silliman: 5/19/09: Philadelphia

2009-05-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, May 19, 7PM: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St in Philadelphia, presents a reading by Joel Chace and Ron Silliman.

Joel Chace has published poetry and prose poetry in print and electronic magazines such as 6ix, Tomorrow, Lost and Found Times, Coracle, xStream, Three Candles, 2River View, Joey & the Black Boots, Recursive Angel, and Veer. He has published more than a dozen print and electronic collections. Recently out from BlazeVox Books is Cleaning the Mirror: New & Selected Poems, and from Paper Kite Press is Matter No Matter, another full-length collection. Two new chapbooks have also appeared: Scaffold, from Country Valley Press; and (b)its, from Meritage Press. For many years, Chace has been Poetry Editor for the experimental electronic magazine 5_Trope.

Ron Silliman has written and edited over 30 books to date, most recently The Alphabet... Silliman was the 2006 Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, a 2003 Literary Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts and was a 2002 Fellow of the Pennsylvania Arts Council as well as a Pew Fellow in the Arts in 1998. He lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two sons, and works as a market analyst in the computer industry. He is a member of The Grand Piano collective.

Center City Poets Reading: 5/16/09: Philadelphia

2009-05-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

Saturday, May 16, 2 PM: The Fox Chase Review presents The Center City Poets 2nd Annual Reading.

Featured Readers: Eileen Moeller, Rafi Lev Diane Sahms-Guarnieri, Cheryl Grady Mercier,
Elizabeth Quigley, Walt Feldman and Paul Selbst.

May 16th at 2pm ~ 3 Sisters Corner Cafe, corner of Barnes and Loney Streets ~ Fox Chase Section ~ Philadelphia, Pa. 19111.

http://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/

MPWA Poetry Contest - Deadline extended

2009-05-01T17:15:00.000-04:00

Poetry Contest Deadline Extended:
Mulberry Poets & Writers Association (MPWA) has announced an extension of the deadline for the Eighth Annual Regional Poetry Contest. The new deadline for entries is May 15. (The previous date was March 30.)

The contest carries a top prize of $100, with $50 given to second place and $25 going to the third. Several will be recognized with an Honorable Mention. The winners will be invited to present their poetry at a public reading in Scranton in July, and winning poems will be published in the 2009 online edition of The MPWA Journal. The contest will be judged by Tara Shoemaker Holdren, Dr. David Elliott, and Susan Luckstone Jaffer. For further information, contact the contest coordinator, Richard Aston, at (570) 829-3163 or by e-mail at astonrj@yahoo.com.

Contest Rules:

· The contest is open to former and current residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania, except MPWA Board members and previous first-place winners.
· Each entrant is limited to a maximum of three poems.
· The entry fee is $2 for each poem submitted.
· An individual may win in only one of the first, second, or third place categories. If more than one of his or her poems rank in a winning category, only the highest will be counted for that person.
· Each poem must be original and unpublished.
· Each poem should be typed on a 8½ x 11" paper, single spaced, except for intentional spacing.
· Each new poem should start on a new sheet of paper. If it exceeds one page, please staple the pages together. Each poem should take a maximum of three pages.
· List the title(s) of your poem(s) in a cover letter including your name address, email, and phone. If a poem is untitled, use the first few words.
· Do not put your name on the poem.
· Keep a copy of your poem. Submitted poems will not be returned.

Send submissions to: MPWA Poetry Contest, P.O. Box 468, Scranton, PA 18501. Entries must be postmarked by May 15, 2009. Winners will be notified before July 1, 2009.

Julia Kasdorf & Katie Bode-Lang: Bellefonte: 5/13

2009-05-01T17:13:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, May 13th, 6:30 PM:

Join Julia Kasdorf and Katie Bode-Lang, award-winning poets and Bellefonte residents, as they share and discuss their work with each other and their audience. Copies of their books will be available for purchase and signing.

Julia Spicher Kasdorf's poetry collections include Sleeping Preacher (1992) and Eve's Striptease (1998), both from the university of Pittsburgh Press.

Katie Bode-Lang's first chapbook, Spring Melt, was selected by G.C. Waldrep as the runner-up for the 2008 Keystone Chapbook Prize and is forthcoming in May from Seven Kitchens Press.

Call 814-355-1516 for more information.
Location: Centre County Library Historical Museum, 203 N. Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA.

Ted Mathys, Chris Martin: 5/12/09: Philadelphia

2009-05-01T17:12:00.004-04:00

Tuesday, May 12, 7 PM: Poets Ted Mathys and Chris Martin will read at Moonstone Arts Center, 110A S. 13th Street, Philadelphia.

Ted Mathys is author of The Spoils ($16, Coffee House Press).

"[Mathys] is a bit like the mid-century poets of the New York School of poetry (which counts John Ashbery and Frank O'Hara among its members), only with the whimsy replaced by a menacing sense of claustrophobia. You find he can go from high culture to low in one stomach-churning swoop... wonderfully, disturbingly, upsettingly real. Reading Mathys, one remembers that poetry isn't a dalliance, but a way of sorting through life-or-death situations." - Los Angeles Times

Chris Martin is author of American Music ($15, Copper Canyon Press), recipient of the Hayden Carruth Award; he is the editor of Puppy Flowers.

Fox Chase Open Mic: 5/12/09: Philadelphia

2009-05-01T17:12:00.002-04:00

Tuesday, May 12th, 7 - 9 PM: The Fox Chase Review and The Blue Ox Bistro Present 2nd Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic. Host: Diane Sahms-Guarnieri.

Please join us for the “2nd Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic” at The Blue Ox Bistro located at Rhawn St. and Oxford Ave in the Fox Chase Section of Philadelphia. Come early to sign up and enjoy the great atmosphere of The Blue Ox Bistro, excellent menu and ten rotating drafts on tap. Sign up early for the open mic by emailing foxchasereadingseries@yahoo.com.

Keystone Chapbook Series: Number 3: Lisa Sewell

2009-05-01T17:01:00.003-04:00

Long Corridor: poems by Lisa Sewell. Number Three in the Keystone Chapbook Series from Seven Kitchens Press; winner of the 2008 Keystone Chapbook Prize. Selected by G.C. Waldrep:

"Some selves present as halls of mirrors, but for Lisa Sewell, the poetic self--the lyric self, the speaking I--inhabits a hall ofo texts, a palace of moments in which personal experience resonates literally with someone else's story. From Murder on the Orient Express to The Anatomy of Melancholy, Little House in the Big Woods to The Corrections, texts become sites against which a speaking self fragments, then constellates again as a sort of negative image through which the exigencies of our historical moment come into sharp focus. In these poems, King Lear and Ellis Island are joined at the spine, Iraq and Wharton's House of Mirth, New Orleans and Poe's Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. These lyrics suggest that in the end it may not be literature that haunts our lives, but our lives that haunt the longer, stranger, more oblique life of Literature."

$7.00

42 pages, 5.125 x 7.875 inches

ISBN-13: 978-0-9820372-4-9

Available May 1, 2009

LISA SEWELL is the author of two books of poems: The Way Out (Alice James Books, 1998) and Name Withheld (Four Way Books, 2006). She is also co-editor, with Claudia Rankine, of American Poets in the 21st Century: The New Poetics (Wesleyan, 2007). She has received grants and awards from the Leeway Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Recent work has appeared in American Letters and Commentary, Denver Quarterly, New Letters, Tampa Review, Laurel Review, The Journal and Colorado Review. She lives in Philadelphia and teaches in the English department at Villanova University.

Murder on the Orient Express (1976)

O summon me

first to the porter's compartment

to question in private my whereabouts,

my wardrobe, sleeping habits and origins

then with the governess and elder statesman

the small dark man with a womanish voice

to the velvet curtained rail car

scene of crimes

and in the voice of reason, tone that holds its own

but withholds judgment and hoards

its shocking revelations until the end

tell what we have done.

Be diminutive and mild, pink-cheeked

or darkly French with waxed mustaches

but choose an English and an explanation

each of us can believe, as pieces fall

as you expose what we never meant to show

through choice of adjectives, the way we mixed up

chicken pox with whooping cough or German measles,

by what we stole or secreted out of greed or curiosity

for lust or private gain or to protect, we tell ourselves,

the loved or unloved ones whose life and livelihood

we stepped back or out of the way of and let begin

its fall and steep climb from the mountaintop.

Show me the knife, my fingerprints

on the cabinet door, the terraced rice field

burned village nightly body count full terrain

of my part and my complicity

now that I am no longer young and no longer free

to point a knowing finger or to vanish

with the fuchsia kimono down the long corridor of history.

:: Lisa Sewell, Long Corridor

Chad Parmenteau & Ray Greenblatt: Philadelphia: 4/25

2009-04-01T04:25:00.000-04:00

Saturday, April 25th, 2 PM: The Mad Poets Society Fox Chase Reading Series at 3 Sisters Corner Cafe will feature Chad Parmenteau from Boston and Philadelphia’s own Ray Greenblatt.

Transportation: Our venues are located one block from the Septa Fox Chase Train Station. The station is 15 minutes from Market East Station via the R-8 in Center City . The Fox Chase Bus Loop also services the 18 and 24.

Open reading: Tunkhannock: 4/19

2009-04-01T04:19:00.000-04:00

[passing this along:]

Sunday, April 19, 2-5 PM:

This is just a reminder about Sunday's open poetry reading at the Endless Mountains Council of the Arts, 302 W. Tioga Street, Tunkhannock, PA., 2-5 PM. This event is being held in honor of the late Martha Fray Sampson, founder and first president of the EMCA, who passed away in October 2008. Besides being an acclaimed artist, Ms. Sampson was a great lover of poetry; many of her poems will be on display alongside her artwork. The theme for this event is based on one of Ms. Sampson's favorite expressions, "Share What Makes You Happy." Attendees are invited to read their own work, read the work of their favorite poets, read from Ms. Sampson's work, or just enjoy the recitations of others. Refreshments will be provided.

Fox Chase Open Mic: Philadelphia: 4/14

2009-04-01T04:14:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, April 14th, 7 PM: Celebrate National Poetry Month by attending the Second Tuesdays Poetry Open Mic at The Blue Ox Bistro, Rhawn Street and Oxford Avenue, hosted by Diane Sahms-Guarnieri. Come on time as spots fill up quickly or pre register by emailing foxchasereadingseries@yahoo.com

Lynn Chandhock & Julianna Gray: West Chester: 4/8/09

2009-04-01T04:08:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, April 8, 7:30 PM: Poets Lynn Chandhock and Julianna Gray will give a reading at West Chester University's Poetry House, located at 823 South High Street in West Chester, PA.

For more information, please contact coordinator Jamie Smith at 610-436-3235 or e-mail at poetry@wcupa.edu.

Sarah Manguso: Bloomsburg: 3/30

2009-03-01T15:30:00.002-05:00

Monday, March 30, 7 PM: Award winning author Sarah Manguso will read Monday in the KUB Hideaway on the campus of Bloomsburg University as part of the Big Dog Reading Series. Her memoir describes a nine year bout with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare auto immune disorder.

Sarah Manguso is the author, most recently, of the memoir The Two Kinds of Decay (2008), named an Editors' Choice by the New York Times Sunday Book Review and a Best Nonfiction Book of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle. The paperback is forthcoming this spring.

"If art can be described as the path one takes toward some form of compassion, this distilled and luminous book offers us one such map. An exploration of a body at a particular moment in its history, narrated by an unsparing yet appealing consciousness, The Two Kinds of Decay brings the reader to a place of grace and compassion that is absolutely breathtaking."-Nick Flynn

"One of the most movingly humane books I have read in a long time; it is a hard-earned vision of life, every word grounded in both body and soul."-John Burnham Schwartz

Manguso's other books include the story collection Hard to Admit and Harder to Escape (2007), one of three volumes in McSweeney's One Hundred and Forty-Five Stories in a Small Box, and the poetry collections Siste Viator (2006) and The Captain Lands in Paradise (2002), named a Favorite Book of the Year by the Village Voice. Her writing has appeared in Conjunctions, the London Review of Books, the New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, the Paris Review, the Pushcart Prize anthology, and three volumes of the Best American Poetry series.vIn 2008 she received the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, the Pratt Institute, and the Graduate Writing Program at the New School. Born and raised near Boston, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.

8th Annual MPWA Regional Poetry Contest: March 30 DL

2009-03-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

8th Annual MPWA Regional Poetry Contest

The Mulberry Poets & Writers Association (MPWA) announces its Eighth Annual Regional Poetry Contest:

The overall winner of the contest will receive a $100 cash prize.
Two other winners will share $75 in cash prizes -- $50 for 2nd place and $25 for 3rd place.
Several poets will be recognized with an Honorable Mention.
Judges will be Tara Shoemaker Holdren, Dr. David Elliott, and Susan Jaffer.
All winners will be invited to present their poetry at a public reading on or about Saturday, July 11, 2009, in Scranton, PA.
All winning poems will be published in the 2009 online edition of The MPWA Journal.
For further information, contact the contest coordinator, Richard Aston of Wilkes-Barre, at 570-829-3163 or by e-mail at astonrj@yahoo.com.

Contest Rules: Open to former and current residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania, except for MPWA Board members and previous first place winners.

Each entrant is limited to a maximum of three poems.
The entrance fee is $2 for each poem submitted.
An individual may win in only one of the first, second, or third place categories.
If more than one of his or her poems rank in a winning category, only the highest will be counted for that person.
Each poem must be original and unpublished.
Each poem should be typed on a 8½ x 11" paper, single spaced, except for intentional spacing.
Each new poem should start on a new sheet of paper.
If it exceeds one page, please staple the pages together.
Each poem should take a maximum of 3 pages.
List the title(s) of your poem(s) in a cover letter including your name address, email, and phone.
If untitled, use the first several words.
Do not put your name on the poem.
Keep a copy of your poem; submitted poems will not be returned.

Send submissions to: MPWA Poetry Contest; P.O. Box 468; Scranton, PA 18501.

The contest postmark deadline is March 30, 2009.
Winners will be notified by June 1, 2009.

Justin Vitiello & Ellen Peckham: Philadelphia: 3/28

2009-03-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday, March 28, 2 PM: The Mad Poets Society Fox Chase Reading Series will feature poets Justin Vitiello and Ellen Peckham at 3 Sisters Corner Café, Corner of Barnes and Loney Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19111 . To read the poets work please visit Fox Chase Review.

Justin Vitiello is a Professor Emeritus of Italian at Temple University. He received his B.A. from Brown University (1963) and, after a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Spain (1963-64), he did his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (English, Italian, Spanish) at the University of Michigan (1964-70). He has published numerous scholarly articles on and translations of medieval, Renaissance and modern Italian, Sicialian and Spanish poetry. His books (including those listed below that are for sale directly from him in autographed copies) are: Il carro del pesce di Vanzetti (poems, 1989), Vanzetti's Fish Cart (poems, 1991), Sicily Within (essays, 1992), Italy's Ultramodern, Experimental Lyrics: Corpo 10 (1992), Poetics and Literature of the Sicilian Diaspora; Studies in Oral History and Story Telling (1993, reprinted in 1998), Labyrinths and Volcanoes: Windings Through Sicily (essays, 1999), suicidio di un poeta etnico/suicide of an ethnic poet (poems, 2004), Labirinti e vulcani: nel cuore della Sicilia (essays, 2005), and amapolas y cardos/poppies and thistles (poems and poetic sketches of Spain, 2006). He is presently working on another book of poetry in Spanish and English dealing with his recent experiences in Latin America and two other lyric volumes in Italian and English touching upon his family's anarchist and tragic history.

Ellen Peckham has read, published and exhibited in the U.S. , Europe and Latin America . She frequently uses both art forms in a single work, the text decorating and explicating and the image illuminating. Her archives of drafts, edits and art are collected at the Harry Ransom Center For The Humanities and a 7-minute visual biography, Parallel Vocabularies, is available on DVD and via her Web site.

Poetry Ink--100 Poets Reading: Philadelphia: 4/5/09

2009-03-01T15:27:00.001-05:00

Sunday, April 5, from 1 to 6 PM:
Moonstone Arts Center presents the 2009 Poetry Ink event--
One hundred poets will read. Each reader gets 3 minutes; that's 5 hours of poetry! We supply the coffee, you bring the desserts. For 2009, the readings will be in regular alphabetical order, A to Z. (We did reverse order in 2008).

Final registration deadline is Friday, March 27.

If you're excited to present your work at this event, please click on the link below and fill out a registration form today or just send us an email saying you plan on reading. Please also forward this message to others who might be interested.

www.robinsbookstore.com/events/040509.html

Lynn Emanuel & Karen Lillis: Pittsburgh: 3/26

2009-03-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

Thursday, March 26, 7 PM: Pittsburgh poets Lynn Emanuel and Karen Lillis will read at the TeCafe Reading Series:

2000 Murray Avenue at Beacon -- Pittsburgh, PA. 412-422-8888. Free. Open Mic to follow if time allows.

POESIS: New group at West Chester University

2009-03-01T15:25:00.002-05:00

"The mission of POESIS at West Chester University is to give students the opportunity to convey ideas, thoughts & feelings through written word and verbal expression. As students face the challenges in their lives, POESIS is available to nurture creative, intellectual and social growth. POESIS will encourage, motivate and provide the opportunity for literary growth, public performance and self-expression, as well as create an uplifting campus presence that enhances the college experience."

Click here to visit the POESIS blog (also listed at right in PA Poetry Links).

Lynn Emanuel: Johnstown: 3/19/09

2009-03-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

Thursday, March 19, 7:30 PM: Poet Lynn Emanuel will read in the J. Irving Whalley Memorial Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown campus.

Emanuel is the author of Hotel Fiesta, The Dig, Then Suddenly— and the forthcoming book of poetry Mob and Torch. Her work has been featured in the Pushcart Prize Anthology, Best American Poetry, and The Oxford Book of American Poetry. Also a distinguished teacher and editor, she has been the recipient of numerous awards for her poetry, including two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships and a National Poetry Series Award.

Emanuel’s appearance is part of a poetry series begun in 2004 and made possible by a generous endowment from UPJ alumna Esther Goldhaber Jacovitz. This event, coordinated by UPJ’s major in Creative and Professional Writing, is free of charge and open to the public. A book signing will follow.

Paul Siegell: Pittsburgh: 3/19/09

2009-03-01T03:19:00.000-05:00

Thursday, March 19, 8:30 PM: The University of Pittburgh Poetry Club presents a reading by poet Paul Siegell.

Location: 501 CL.

Paul Siegell is the author of Poemergency Room (Otoliths Books, 2008) and the forthcoming jambandbootleg (A-Head, 2009). He is a staff editor at Painted Bride Quarterly and has contributed to The American Poetry Review, BlazeVOX, Coconut, No Tell Motel and other literary and online journals. You can find his blog "ReVeLeR @ eYeLeVeL" at http://paulsiegell.blogspot.com. Siegell got his B.A. in English Writing in 2000 from the University of Pittsburgh.

This reading is free and open to the public.

John Poch: West Chester: 3/18/09

2009-03-01T03:18:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, March 18, 7:30 PM: Poet John Poch will give a reading at West Chester University's Poetry House, located at 823 South High Street in West Chester, PA.

For more information, please contact coordinator Jamie Smith at 610-436-3235 or e-mail at poetry@wcupa.edu.

River Poets: Bloomsburg: 3/10/09

2009-03-01T03:10:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, March 10, 7:30 PM: Come join the River Poets' monthly reading event at Phillips Emporium, 10 East Main Street in Bloomsburg. Theme: Poems in remembrance and honor of Ervene Gulley. Open reading to follow.

MC: Angela Runciman.

Patricia Smith: West Chester: 2/26/09

2009-02-01T02:26:00.000-05:00

Thursday, February 26: Poet Patricia Smith will give a craft lecture at 4:15 PM at West Chester University, followed by a reading at 7 PM in the Sykes Ballrooms B & C.

For more information, please contact coordinator Jamie Smith at 610-436-3235 or e-mail at poetry@wcupa.edu.

K. A. Hays & Erinn Batykefer: Bucknell: 2/24/09

2009-02-01T02:24:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, February 24, 7 PM:

Two poets on staff at the Stadler Center for Poetry will read together in Bucknell Hall.

K. A. Hays, the 2008-09 Stadler Emerging Writer, earned an M.F.A. in the Literary Arts at Brown University and studied as an undergraduate at Bucknell and Oxford Universities. Poems from her first book, Dear Apocalypse (Carnegie Mellon), have appeared in such venues as Missouri Review, Southern Review, and the anthology Best New Poets 2007. Her verse translations and fiction have appeared in GulfCoast, Hudson Review, Fugue, and elsewhere. She is a native of southeast Pennsylvania.

Erinn Batykefer, the 2008-09 Stadler Fellow, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Art History from the University of Delaware and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was the Martha Meier Renk Distinguished Poetry Fellow. Batykefer’s debut collection of poetry, Allegheny, Monongahela, won the 2008 Benjamin Saltman Prize and will appear from Red Hen Press this year. Her poetry and nonfiction have recently appeared in Prairie Schooner, American Literary Review, The Journal, and Agenda (UK). She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information please contact the Stadler Center for Poetry at 570-577-1853.

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Outside the Basilica di San Petronio

A girl is after pigeons, tracking them.
She bows her head. She holds up her palms.
Her hand goes out and the things gust off.

Meanwhile the nuns in the basilica clutch beads
beneath their habits. And the priest
cleans the chalice, making it shine.

She is eager for the next step: to hold the flurry
of beak and breast, to draw it close.
She is stepping, pausing, tensed
and watchful as the underside of prayer.

When the birds rise, the white in their breasts
flashes before the basilica. The girl’s arms fall.
It is as easy as wine to blood, how they lift
into the ether. They are as good to her

as the miraculous saints. Dear saints,
keeping always and perfectly away.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____

In O’Keeffe’s From the Lake, No. 3,

I see a lace of algae as a map—here, a waterway,
gritty houses dotting Troy Hill as it rises from the river,

ochre silt like sandstone sheared by highways.
It is summer. We pull the seashells from the garden

and press each one to our ears; we listen through dirt
for their coiled echolalia,

the way they endlessly whisper back the wishes
we tied to stones and dropped in the rivers.

The way they relay the secrets of our younger selves back
in the semaphores of the sea: furling,

unfurling. This is our city from above, the way
we remember it—suspended in a haze of morning;

we see through the weight of air blued by water
to the shapes we know, the way we can see our faces

welling up through a breath-fogged mirror:
Allegheny, Monongahela.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____

K.A. Hays & Erinn Batykefer: Bloomsburg: 2/16/09

2009-02-01T02:16:00.000-05:00

Poets K.A. Hays and Erinn Batykefer will both read from their work at Bloomsburg University on Monday, February 16, at 7 PM in Monty's Assembly Room on the Upper Campus. This reading is free and open to the public. For more information on Hays and Batykefer, click here.

Elizabeth Bodien & Fern Hill: Bethlehem: 2/13/09

2009-02-01T02:13:00.000-05:00

Friday, February 13th at 8PM: The Greater Lehigh Valley Writer’s Group presents Elizabeth Bodien reading new poetry and Fern Hill reading from her novel. These local writers share and discuss, field questions, and mingle in Touchstone’s adjoining café space. Open mike to follow.

Firehouse Friday Writer’s Soiree. Ticket price: $5
Box office opens at 7 pm; no call ahead reservations.

Touchstone Theatre, 321 East Fourth Street, Bethlehem PA 18015 [610-867-1689]. touchstone@touchstone.org

Porochista Khakpour: Bucknell: 2/10/09

2009-02-01T02:10:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, February 10, 7 PM: Visiting Assistant Professsor Porochista Khakpour will give a fiction reading at Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University.

Born in Tehran and raised in Los Angeles, Khakpour is the author of Sons and Other Flammable Objects (Grove/Atlantic). The debut novel received much acclaim in The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and other publications. Her writing has appeared widely in The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Chicago Reader, and elsewhere. Khakpour received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MA from The Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars.

This event is free and open to the public.

from Sons and Other Flammable Objects:

"None of it was news to him, that these bad things happen—that’s not the part that got him at all. After all, it first occurred to him on one of the days of his early childhood, when America was still new for them all—at one of the moments when he had spied his mother sobbing in the kitchen to no one but a running sink, while on TV Lucy bawled into Ethel’s armpit to the laughter of some invisible audience—that the new world, while a very demanding place for all of its inhabitants, held a functional almost laughable misery for its own and a possibly unconquerable one for the others. Here, the older your world, Xerxes-the-child contemplated, trying to make some rules out of it all, rules that even Xerxes-the-adult could not fully argue with, the sadder and badder your days."

Open Poetry Reading: Tunkhannock: 2/8/09

2009-02-01T02:08:00.000-05:00

Poetry of Love:

Sunday, February 8, 2-5 PM

The Endless Mountains Council of the Arts is holding an Open Poetry Reading at the EMCA Gallery, 302 West Tioga Street, Tunkhannock. All are welcome. Read your own work or read from your favorite poet. For more information, call 836-3622 or 945-7621.

Sponsored by the Endless Mountains Council of the Arts.

Rick Kearns: Harrisburg: 2/5/09

2009-02-01T02:05:00.000-05:00

Thursday, February 5, 8 PM:

Award-winning poet, freelance writer and musician Rick Kearns will be Poetry Thursdays' featured reader at the Midtown Cinema's Reel Cafe, 250 Reily Street, Harrisburg.

Kearns' poetry has been published in three chapbooks and two full collections, including Street of Knives (Warm Springs Press, 1993), Boricua In Between (1997), Jazz Poems (1997) and Endtime Poems (1998, Pacobooks). Red Pagoda Press has published five of his poems in brochure form since 2000. His latest collection of verse, The Body of My Isla, was published in 2007. As a journalist, Kearns has written for daily, weekly and monthly news publications since 1986. In the last decade his work has focused on Latino and Native American issues. Kearns' poems have appeared in numerous anthologies: El Coro/A Chorus of Latino and Latina Poetry (Univ. of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, 1997); Voices from the Nuyorican Cafe (Henry Holt & Co., NY, 1994 [Winner of the American Book Award]), and in literary reviews such as The Massachusetts Review, Chicago Review, Drum Voices Revue (So. Illinois University Edwardsville), Painted Bride Quarterly, The Patterson Review, HEART Quarterly, Big Hammer, Palabra: A Journal of Chicano and Literary Art, Yellow Medicine Review, and Fledgling Rag

Kearns' feature begins at 8 PM, following a 7 PM open mic. Poetry Thursdays, celebrating its tenth year as a weekly poetry series, is sponsored by the Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel. Marty Esworthy and Julia Tilley host. For more information: (717) 909-6566.

Cherise Pollard & Alexander Long: West Chester: 2/4/09

2009-02-01T02:04:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, February 4, 7 PM: Poets Cherise Pollard and Alex Long will give a reading at the West Chester Poetry Center. The WCU Poetry House is located at 823 S. High Street, West Chester, PA.

For more information, please contact coordinator Jamie Smith at 610-436-3235, or e-mail poetry@wcupa.edu.

Thomas Devaney & Mike Cohen: Philadelphia: 1/31/09

2009-01-01T01:31:00.000-05:00

Date: Saturday, January 31
Time: 2 PM
Location: 3 Sisters Corner Café, Philadelphia

The Fox Chase Reading Series kicks off the 2009 season with featured poets Thomas Devaney and Mike Cohen on January 31, 2009 at 2 PM. The series is sponsored by 3 Sisters Corner Café in Fox Chase, Mad Poets Society and The Fox Chase Review. 3 Sisters Corner Café is located at 7950 Oxford Ave. (corner of Loney and Barnes), Philadelphia, Pa. 19111.

Thomas Devaney is the author of A Series of Small Boxes (Fish Drum, 2007) and The American Pragmatist Fell in Love (Banshee Press, 1999). Devaney has worked with the Institute of Contemporary Art (Phila) on a number of site specific, multi-sensory projects, including “No Silence Here, Enjoy the Silence” for the Locally Localized Gravity show (2007) and the performance “The Empty House” at the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site for The Big Nothing exhibit (2004). Devaney is a Senior Writing Fellow in the English Department at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike Cohen has authored two collections of poetry, Poet’s Pilgrimage and For Reading Out Loud, both awaiting discovery and broad dissemination (perhaps posthumously). Mike’s work has appeared in the Schuylkill Valley Journal, Philadelphia Daily News, Mad Poets Review, and Poetry Forum Anthology. He has presented public readings in various bookstores, coffee shops, and libraries. Mike’s current project is the Poetry Aloud And Alive program at the Big Blue Marble Book Store in West Mt. Airy, Philadelphia.

This event is free and open to the public.

Applications due soon for Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets

2009-01-01T01:30:00.001-05:00

Please share this information. If you know a student who qualifies, please encourage him or her to apply. If you can write a letter of recommendation, please offer to do so.

In 2009, the Stadler Center for Poetry will conduct the twenty-fifth annual Seminar for Younger Poets. Held for three weeks in June, the Seminar provides an extended opportunity for undergraduate poets to write and to be guided by established poets. Staff and visiting poets conduct writing workshops and offer lecture/discussions, present readings of their own work, and are available for individual conferences. In the past, such poets as Robin Becker, Denise Duhamel, Linda Gregg, Terrance Hayes, James Harms, Mary Ruefle, Gerald Stern, David St. John, Michael Waters, and Kazim Ali have served as visiting poets. Numerous readings provide the participants with the opportunity to hear and be heard by their peers. Applicants compete for ten places in the Seminar, all of which come with fellowships. Fellowships include tuition, housing in campus apartments, and meals. Accepted students are responsible only for their travel to Bucknell and a modest library deposit. A limited number of travel scholarships are available on the basis of need.

For the 2009 Seminar, visiting poets Kwame Dawes and Dana Levin will join director G. C. Waldrep and staff members Deirdre O'Connor, Erinn Batykefer, and K. A. Hays.

The dates of the 2009 Seminar will be Sunday, June 7, to Sunday, June 28. The postmark deadline for applications is Friday, January 30. Click here for complete application guidelines and here for a program FAQ.

John Updike: 1932 - 2009

2009-01-01T01:27:00.001-05:00

SHILLINGTON

The vacant lots are occupied, the woods
Diminish, Slate Hill sinks beneath its crown
Of solvent homes, and marketable goods
On all sides crowd the good remembered town.

Returning, we find our snapshots inexact.
Perhaps a condition of being alive
Is that the clothes which, setting out, we packed
With love no longer fit when we arrive.

Yet sight that limited our truth were strange
To older eyes; the town that we have lost
Is being found by hands that still arrange
Horse-chestnut heaps and fingerpaint on frost.

Time shades these alleys; every pavement crack
Is mapped somewhere. A solemn concrete ball,
On the gatepost of a sold house, brings back
A waist leaning against a bucking wall.

The gutter-fires smoke, their burning done
Except for, fanned within, an orange feather;
We have one home, the first, and leave that one.
The having and leaving go on together.

River Poets planning session: Bloomsburg: 1/27/09

2009-01-01T01:27:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009: The River Poets will hold their planning session (for 4/09 to 9/09): 6:30 PM food; 7 PM meeting at Panera's.

Kudos: Elizabeth Bodien

2009-01-01T01:24:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Elizabeth Bodien, whose manuscript, Plumb Lines, has been published by Plan B Press. You can order a copy of Elizabeth's chapbook here.

Nance Van Winckel: Bucknell: 1/20/09

2009-01-01T01:20:00.002-05:00

Date: Tuesday, January 20

Time: 7 PM

Location: Bucknell Hall, on the campus of Bucknell University

Nance Van Winckel will give a poetry reading on 1/20 in Bucknell Hall. Van Winckel is the author of five books of poetry, most recently No Starling (University of Washington). Among her many honors and awards are two NEA Fellowships, a Pushcart Prize, two Washington State Artist Trust Awards, and awards from the Poetry Society of America, Poetry, and Prairie Schooner. Her work has appeared widely in journals and magazines. She has also published three collections of short stories. Van Winckel teaches in the MFA programs at Eastern Washington University and at Vermont College. As Bucknell’s 2009 Poet-in-Residence, she will teach a poetry workshop during the spring semester.

This event is free and open to the public.

Call for resources: Bucks County/ Doylestown

2009-01-01T01:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Folks:

I've received a request for a list of meeting dates for readings and groups in the Bucks County/Doylestown area. Can anyone help? Please post here if possible, or e-mail me [ron dot mohring at gmail dot com].

Many thanks.

G Emil Reutter's Blue-Collar Poet now available

2009-01-01T01:15:00.000-05:00

Stonegarden.net Publishing is now accepting pre-orders of G Emil Reutter’s latest release, Blue Collar Poet: Selected Poems, 1994-2008.

What others say about the poetry of G Emil Reutter:

"Reutter’s poetry has the keen ability to focus on people in a variety of situations, and to add his own unique twist to each poetic experience.”- Diane Sahms-Guarnier, Poetry Board Editor, Philadelphia Stories Magazine

“The stench of cigarette ash and the resinous swell of pines are as much a part of these moments as the wise and careful worry, the sharp memories, and quiet hope.”- Louis Mckee, Publisher, One Trick Pony Magazine

"His work reflects a love of life and a concern for humanity; it is the epitome of the idea that with every single moment we learn something about ourselves.”—Eileen D’Angelo, Editor, Mapoets Review

“Always ready to tell the truth and shame the devil, he can take you places from the road to the barroom and so many stops between.”- Vincent Quatroche, Professor, Fredonia State University

River Poets event: Bloomsburg: 1/13/09

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Tuesday, Jan 13, 7:30 PM: Come join the River Poets' annual start-up party at Phillips Emporium, 10 East Main Street in Bloomsburg. Plan to wear a hat (and other clothing, too), it conserves energy. Prizes will be awarded for the prettiest, weirdest and warmest headwear. Bring your oddities (books, CDs, videos, gadgets) for a white elephant sale to help River Poets stay afloat financially. Open Reading. MC: Susan Brook.

Heather Thomas: Harrisburg: 1/08/09

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Thursday, Jan 8, 7 PM: Heather Thomas Kicks Off The Poetry Cartel's Return to Midtown.

The Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel is pleased to celebrate its 10th anniversary by returning to Midtown Harrisburg, with an inaugural reading for Poetry Thursdays at the Cartel's new home, the Reel Cafe in the Midtown Cinema, at 7 pm, on Thursday, Jan. 8. Berks County Poet Laureate Heather Thomas will be the premier featured reader.

Thomas, an award-winning poet, is professor of English at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of seven books of poetry, including Blue Ruby (FootHills Publishing, 2008). Resurrection Papers (Chax Press, 2003) was translated into a bilingual edition and published in Argentina. The Fray, an art and poetry collaboration, was created with artist Barbara Schulman. Her poems appear in anthologies including Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania and in more than 30 print and online journals. Thomas has garnered awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Gertrude Stein Awards in Innovative American Poetry, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

The weekly reading series, Poetry Thursdays, began in a long-gone coffehouse on Third Street in 1999. A lot has changed since then, and the Midtown area has recently become a very lively cultural center. And the Cinema is right in the thick of things! In 2009, we'll also soon feature performers like Rick Kearns, Jennifer Hill-Kaucher and Dan Waber. Also-- Craig Czury, Maria Thiaw, and Harrisburg's self-proclaimed ambassador of poetry, Keith Snow. Featured poets generally begin reading at 8, after an hour of open mic which begins at 7pm. Marty Esworthy and Julia Tilley host the long-running series.The Midtown Cinema's Reel Cafe is at 250 Reily Street, Harrisburg. For more information: 717 909-6566.

Kudos: Karen Weyant

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Congratulations to Karen Weyant, whose chapbook Stealing Dust is now available for preorder from Finishing Line Press (click on the "new releases" page and scroll down by author last name).

Gary Fincke: Bloomsburg: 12/9/08

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Tuesday, Dec 9, 7:30 PM: The River Poets will feature poet Gary Fincke on Tuesday, 12/09 at Phillips Emporium, 10 East Main Street in Bloomsburg.

Gary Fincke is the author of a new poetry collection, The Fire Landscape. Garrison Keillor chose a poem from the new book to read in August on National Public Radio. Fincke is Professor of English and Director of the Writer's Institute at Susquehanna University.

Open Reading to follow with the suggested theme: playing with fire. Then, the winter holidays begin. MC: Kevin Clark.

Matthew Shindell, Paul Siegell, Kirstin Kashock: Philadelphia: 12/07/08

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Sunday, December 7, 3 PM: Big Blue Marble Bookstore (551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia) presents a poetry reading by Matthew Shindell, Paul Siegell, and Kirstin Kaschock.

Matthew Shindell was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but now lives and writes in La Jolla, California. Shindell received an MFA in poetry from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (2001). He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the History of Science and Science Studies at the University of California, San Diego, where he is writing a biographical dissertation about the American chemist and Nobel Laureate Harold C. Urey. Shindell holds a BS and MS in Biology and Society from Arizona State University.

Paul Siegell is the author of Poemergency Room (Otoliths Books, 2008) and the e-chap JAM> (ungovernable press, 2008). Paul is a staff editor at Painted Bride Quarterly, and has contributed to The American Poetry Review, MiPO, BlazeVOX, Coconut, Shampoo and other fine journals. Paul's site, ReVeLeR @ eYeLeVeL, may be found at paulsiegell.blogspot.com.

Kirsten Kaschock's first book of poetry, Unfathoms, is available from Slope Editions, and another is upcoming from Ahsahta Press. She is currently a Ph.D. student in dance at Temple University. Other poems from The Dottery have been published, or accepted for publication in the following journals: American Letters & Commentary, Jubilat, Denver Quarterly, Typo, Coconut, Columbia Poetry Review, CutBank, Sentence, and Lit.

The Beards Anthology: Philadelphia: 11/21/08

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Friday, November 21, 6 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents The Beards Anthology

"At first, The Beards seem like a most unlikely group of people to come together. The Administrator. The Angry Poet. The Hippie-Chick Feminist. The Postman. The Skateboarder. The Artist. The Political Activist." - Aleathia Drehmer (Editor)

"At the last minute I was asked to publish this great anthology of amazing poetry. Initially I felt as if I were dancing on the grave of a dead friend, but decided that this is an important volume of work. These writers best characterize a rising trend of excellence from the underground. Each poet brings a unique and dynamic vision." -Jack Henry (Publisher)

Throughout the history of literature, there have always been literary movements comprised of friends. I believe the beat movement would be a perfect example of that. That is all we, The Beards are. We were all friends online and met for the first time when we were all asked to read in June 2008 at the Connecticut Beat Poetry Festival. There we stayed in the same hotel, and got to know each other very well. Jacob and Katie did not stay with us, but they spent a lot of time in our hotel room. It was like the perfect storm, we all banded together against a common enemy, and just had fun. The locals loved us and news traveled fast of the antics of The Beards. Two weeks later The Beards minus two all performed in Kansas City for the Offbeat Pulp/Kill Poet Summer Accident. There was quite a buzz growing about The Beards.

For more information: www.beardspoetry.com

Sascha Feinstein: Williamsport: 11/21

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Friday, November 21, 5-8 PM: Sascha Feinstein

Sascha Feinstein will be signing copies of his most recent book, Black Pearls: Improvisations on a Lost Year at Otto's Bookstore, 107 W Fourth Street in Williamsport.

"Sascha Feinstein’s passion for the creative arts and his memories of the heartbreaking loss of his mother entwined to become the book Black Pearls. In the spirit of jazz improvisation these essays are governed by theme and variation more than by strict chronology, each essay repositioning riffs and choruses of personal experience within the wider cultural landscapes of literature, painting, and music. The project began as an exploration into the archeological nature of memory, but it matured into a far more complex evocation of personal identity."

[from the publisher's website; more information may be found here.]

Sascha Feinstein is a poet, essayist, and editor. It was during his college years that he discovered the crossovers between jazz and poetry, and a life’s love was forged. In addition to works of poetry—his collection Misterioso won the Hayden Carruth Award—Feinstein is the author of Jazz Poetry: From the 1920s to the Present and Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz and Literature. He is also the coeditor, with Yusef Komunyakaa, of The Jazz Poetry Anthology and its companion volume, The Second Set. He teaches in the MFA Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Sarah Dowling, Chris McCreary, Aaron Kunin: Philadelphia: 11/20/08

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Thursday, November 20, 7 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents a poetry reading by Sarah Dowling, Chris McCreary, and Aaron Kunin.

Sarah Dowling's poetry has appeared in Cue, Descant, EOAGH, and How2.

Chris McCreary is the author of two books of poems, Dismembers and The Effacements.

Aaron Kunin is the author of Folding Ruler Star, Secret Architecture, and a novel, The Mandarin.

For more information: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/112008.html

Ervene Gulley Memorial: Bloomsburg: 11/20/08

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Ervene Gulley, chair of the Bloomsburg University English Department, colleague, and friend, passed away on July 25, 2008. Please join us for an evening of words and music in celebration of her life.

Ervene! A Celebration
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Carver Hall
7:00 p.m.

All are welcome. Reception immediately following.

A Bloomsburg University scholarship has been set up in memory of Ervene and her mother, Helen Arthur Gulley, a BU alumna. Please call the Development Office at 389-4525 if interested in making a contribution.

Oni Buchanan: Bucknell: 11/18/07

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Tuesday, November 18, 7PM:

Oni Buchanan will read from her poetry in Bucknell Hall, on the campus of Bucknell University.

Buchanan is the author of What Animal (Georgia) and Spring Illinois), which was selected by Mark Doty for the 2007 National Poetry Series. Buchanan is also a concert pianist, has released three solo piano CDs, and actively performs across the U.S. and abroad. She lives in Boston, maintains a private piano teaching studio, and serves as an online poetry mentor for the Anna Akhmatova Foundation.

The annual Drew Darrow Memorial Poetry Reading is cosponsored by the Writing Center.

Brian Brodeur, CA Conrad, Jeffrey Ethan Lee: Philadelphia: 11/16/08

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Sunday, November 16, 2 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poets Brian Brodeur, CA Conrad & Jeffrey Ethan Lee.

Brian Brodeur is the author of Other Latitudes, winner of the University of Akron Poetry Prize, and So the Night Cannot Go on Without, which won the White Eagle Coffee Store Press Poetry Chapbook Award.

CA Conrad is the son of white trash asphyxiation whose childhood included selling cut flowers along the highway for his mother and helping her shoplift.

Jeffrey Ethan Lee's poetry book, identity papers, was a 2007 Colorado Book Award finalist. He is the senior poetry editor for Many Mountains Moving and teaches creative writing at West Chester University.

For more information: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/111608.html

Hanoch Guy & Ashraf Osman: Philly: 11/11/08

2008-11-01T11:11:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, November 11, 6 PM: The Moonstone Poetry Series at Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents Hanoch Guy and Ashraf Osman.

Hanoch Guy spent his childhood and youth in Israel. A bilingual poet in Hebrew and English, Hanoch is an Emeritus professor at Temple University. He has published poetry in Genre, Poetry Newsletter, Tracks, the International Journal of Genocide Studies, Poetry Motel, Visions International and several times in Poetica where he won an award. He has just published three poems in Hebrew and English in the magazine: In other words.

Ashraf Osman is a practicing architect who's been living and working in Philadelphia since 2002. Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon during the war, Ashraf came to the United States in 1998 to pursue his graduate studies at Syracuse University. His poetry has been featured in the Mad Poets Review, Schuylkill Valley Journal and Islamica magazine, and has been selected for inclusion in several anthologies including Queering Language, Outside Voices 2008 Anthology of Younger Poets, and The Other Voices International Project. Ashraf has been engaged in poetry blogging since 2002. His poetry blog, called arch.memory, has been featured on Blinq, the blog of the Philadelphia Inquirer; voted amongst the Best of the Web Blogs for poetry, and he was selected as one of 100 Blogging Poets on the web. In addition to his blog, Ashraf maintains a website of Philadelphia poetry links and calendars called PhillyPoetry.com.

Ewuare Osayande: Philly: 11/3/08

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Monday, November 3, 6 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents their Pre-Election Poetry Bash featuring Ewuare X. Osayande.

Poet and activist Ewuare Osayande will read poetry and offer a political analysis not found on the networks the night before this historic presidential election. Join us for a night of poetry, politics and progress as we raise our spirits with an eye on making history.

Halloween Poetic/Performance Bash: Philly: 10/31/08

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Friday, October 31, 9 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents the first annual Halloween Poetic/Performance Bash BLAM! Poetic Arts Performance Project, featuring
Hal Sirowitz, Bob Holman, CA Conrad, Adam Meora, Rick Szybowski.

Produced by Adam Meora; hosted by Debra Morkun & Adam Meora.

$10 cover includes candy. Part of the proceeds go to Philabundance.

Costume Dance Party to follow.

Rick Szybowski was born on October 23, 1975, hasn't died yet and lives to compose, teach and perform music.

Adam Meora is the founder of Poetic Arts and Performance Project, a project based in Philly to bring a home to the poetic/collaborative/activist arts and to be housed at the University City Arts League beginning in November. The Poetic Arts Project's goal is to promote the poetic arts while raising money for charities and performing outreach in our community. He has been featured for his poetic performance in Philadelphia at the Tin Angel, Robin's Bookstore, Green Line Cafe, Milk Boy Cafe, Blue Marble Books and more. He has recently been published in The Bathroom, The Fridge Door, The Mad Poets Journal and has work upcoming in The Fox Chase Review. He is managing editor for NakedHowl.com, an online literary journal. Bob Holman said about his poetry performance, "He broke all rules of decorum." He plans to show off his hairy chest at this reading too. He is also known as DJ Naked Meora.

CA Conrad's childhood included selling cut flowers along the highway for his mother and helping her shoplift. He escaped to Philadelphia the first chance he got where he lives and writes today with The PhillySound poets. Soft Skull Press published his book Deviant Propulsion in 2006. Jack Kimball's FAUX Press recently published his new series of poems (Soma)tic Midge (samples from this new work can be seen in listenlight, MiPOesias, Sawbuck and COCONUT#9). The Book of Frank is forthcoming in late 2008 from CHAX Press. A selection of The Book of Frank was translated into German by Berlin poet Holger, and a bilingual chapbook is now available from Carrie Hunter's YPOLITA Press. A collaboration with poet Frank Sherlock titled The City Real & Imagined: Philadelphia Poems, will be coming out in early 2009 from Factory School Press.

Bob Holman - Recently dubbed a member of the "Poetry Pantheon" by the New York Times Magazine and featured in a Henry Louis Gates, Jr. profile in The New Yorker, Holman has previously been crowned "Ringmaster of the Spoken Word" (New York Daily News), "Poetry Czar" (Village Voice), "Dean of the Scene" (Seventeen), and "this generation’s Ezra Pound," (San Francisco's Poetry Flash). From Slam to Hiphop, from performance poetry to spoken word, Bob Holman has been a central figure in the reemergence of poetry in our culture. The series he produced for PBS, The United States of Poetry, features over sixty poets including Derek Walcott, Rita Dove, Czeslaw Milosz, Lou Reed and former President Jimmy Carter, as well as rappers, cowboy poets, American Sign Language poets, and Slammers. USOP lives on as an anthology from Harry Abrams Publishers (in its second printing), a home video from KQED, and soundtrack CD from Mouth Almighty/Mercury Records, a label Holman co-founded. He has appeared widely on TV: "Nightline," "Good Morning America," "ABC News Magazine," MTV's "Spoken Word Unplugged," and "The Charlie Rose Show," among others. The NEA has announced major preproduction support for his new poetry media project, the World of Poetry, worldofpoetry.org, the world's first digital poetry anthology.

Hal Sirowitz is the recipient of a Frederick Delius Award and The Susan Rose Recording Grant for Contemporary Jewish Music. Hal Sirowitz is the author of three books of poems, including Mother Said, My Therapist Said (Crown). Mother Said will be released on CD with music composed by Alla Borzova, sung by Paul Sperry. John Flansburgh of the rock group, They Might Be Giants, has recorded him for Hello Records, and the group spoke about him during their Mother's Day interview for NPR's Studio 360. Garrison Keillor has read his work on NPR's Writer's Almanac. Sirowitz has performed on MTV's Spoken Word Unplugged, PBS's Poetry Heaven, and NPR's All Things Considered. Awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and a 2003 New York State Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, Sirowitz is also the best selling translated poet in Norway, where Mother Said has been adapted for the stage and has been made into animated cartoons. Hal is the former Poet Laureate of Queens, New York. He has a poem in Garrison Keillor's anthology, Good Poems, in Poetry in Motion from Coast to Coast (W.W. Norton), in Poetry After 9/11 (Melville House Publishing) and in 110 Stories: Writers Respond to 9/11 (NYU Press). He worked for 25 years as a special education teacher for the New York City public schools. Hal is married to the writer Mary Minter Krotzer.

Leslie Ann Mcilroy: Bloomsburg: 10/29/08

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Wednesday, October 29, 7PM: The Big Dog Reading Series presents poet Leslie Anne Mcilroy, in a collaborative performance with guitarist Don Bertschman, in The Hideaway, Kehr Union Building, Bloomsburg University. Mcilroy will read selections from Liquid Like This (Word Press, 2008), the latest book from this Pittsburgh-based poet, writer, and editor. Mcilroy won the 1997 Slipstream Poetry Prize for her chapbook Gravel and the 2001 Word Press Poetry Prize for her book Rare Space.

“In Liquid Like This, she intensifies her talent for seeking and seeing both sides of truth, bridging the beautiful and the profane. Like Tom Waits’ baby sister and Neruda’s granddaughter, her new gritty narratives seduce as easily as they caution; soothe as easily as they trouble,” writes poet Terrance Hayes.

This event is free and open to the public. Call 570-389-4881 for information.

Allison Wittenberg: Philly: 10/28/08

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Tuesday, October 28, 6 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poet Allison Wittenberg.

Hosted by Justin Vitiello. Open reading to follow.

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Thursday, October 23, 6 PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poets Christopher Casamassima, Ryan Eckes, and M. Magnus.

Christopher Casamassima is the Literary Arts Director at Towson ARTS Collective, and professor of English at Towson University - both in Baltimore. To shoulder a maternal metaphor, he has authored two books of poetry, the Proteus [Moria Books], and Joys : A Catalogue of Disappointments. His third book, Ore, is currently under production, and will contain thousands of appropriated lines from everyone between Aesop and Zukofsky, except his own, which have been dashed against the rocks or sold to his students.

Ryan Eckes lives in South Philadelphia. His poetry can be read in XConnect, Fanzine, Cue: A Journal of Prose Poetry, PhillySound, and in his chapbook when i come here (Plan B Press, 2007). He has an MA in creative writing from Temple University, where he currently teaches. Click here to visit his blog.

M. Magnus' book Verb Sap is out this fall from Narrow House of Baltimore. Much of this work, along with a few newer and older pieces, can be heard on his online radio show "MMm... Utterance" at blogtalkradio.com, ongoing throughout 2008. Magnus lives and writes in Alexandria, Virginia.

Mia Leonin: Bucknell: 10/21/08

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Tuesday, October 21, 7 PM:

Mia Leonin reads from her poetry at Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University.

Leonin is the author of two books of poetry, Braid and Unraveling the Bed, both from Anhinga Press. A travel memoir is forthcoming from University of Arizona Press. She has received grants and awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, the Florida Arts Council, and the NEA/Annenberg Institute on Theater and Musical Theater. Leonin teaches creative writing at the University of Miami and writes extensively on theatre, dance, and culture in Miami.

This reading will be shared with Eduardo Corral.

Eduardo Corral: Bucknell: 10/21/08

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Tuesday, October 21, 7PM:

2008 Philip Roth Resident Eduardo Corral will read from his poetry in Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University.

Corral’s poems have appeared in Black Warrior Review, Indiana Review, The Nation, Ploughshares, and Poetry Northwest. His work has been honored with a “Discovery”/ The Nation award and residencies from the Hall Farm Center, the MacDowell Colony, and Yaddo. He was the 2007/08 Olive B. O’Connor Fellow in Creative Writing at Colgate University. Corral holds degrees from Arizona State University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. As the 2008 Philip Roth Resident, he is spending the fall semester at Bucknell.

This reading is shared with Mia Leonin.

Pam Brown, Ron Silliman, Magdalena Zurawski

2008-10-01T22:19:00.002-04:00

Sunday, October 19, 4PM: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poets Pam Brown, Ron Silliman and Magdalena Zurawski.

Pam Brown lives in Australia and is co-editor of Jacket magazine. She has published many books and chapbooks including Text thing (Little Esther Books, 2002) and Dear Deliria (Salt Publishing, 2003) which was awarded the New South Wales Premier's Prize for Poetry in 2004. She collaborated with Seattle-based Egyptian poet Maged Zaher on a collection of poems called farout library software (Tinfish Press, 2007). Her most recent book, True Thoughts, was published by Salt Publishing in September 2008. Her next collection, Authentic Local, is forthcoming from Papertiger Media in 2009. Click here to see her blog.

Ron Silliman's long awaited collection The Alphabet will be available for sale and for signing. He is the author or editor of twenty-six books of poetry and criticism, among them The Age of Huts (compleat), Tjanting, ABC, Demo to Ink, Paradise, R, What, Woundwood, and the memoir Under Albany. He edited the landmark poetry anthology In the American Tree, and he has received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, two Fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, and three arts commission grants from the state arts councils of California and Pennsylvania. His widely read Silliman's Blog, a daily journal devoted to contemporary poetry and poetics, has become a major force in online literary criticism.

Magdalena Zurawski was born in Newark, NJ in 1972 to Polish immigrants. Her work has been published in American Poet: The Journal of the Academy of American Poets, The Poetry Project Newsletter, Rattapallax, Talisman, and other magazines. She lives in North Carolina where she is working on her PhD at Duke University. The Bruise is her first novel and won the Ronald Sukenik Innovative Fiction Prize. Click here to visit her blog.

Leonard Gontarek & Arlene Ang: Philly: 10/19/08

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Sunday, October 19, 1pm: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poets Leonard Gontarek and Arlene Ang.

Leonard Gontarek is the author of St. Genevieve Watching Over Paris, Van Morrison Can't Find His Feet, Zen For Beginners and Deja Vu Diner (Autumn House Press, 2006). His poems have appeared in The Best American Poetry, Joyful Noise! An Anthology of American Spiritual Poetry, American Poetry Review, Blackbird, BlazeVox, Pool, Fence, Field, and as a tattoo. He has been nominated five times for the Pushcart Prize. A Pew Poetry Finalist, he received poetry fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts in 1994 and 2004. He conducts poetry workshops at The University City Arts League, Robin's Bookstore, The Kelly Writers House and in the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership. He coordinates The Last Word Bookshop Reading Series and The Green Line Poetry Series.

Arlene Ang is the author of The Desecration of Doves (iUniverse 2005) and Secret Love Poems (Rubicon Press 2007). Bundles of Letters Including A, V and Epsilon (a book of poems written with Valerie Fox) was recently published by Texture Press. She serves as the poetry editor of The Pedestal Magazine and Press 1. She received the 2006 Frogmore Prize. Ang's poems have appeared in many journals, including Parameter Magazine, Stand Magazine, Envoi, Painted Bride Quarterly, Diagram, and Unpleasant Event Schedule. She lives in Spinea, in Italy.

Jack DeWitt - book launch: Kingston: 10/17/08

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Friday, October 17, 8:15 PM: Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery presents a book launch and reading by Jack DeWitt.

"There are only a few people working in this utterly unadorned, unsung blue-collar vein, and Jack DeWitt is the master of the genre." --Stephen Berg.

443 Main Street, Kingston, PA.

Jim Warner: Bloomsburg: 10/14/08

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October 14, 7:30 PM: The River Poets will feature poet Jim Warner on Tuesday, 10/14 at Phillips Emporium, 10 East Main Street in Bloomsburg.

Jim Warner earned degrees in Psychology and English. He performs across the northeast, and is the long-time host for the Wilkes-Barre Barnes & Noble Poetry Series. Jim's work has appeared in various journals including HazMat Review and Word Riot, in the anthology In the Arms of Words: Poetry for Disaster Relief (Sherman Asher), and on numerous buses, phone booths and bathroom walls. Jim's first full length collection, Too Bad It's Poetry, was released in the fall of 2007 by Paper Kite Press. Jim Warner currently lives (with an oversized record collection) and works in Wilkes-Barre as Assistant Director of Graduate Creative Writing Programs at Wilkes University.

After a break, there will be an open reading.
MC: Tara Holdren.

Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Diane Lockward, JC Todd: Philly: 10/14/08

2008-10-01T22:14:00.003-04:00

Tuesday, October 14, 7:00 PM: Poets Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Diane Lockward and JC Todd will give a reading at The Blue Grotto, 3500 Lancaster Ave in Philadelphia. All three poets are published by Wind Publications. Sally will read from Talking Underwater; Diane will read from What Feeds Us; JC will read from What Space This Body.

This event is sponsored by Mad Poets Society.

Check out Diane's web site by clicking here.

Tree Riesner & Guillaume Stewart: Philly: 10/14/08

2008-10-01T22:14:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, October 14, 6pm: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poets Tree Riesner and Guillaume Stewart. More information to follow.

Group reading: Philly: 10/13/08

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Monday, October 13, 6pm: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents a group reading: Avanti Popolo "Columbus Day" Reading Featuring Eight Poets:

Co-moderators: Al Taconelli and Rosemary Cappello
Readers: Maria Fama, Mary Ann Mannino, Rob Marchesani, Emiliano Maartin, Linda Pizzi, and Tad Tuleja.

Inspired by the book Avanti Popolo: Italian-American Writers Sail Beyond Columbus, edited by The Italian-American Political Solidarity Club ($14.95 Manic D Press). Italian American writers celebrate their hidden history in a literary tribute to fighting social injustice. With the current anti-immigrant sentiments filling up newspaper front pages, these writers respond with thought-provoking works that focus on breaking from mainstream tradition. On Columbus Day, instead of celebrating conquest, these poets and writers acknowledge those who stood up for justice and have fought for the rights of all immigrants, regardless of heritage. With new work by Diane di Prima, Kim Addonizio, James Tracy, Michael Cirelli, Michael Parenti, Thomas Centolella, and many others.

Anthology release reading: Philly: 10/12/08

2008-10-01T22:12:00.001-04:00

Sunday, October 12, 4pm: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents a group reading: State of the Union: Political Poems for Our Times.

Readers will include CA Conrad, Dan Featherston, Ish Klein, Sueyeun Juliette Lee, Bill Marsh, Frank Sherlock and Nathaniel Siegel.

This reading is in honor of a new anthology published by Wave Books, State of the Union: 50 Political Poems, edited by Joshua Beckman and Matthew Zapruder (Wave, $14.00). Readings will be in the spirit of the anthology: "From rough optimism to sharp criticism, fifty American poets present new work dissecting the current political climate in America. Wide-ranging writers bring their bold and urgent voices to this collection, which includes the work of John Ashbery, Lucille Clifton, Terrance Hayes, Eileen Myles, [the late] Reginald Shepherd and John Yau, among many others."

Related to the anthology and counting down the last fifty days until the election, this blog might be of interest: http://poetrypolitic.com/

Jack Veasey: Camp Hill: 10/09/08

2008-10-01T22:09:00.000-04:00

Jack Veasey will be featured October 9 at the Crimson Frog Coffeehouse.

Veasey has published eight volumes of poetry, and his poems have appeared in the journals Painted Bride Quarterly, Experimental Forest, Fledgling Rag, and the anthology Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (2006). Veasey has been a journalist, editor, arts administrator, musician, writing teacher, and public radio host. He's produced two plays which were shown in Philadelphia and Lancaster. As a journalist, he's written hundreds of articles, conducting interviews with such as David Lynch, Laurie Anderson, George Carlin, and Joan Baez.

Jack Veasey writes poetry concerning the working class and individuals alienated as a consequence of economic class, race, and sexual orientation. He's studied with a number of poets, including Etheridge Knight, Alexandra Grilikhes, and Ted Berrigan.

David A. Warner, writing in The Philadelphia City Paper, says: "Jack Veasey's poetry lets you know from the outset that the poor are the people he sings about, and that's that. His strongest poems are spare, sympathetic portraits that reveal whole histories of loneliness in small details. These are deceptively simple, surprisingly resonant poems." An open reading will precede Veasey's performance. The Crimson Frog is located in the Cedar Cliff Mall. For more information: 761-4721.

three poems by Karen Lillis

2008-10-01T22:06:00.004-04:00

PA Poet news:

Karen Lillis has three poems published at The Fifteen Project, an online journal. There's also a review of The Second Elizabeth, her forthcoming novel of poetic prose, here.

Susan Gardner: Philly: 10/06/08

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Monday, October 6, 6pm: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poet Susan Gardner, author of Box of Light/Caja de luz (Red Mountain Press). For more information, see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/100408.html.

Susan Gardner illuminates relationships and meaning from her environment, both human and natural. Her lyric poems, written in both English and Spanish, bridge the gap between the two languages with an unrivaled clarity and poeticism. "Moving between languages is moving between cultures," explains Ms. Gardner. "The poems are cousins rather than twins."

"Gardner’s poetry employs a loose, conversational cadence and open, precise language," says Red Mountain Press publisher R.D. Ross. "Her work reminds us of tanka and haiku in its choice of subject matter, musical feeling, and forceful simplicity of image." Black line drawings reminiscent of Asian calligraphy illustrate the concepts of Box of Light, transforming the words and images into a complete visual and auditory experience.

Susan Gardner is a painter, poet, and photographer. A native of New York, she now lives in Santa Fe. Other works include Stone Music: The Art and Poetry of Susan Gardner and Intimate Landscapes.

J.C. Todd & Alex Hartman: Camp Hill: 10/02/08

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J.C. Todd and Alex Hartman are featured performers at the Crimson Frog's Poetry Thursdays series on Thursday, October 2, from 7-9PM.

Philadelphia poet J.C. Todd is author of What Space This Body (Wind Publications 2008), and two chapbooks, Nightshade and Entering Pisces, both from Pine Press. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Paris Review, and Prairie Schooner, and on Verse Daily. Awards include two Leeway Awards for Poetry, a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Poetry Fellowship, and fellowships to Schloss Wiepersdorf arts colony in Germany and the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Sweden. She has edited translation features on Lithuanian, Latvian and Slovene poetry for The Drunken Boat and is a visiting lecturer in Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr College.

Alexandra Hartman's Ethos is an experimental concept in music and poetry performance that fuses Louis J. Porsi Jr.'s soulful electric bass guitar rhythms with Hartman's topical and confessional spoken word poetry and prose. Hartman has been involved in poetry and independent film for the past decade. She recently earned a master's degree from Goddard College in embodiment studies and film; much of her poetry focuses on the body, and bodies that "disobey" by not conforming to societal norms.

Porsi is a multi-talented instrumentalist. He studied studio recording engineering and sound at Los Angeles Valley College. His musical endeavors span forty years and two coasts.

The Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel hosts Poetry Thursdays, a weekly reading series at the Crimson Frog. An 7pm open reading will lead into the Todd-Hartman extravaganza. The Crimson Frog, 1104 Carlisle Road, Camp Hill, PA, is located in the Cedar Cliff Mall. For more information: 761-4721.