New release: Deborah Burnham's STILL

Deborah Burnham's Still: #2 in the Keystone Chapbook Series. Now available from Seven Kitchens Press.

Deborah Burnham lives in Philadelphia and works as a lecturer in English and writing at the University of Pennsylvania. Her book, Anna and the Steel Mill, won the first book prize from Texas Tech University Press. Her new manuscript, Simplified to Blue, is in circulation.

Noel Sloboda's SHELL GAMES released

Just released: Noel Sloboda's Shell Games has just been published by Sunnyoutside Press. Click here to order, here for a sample poem, here for blurbage, and here to listen to an interview c/o Keyhole Magazine.

Noel Sloboda lives in Pennsylvania, where he serves as dramaturg for the Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival. He has taught both high school and college, and currently works at Penn State York, where he has earned awards for teaching and advising.

Le Hinton, Khalil Murrell & Bridget Talone: Philly: 7/17/08

Thursday July 17, 6:30pm: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St in Philadelphia, presents poets Le Hinton, Khalil Murrell, and Bridget Talone.

Le Hinton is the author of the chapbook Cultivating Darkness and two book-length collections of poetry, Waiting for Brion (2004) and Status Post Hope (2006).

A Temple University graduate, Khalil Murrell taught high school English in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, and now coordinates the Poetry-in-the-Schools Program for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. His work has been published in several journals and, in his spare time, he enjoys working with high school students in Camden, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia.

Bridget Talone was born in Ardmore, PA, raised in Wayne, PA and studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is currently the Poetry Festival Assistant with the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival but will be leaving in the fall to pursue her MFA at the Iowa Writers Workshop.

Click here for more information.

5th Annual Philadelphia Ethnic Poets Reading: 7/13/08

Sunday, July 13, 2pm: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St, presents the Fifth Annual Philadelphia Poets Ethnic Voices Reading, featuring Ashini J. Desai, Elliott Levin, and Andy Macera, followed by an Open Mic.

Click here for more information.

River Poets: Bloomsburg: 7/8/08

Tuesday, July 8, 7 pm: The regular July reading for River Poets takes place July 8th in Bloomsburg Town Park at the pavilion just NW of the lagoon. This will be an Open Reading. Show up at this earlier time (7:00) with some good poems, and enjoy good company. BYOBeverages. Dave Barsky is MC.

George Drew & Allen Hoey: Philly: 7/8/08

Tuesday, July 8, 6pm: Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents poets George Drew and Allen Hoey.

George Drew was born in Mississippi and raised there and in New York State, where he currently lives. He is the author of two collections of poetry, most recently The Horse's Name Was Physics, from Turning Point Press; a third, American Cool, will be published by Tamarack Editions in 2009, and a fourth, The Hand that Rounded Peter's Dome, will be released by Turning Point in 2010.

Allen Hoey's first collection of poems, A Fire in the Cold House of Being, was chosen by Galway Kinnell for the 1985 Camden Poetry Award; subsequent volumes of poetry include What Persists, Provençal Light, The Precincts of Paradise, and Country Music.

Click here for more information.

Seminar for Younger Poets: Bucknell: 6/28/08

The Bucknell Younger Poets will present their final reading on Saturday, June 28. 7:30pm [NOT 7:00] in Bucknell Hall.

The annual Seminar selects 10-12 undergraduate poets from a national pool of applicants to attend the Bucknell campus and participate, free of charge, in a three-week poetry program. This year's staff are Erinn Batykefer, K A Hays, Deirdre O'Connor and G C Waldrep. Guest poets are Tracy K Smith and Kazim Ali.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Oscar Wilde Award: deadline 6/27

The postmark deadline for the annual Oscar Wilde Award is June 27. Read full details by clicking here.

Bill Wunder: Philly: 6/26/08

Thursday, June 26, 6pm:

Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents Bill Wunder, author of Pointing at the Moon (Wordtech).

For more information, see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/062608.html.

Adrienne Su: Camp Hill: 6/26/08

Thursday, June 26: Adrienne Su will be the Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel's featured reader at the Crimson Frog Coffeehouse, 1104 Carlisle Road, Camp Hill.

Adrienne Su is author of two poetry books, Middle Kingdom (Alice James) and Sanctuary (Manic D). A third verse collection, Having None of It, is scheduled for January publication by Manic D Press. Su, poet-in-residence at Dickinson College in Carlisle and director of the school's creative writing program, received a National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship last year. Her residencies include The Frost Place, Robert Frost's homestead, in New Hampshire, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Adrienne Su's poems have appeared in numerous poetry journals, including the anthologies Best American Poetry 2000, The New American Poets and Asian-American Poetry: The Next Generation.

A 7pm open reading will precede the feature presentation, which begins at 8 o'clock. The Crimson Frog is located in the Cedar Cliff Mall. For additional information: 761-4721. The cartel's Michael Lear-Olimpi will host.

Michele Belluomini & Cathleen Miller: Philly: 6/24/08

Tuesday, June 24, 6pm:

The Moonstone Poetry Series at Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents
Michele Belluomini and Cathleen Miller. Hosted by Justin Vitiello; open reading to follow.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/062408.html

Kazim Ali: Bucknell: 6/23/08

The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets will present a reading by guest poet Kazim Ali on Monday, June 23, 7pm in Bucknell Hall. Also reading will be six of the twelve Bucknell Younger Poets.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Jerry Wemple: Shikellamy State Park: 6/21/08

Saturday, June 21, 2-4pm: Bloomsburg poet Jerry Wemple will read his work at the Shikellamy State Park Overlook as part of the Friends of Shikellamy State Park Summer Solstice Celebration. Wemple will be joined by singer/songwiter Jessica Jellen. For more information on this and other scheduled events, click here.

A.B. Spellman: Philly: 6/20/08

Friday, June 20, 6pm:

Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) will sponsor a poetry reading by A.B. Spellman, author of Things I Must Have Known (Coffee House Press).

"A.B. Spellman writes with the ease and fluidity of his favorite jazz musician John Coltrane blowing his horn. The poems slide from the page and sometimes knock you down with their grace, insight and rhythm. This is a book and a writer to savor." -Jane Alexander

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/062008.html

Tracy K Smith: Bucknell: 6/12/08

The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets will present a reading by guest poet Tracy K Smith on Thursday, June 12, 7pm in Bucknell Hall. Also reading will be six of the twelve Bucknell Younger Poets.

This reading is free and open to the public.

River Poets: Bloomsburg: 6/10/08

Tuesday, June 10th, 7:30pm: The River Poets will have their June reading at Phillips Emporium, Bloomsburg. The featured readers are Marlin Wagner and Kathy Dobash. MC: Mary Lou Wagner. Theme: Two, each his own.

Marlin Wagner is a photojournalist whose photo undercuts (that's actually an actual term for what most people call captions, actually) have morphed into Haiku verse. These he may lay upon those who choose to ignore this warning and attend the June session of River Poets.

Kathy Dobash is an artist from Hazleton. Read more about her at www.myspace.com/kathydobash.

Erinn Batykefer, Katie Hays, Deirdre O'Connor, G C Waldrep: Bucknell: 6/10/08

The Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets staff will read their work on Tuesday evening at 7pm in Bucknell Hall. Readers are Erinn Batykefer, K A Hays, Deirdre O'Connor, and G C Waldrep.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Ryan Eckes/ Kristine Grow/ Joyce Meyers: Philly: 6/10/08

Tuesday, June 10, 6pm:

Moonstone Poetry Series at Robin's Bookstore presents Ryan Eckes, Kristine Grow, and Joyce Meyers. Hosted by Justin Vitiello; open reading to follow.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/061008.html

Samantha Barrow Presents: Philly: 6/9/08

Monday, June 9, 7pm:

Poetry at Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia): Samantha Barrow presents Monica McIntyre, Maleka Fruean, CA Conrad, Victoria Pearson, and Gweny Love.

Samantha Barrow Presents is a loosely seasonal event curated by Samantha Barrow. This is the kickoff event, woo hoo!

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/060908.html

update: Karen Lillis

Karen's poem "Wooden Splinter" appears in the current (summer) issue of Avatar Review (click to read the poem).

Karen has also started a LibraryThing catalog of many Pittsburgh small press items, including poetry books, chapbooks, literary journals, as well as other formats like comics and zines:

Click here to check it out!

MPWA Regional Poetry Contest Reading: Scranton: 6/7/08

Saturday, June 7th, 7:30pm:

The seventh annual MPWA Regional Poetry Contest will present their work at AFA Gallery, 514 Lackawanna Ave., Scranton PA. You are invited to attend. The cost is 4 dollars for non-winners and the general public, and 2 dollars for MPWA (Mulberry Poets and Writers Association) members.

The First Place winner, Tara Shoemaker Holdren, will be on for 12 minutes; Second Place Karen Beebe for 10, and Third Place Paula Gannon for 8 minutes. After an intermission, Honorable Mention poets will present their poems.

PARKING: Because of construction in the vicinity of AFA Gallery, you will not be able to park on Lackawanna Ave. But around the block and in the Steamtown Parking Garage there will be ample parking. The street meters are not enforced on Saturday evening.

MPWA's 30th Season is supported in part by PA Partners in the Arts (PPA), the regional arts funding partnership of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency. PPA is administered in this region by The Scranton Area Foundation.

Review: Peter Krok's Looking for an Eye

Follow this link to read Donald Riggs' review of Peter Krok's Looking for an Eye in the summer 2008 issue of Per Contra.

Click here to read more about the book at the FootHills Publishing web site.

Reading of Elizabeth McFarland's poems: Philly: 5/27/08

Tuesday, May 27, 6pm: Moonstone Poetry Series is honored to have Dan Hoffman and Elaine Terranova present Over the Summer Water by Elizabeth McFarland.

Elizabeth McFarland (1922-2005) brought poetry into the lives of millions. As poetry editor of The Ladies' Home Journal from 1948 to 1962, she published some 900 poems by authors like Maxine Kumin, Randall Jarrell, W.H. Auden, John Updike, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Marianne Moore. While much of what she published is not considered the best work of those poets, she tended to select their most accessible, uplifting poems and turned many of the top poets of her day into household names. She also published 70 of her own poems. Hoffman thought of herself as writing and publishing poetry that appealed directly to readers' emotions. She was dismayed by both the modernist tradition, whose lyrics reflected T.S. Eliot's injunction of impersonality, and by the confessional school that became increasingly popular in the later 50's, free verse by poets like Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton, which represented what Hoffman considered tabloid topics, like sexual abuse, insanity, alcoholism and suicide. Focusing primarily on domestic subjects, the poems Hoffman published were essentially conservative; they were designed to affirm rather than to disturb the reader's life and to illuminate the beauty rather than to reveal the horror or emptiness of the everyday. By the time she left L.H.J. in 1962, the style of poetry she favored was out of vogue, and poetry itself disappeared from women's magazines.

Throughout her life, however, she continued working quietly on her own verses--one of which her husband is having inscribed on a plaque under a cherry tree in a favorite grove on the Swarthmore campus. The poems in Over the Summer Water are gathered by her husband, Daniel Hoffman, whose preface illuminates their distinctive lyric virtues and her exceptional editorial career.

Elizabeth McFarland's poetry will be read by Dan Hoffman and Elaine Terranova, who will also discuss her life and works.

Dan Hoffman served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1973 to 1974 (now called the Poet Laureate) and is a Chancellor Emeritus of The Academy of American Poets. From 1988 to 1999 Hoffman was Poet in Residence at St. John the Divine, where he administered the American Poets' Corner. Until 1996, Hoffman was Felix E. Schelling Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania.

Elaine Terranova, the author of three books of poems, The Cult of the Right Hand, which won the Walt Whitman Award, Damages and The Dog's Heart. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The American Poetry Review, and Prairie Schooner. Her awards include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Philadelphia and teaches writing at the Community College of Philadelphia.

Kevin Clark & Richard Kahn: Pottsville: 5/17/08

Saturday, May 17th, 1-4 PM: Richard Kahn & Kevin Clark will read their poetry at All Things Good, 209 West Market Street in Pottsville. [Click here for an online event schedule.]

Richard Kahn studied at the prestigious Institute of the Open Road, graduating by not distinguishing himself any more than absolutely necessary after having taken classes in the lower classes of five continents. He was generously endowed with many chairs as he hitchhiked about. Bloomsburg University then filled in some of the many missing pieces in his education, and then Bucknell filled in a few more. He teaches at an upriver institution for law flouting juveniles who live by far harsher rules. Richard Kahn sometimes feels like a poet, and he likes the feeling. He hopes the feeling will last even though he knows that it is in the nature of feelings to come and go.

Kevin Clark is a Pittsburgh-born poetry and fiction writer; he currently teaches English at Luzerne County Community College. Kevin performed his multimedia, interactive "Love and Other Silly Notions" last February for an audience in Huntingdon, PA. The project explores love's frailties and flirtations, as well as its fantasies and fulfillments.

Richard Kahn: Bloomsburg: 5/13/08

Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 pm: Richard Kahn is the featured poet at the River Poets reading at Phillips Emporium, Main Street in Bloomsburg. [See his profile in the May 17 posting.]

Barbara Daniels & Therese Halscheid: Philly: 5/13/08

Tuesday, May 13, 6pm:

Moonstone Poetry Series presents Barbara Daniels and Therese Halscheid.

Barbara Daniels' book, Rose Fever, will be available in March 2008 from the Cherry Grove imprint of WordTech Press: http://www.cherry-grove.com/. She received two Individual Artist Fellowships from New Jersey, completed an MFA in poetry at Vermont College, and was awarded a full fellowship from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to the Vermont Studio Center.

Therese Halscheid was awarded a 2003 Fellowship for Poetry from New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She has three poetry collections, Powertalk (1995), Without Home (Kells, 2001) and Uncommon Geography (Carpenter Gothic, 2006). Her writings, poetry and prose, have appeared in numerous magazines, including Rhino, New Millennium Writings, Faultline, and 13th Moon. She teaches creative writing in varied settings, including Atlantic Cape Community College, NJ, as well as being a visiting writer in schools through NJ State Council on the Arts. She is poet-in-residence for the Camden County Cultural & Heritage Commission and coordinates their poetry series: An Evening of Poetry at the Hopkins House. She has been an artist in residence at Acadia National Park, ME, and has received a Dodge Fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center, June 2005.

Hosted by Justin Vitiello, followed by an open reading

National Poetry Month Reading: Bethlehem: 4/26/08

Saturday, April 26, 11am - 10pm:

The Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem celebrates National Poetry Month with their Poetry Day, an all-day lineup of poetry readings. Here's the complete schedule:

11am-12noon: Lynnel Jones
12noon-1pm: Barbara Crooker
1pm-2pm: Ann Michael
2pm-3pm: Ann Borger
3pm-4pm: Art Freeman
4pm-5pm: Elizabeth Bodien
5pm-6pm: Matthew Hittinger
6pm-8ish: Open mic (open to guest poets and the public)
8pm-10pm: Open mic at Wired Gallery and Cafe (about a block up Main St)

Location: 428 Main Street, Bethlehem. Click on the bookstore link above for more information.

Kristine Grow, Maria Raha, Joyce Meyers: Philly: 4/24/08

Thursday, April 24, 6pm:

At Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St, Philadelphia, Plan B Press presents Kristine Grow, Maria Raha, and Joyce Meyers.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/042408.html

Paula Closson Buck: Bucknell: 4/22/08

Tuesday, April 22, 7 PM: Paula Closson Buck will give a poetry reading in Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University.

Closson Buck is the author of two books of poems, The Acquiescent Villa (1998) and Litanies Near Water (2008), both from LSU Press, as well as poems in such journals as Antioch Review, Denver Quarterly, Gettysburg Review, Ohio Review, and Shenandoah. She has recently completed a first novel, "Drinking with Ptolemy.” Closson Buck is the editor of West Branch, a biannual journal of contemporary writing published at Bucknell. She teaches creative writing at Bucknell.

This event is free and open to the public.

Ice, Jane Ormerod, Brant Lyon: Philly: 4/22/08

Tuesday, April 22, 6pm:

The Moonstone Poetry Series at Robin's Bookstore (108 S 13th St, Philadelphia) presents Ice, Jane Ormerod and Brant Lyon, three poets published in A Cautionary Tale: Seven New York Performing Poets. Hosted by Justin Vitiello; open reading to follow.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/042208.html

Enid Shomer: Susquehanna: 4/21/08

Monday, April 21, 7:30 PM: Poet Enid Shomer will give a reading in Isaacs Auditorium of Seibert Hall on the campus of Susquehanna University.

Enid Shomer is the author of the poetry collections This Close to the Earth, Black Drum, and Stars at Noon: Poems from the Life of Jacqueline Cochran; her books of fiction include Tourist Season and Imaginary Men. She edits the Univeristy of Arkansas Press Poetry Series.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Global Aphasia

It’s like a two-way street, the hospital speech
therapist explains, drawing lanes with arrows

and curves. Information swerves in through the ears;
replies arrive in the mouth The brain is the driver.

“Okay okay okay,” Mother answers without delay
when asked about the food, her health, this task.

This “automatic response,” a kind of static, relieves
the silence she emotes like a high-frequency note

of distress. “Brush your . . . ?” “Suitcase,” she rushes to fill
in the blank, shaking her head as you would to free the ink

in a ballpoint pen. “Tie your . . . ?” Mother’s eyes roll.
“Suitcase?” she pleads. At the root of “perseveration,” the name

for this odd repeating of words, is the word “persevere,”
that hopeful bird which sits on my chest with its head

snaked under a wing and its talons digging in as she shakes
more and more suitcases loose from her mind. One shines

on her finger, one barks like a dog. O singer with your one-word
song, you knew I was there but not for how long, so all

day you conjured up luggage, all afternoon you lured my bags
from the thicket of thought and picked at the locks of my visit.

: Enid Shomer, Black Drum (1997)

Robert Zaller, Marion Cohen, Andy Macera, Beth Phillips Brown: Philadelphia: 4/20/08

Sunday, April 20, 2 PM: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St in Philadelphia:

Philadelphia Poets presents a reading in honor of the winners of the Second Annual John and Rose Petracca & Family Award.

Rosemary Cappello, Editor, will emcee, and the participating poets will be Robert Zaller, Marion Cohen, Andy Macera, and Beth Phillips Brown.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/042008.html

Dan Featherston & Bill Marsh: Philadelphia: 4/19/08

Saturday, April 19, 6PM: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St in Philadelphia, presents poets Dan Featherston and Bill Marsh.

Dan Featherston books of poetry include The Clock Maker's Memoir, United States, and Into the Earth.

Bill Marsh is co-founder of Factory School, a learning and production collective committed to hi-stakes cultural work in the form of book publishing, education design, and action-research consultation.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/041908.html

Deidra Greenleaf Allen, Daniel Godston, Chris McCreary: Philly: 4/18/08

Friday, April 18, 6PM: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St in Philadelphia, presents poets Deidra Greenleaf Allen, Daniel Godston, and Chris McCreary.

Deidra Greenleaf Allen's poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Aurelian, Mad Poet's Review, Poetry Miscellany, Puerto del Sol, Schuylkill Valley Journal of the Arts, West Branch, and Wind Magazine.

Daniel Goldston teaches poetry to young people through The Center for Community Arts Partnerships and Snow City Arts Foundation.

Chris McCreary is co-editor of ixnay press and the author of the books Dismembers and The Effacement.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/041808.html

Annual Student Reading: Bucknell: 4/18/08

Friday, April 18, 7 PM:

Each year the Annual Student Reading gathers the winners of Bucknell’s two undergraduate creative writing contents for a formal reading in Bucknell Hall. The Stadler Center / West Branch Literary Prizes, judged by a recent contributor to West Branch magazine, award first and second place cash prizes in poetry and prose. The Julia Fonville Smithson Memorial Prize, established in the memory of a Bucknell graduate who died in 1977, awards one prize each in poetry and prose.

This event is free and open to the public.

Art Is Not Enough/Poetry Isn't Sufficient: Kingston: 4/18/08

Fri, April 18, 6-8pm:

Art is Not Enough/Poetry Isn't Sufficent: An international art event inspired by the work of Clemente Padín. We've received a hundred pieces of art in response to the theme "Art is Not Enough/Poetry Isn't Sufficent" from all over the world: the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Japan . . . you get the idea. All works offered for sale through the gallery at $10 each, with all after-expenses proceeds to be donated to Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/). The exhibit is on display through May 14th. Gallery hours are Sundays noon until 5 or by appointment.

Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery, 443 Main St, Kingston PA
http://www.wordpainting.com/

Eleanor Wilner: Philadelphia: 4/17/08

Thursday, April 17, 6 PM:

Robin's Bookstore presents Session #4 of their Writers on Writing Series, featuring poet Eleanor Wilner. 108 S 13th St, Philadelphia.

Want to be a Writer? What does it take? What is the writer's life like?
Find answers to these questions with 12 professional writers over the next 12 months. A $25.00 contribution to Moonstone and pre-registration is required for each session.

We are now able to offer you the chance to listen in on this presentation on our website for only $10.00. Register online: http://www.robinsbookstoreonline.com/ or download the registration form.
Seating is limited.

This month's session features poet Eleanor Wilner.

"Wilner . . . has a deep and heroic belief in the transformative power of language and myth. She paddles her surfboard outside the reef where most poets stop; she rides the big waves." - Tony Hoagland

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/041708.html

Spanish/English Poetry Reading: Bucknell: 4/16/08

Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 PM:

You are invited to attend the annual bilingual poetry reading sponsored by the Spanish Department. This year's theme is "Poesía y Canto" - "Poetry as Song." The event will be held in Bucknell Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16th, and is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Professor Alice Poust.

Toby Olson: Philadelphia: 4/16/08

Wednesday, April 16, 6 PM:

Robin's Bookstore presents An Evening with Toby Olson. 108 South 13th St, Philadelphia.

Toby Olson has a new novel, Tampico (University of Texas Press), and a new book of poetry, Darklight (Shearsman Books).

"Nothing can detract from Mr. Olson's ability to conjure gorgeous prose passages that celebrate the healing powers of friendship, the pleasures of love and lovemaking, and the inborn mystery and beauty of things in this world." --New York Times Book Review

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/041608.html

Contest DL: April 15 postmark: Mulberry Poets & Writers Association

The Mulberry Poets & Writers Association (MPWA) announces its Seventh Annual Regional Poetry Contest. The overall winner of the contest will receive a $150 cash prize. Two other winners will share $150 in cash prizes -- $100 for 2nd place and $50 for 3rd place. Several poets will be recognized with an Honorable Mention. Judges will be Dr. Richard Brook, Jim Warner, Jennifer Diskin, Susan Jaffer, and Jerry Grealish.

The postmark deadline is April 15, 2008. Winners will be notified by May 15, 2008. All winners will be invited to present their poetry at a public reading on or about Saturday, June 7, 2008 at the AFA Gallery, 514 Lackawanna Ave in Scranton. All winning poems will be published in the 2008 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.
~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 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 and check to: MPWA Poetry Contest; PO Box 468; Scranton, PA 18501

update: Berks Bards

Just added under "PA Poetry Links" is the blog for Berks Bards. Please check out their blog for a long list of Poetry Month readings and events!

Barbara DeCesare: Wilkes Univ: 4/15/08

Barbara DeCesare
Tuesday, April 15th ~ 7:00 PM

Kirby Hall Salon, Wilkes University

~ Free and open to the public ~
Sponsored by the Allen Hamilton Dickson Fund.

Barbara's second collection of poetry, Silent Type, is available from Paper Kite Press: http://www.wordpainting.com/shop.shtml

"Barbara DeCesare is one of the most exciting and original poetic voices in the Mid-Atlantic region. I'd follow her voice anywhere." —Richard Peabody, Editor, Gargoyle Magazine

Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Larry Kearney & Frank Sherlock: PhillySound: 4/13/08

Sunday, April 13, 4pm - PhillySound at Robin's Bookstore presents Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Larry Kearney, and Frank Sherlock. 108 South 13th St, Philadelphia.

Rachel Blau DuPlessis is a poet and feminist literary critic living in Swarthmore, PA, and teaching at Temple University. Larry Kearney has published nine books of poetry and lives in Larkspur, California. Frank Sherlock is the author of Ready-To-Eat-Individuals.

Hosted by C.A. Conrad.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/041308_4.html

Doug Arnold & Liz Stanley: Pottsville: 4/12/08

Saturday, April 12 ~ 1 pm - 4 pm: Doug Arnold & Liz Stanley will read their poetry at All Things Good, 209 West Market Street in Pottsville. [Click here for an online event schedule.]

Doug Arnold's poetry has most recently appeared or is forthcoming in The Literary Review, The Sulphur River Literary Review, Psychopoetica (University of Hull-UK), Mad Poets Review, and The Pedestal. His first chapbook, Playing in Most of the Keys, was published by Finishing Line Press. His essay, “Reading Kay Ryan's Poetry,” appeared in the Schuylkill Valley Journal. Doug was formerly president of an advertising agency he founded and has written columns for the Philadelphia Business Journal and The Reading Eagle.

Liz Stanley completed her B.A. in English at Gettysburg College, and a Master's degree at Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College, Vermont. She attended the Bread Loaf Writers conference, and taught English at Governor Mifflin Junior High School, Shillington, PA, where John Updike grew up. Since 1998 Liz Stanley has hosted the Bruce H. Stanley Memorial Poetry Series at Reading Area Community College, "Poetry @ 6," featuring local, regional and national poets, sponsored by the Foundation for RACC. She is currently on the board of directors of Berks Bards, a volunteer community organization that promotes the living art of poetry in Reading and Berks County, and sponsors monthly poetry readings at City Espresso in Reading, poetry events during the Literary Festival in October, and BardFest in the Spring.

update: Sascha Feinstein interview

Please click here to listen to an interview with Sascha Feinstein on the Indiana University Press blog.

Barbara DeCesare: Bloomsburg: 4/8/08

Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 PM: Poet Barbara DeCesare will be the featured reader at the River Poets event at Phillips Emporium, 10 East Main Street in Bloomsburg.

Barbara DeCesare is the author of jigsaweyesore (1999) and Silent Type (2007). Her poems have appeared in numerous literary journals, including Poetry, Alaska Quarterly Review, Gargoyle, and Tarpaulin Sky.

Kyle Conner & Jenn McCreary: Philly: 4/8/08

Tuesday, April 8, 6pm - Moonstone Poetry Series presents Kyle Conner and Jenn McCreary; both will read at Robin's Bookstore, 108 South 13th St in Philadelphia.

Kyle Conner is the author of Breaths For Flesh. Jenn McCreary lives in Philadelphia where she co-edits ixnay press.

Hosted by Justin Vitiello; open reading to follow. For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/040808.html

Thom Ward: Bucknell: 4/8/08

Tuesday, April 8, 4 PM: Thom Ward will give a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library of the Vaughan Literature Building on the campus of Bucknell University.

Thom Ward is the author of three books of poetry, Small Boat with Oars of Different Size (2000), Various Orbits (2004), and The Matter of the Casket (2007), as well as several chapbooks. He is senior editor for BOA Editions, Ltd., a prestigious publisher of American poetry and poetry in translation. For his poetry, he has received a fellowship from the Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts and several grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2000 and 2001, he served as Chairman of the Literature Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts. Ward has taught creative writing workshops throughout the United States. He lives in Penfield, NY.

The new Writers Up Close series brings to campus poets who also work in arts administration. Each poet speaks on his or her area of editorial/administrative expertise as a guest in Shara McCallum's course on arts administration, then presents a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library.

This event is free and open to the public.

Jen Currin, Pattie McCarthy, Jeremiah Bowen: Philly: 4/6/08

Sunday, April 6, PM:

PhillySound at Robin's Bookstore features poets Jen Currin, Pattie McCarthy and Jeremiah Bowen.

Jen Currin is the author of Hagiography and The Sleep of Four; she lives in Vancouver, B.C., where she is a member of the poetry collective vertigo west, and teaches creative writing at Vancouver Film School and Langara College.

Pattie McCarthy is the author of Choragus; she teaches at Temple University and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Jeremiah Rush Bowen lives in Philadelphia. He is currently at work on three book-length poems.

Hosted by C.A. Conrad.
For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/040608.html

Kimmika Williams: Philly: 4/3/08

Thursday April 3rd, 6 PM: Robin's Bookstore, 108 S 13th St, Philadelphia.

Poetry as Performance Art with Kimmika Williams and her class from Temple University.

Dr. Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon and the Spring 2008 Poetry as Performance Class (from the Theater Department in the School of Communications and Theater at Temple University) will be presenting "Songs of Spring and Rites of Passage." Open Mic; all are welcome.

For more information see: http://www.robinsbookstore.com/events/040308.html

Judith Hall: Bucknell: 4/1/08

Tuesday, April 1, 4 PM: Judith Hall will give a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library of the Vaughan Literature Building on the campus of Bucknell University.

Judith Hall is the author of four collections of poetry, To Put the Mouth To (1992), Anatomy, Errata (1998), The Promised Folly (2003), and Three Trios, her translation of the poet J II (2007). For a time Hall directed the PEN Syndicated Fiction Project and senior program specialist for literary publishing at the NEA. Since 1995, she has served as poetry editor of Antioch Review. She has received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, and the Ingram Merrill Foundation. She teaches at the California Institute of Technology and in the MFA program at New England College.

The new Writers Up Close series brings to campus poets who also work in arts administration. Each poet speaks on his or her area of editorial/administrative expertise as a guest in Shara McCallum's course on arts administration, then presents a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library.

This event is free and open to the public.

CFS: Watershed-The Journal of the Susquehanna

Watershed: The Journal of the Susquehanna is now accepting submissions for the second issue, slated for publication in January 2009. The reading period is March 1 to September 1, 2008. Watershed is an interdisciplinary annual print journal. The journal’s mission is to promote environmental awareness of the Susquehanna watershed region, which includes parts of New York state, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The journal also seeks to promote the region’s culture, history, literature, and art; and seeks thought-provoking nonfiction on environmental issues, regional history and local culture, as well as top quality and inventive poetry and fiction. Quality black and white photography is welcome as well. While contributors need not reside in the Susquehanna region, the work must evoke the Susquehanna and its hills, valleys, and, most importantly, its people. Of course, these influences could be as varied as the geography of the watershed.

General guidelines: All work must have a strong sense of place, and in some way bring to mind the Susquehanna region. Email submissionsare strongly preferred, with submissions attached as individual MS Word files. (See specific directions for photography.) Subject line for submissions should indentify the genre, e.g., “Fiction Submission.” Please submit only one prose piece (double spaced) per category. You may submit up to five poems. Submissions for each genre should be done separately. Please include a brief biographical note with each submission. We do not print previously published material. Copyright reverts to author upon publication. Payment is three copies of the journal.

Nonfiction articles: We are looking for narrative-driven articles on the environment, history, or culture of the region up to 4,000 words. Articles should be aimed at a general readership, not an academic or specialist audience.

Short fiction: Submit stories up to 5,000 words.

Personal essays: Work may be autobiographical, expository, or other, but must be rooted in a Susquehanna region experience. Submit essays up to 5,000 words.

Poetry: Submit up to five poems (each as a separately attached file). Poems should be singled spaced, or as typography dictates.

Photography: Submit up to five black and white photographs for consideration. Hard copies (not scanned) photos should be mailed. Label the back of each print with a title and photographer’s name and contact information. Unused prints will be returned. We may not be able to return used prints due to the production process.

Email submissions and questions: river@bloomu.edu

Mailing address: Jerry Wemple, Editor, Watershed, c/o English Department, Bloomsburg University, 400 E. Second Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.

Poetry Ink Reading: Philadelphia: 3/30/08

Sunday, March 30, 1-6 PM: Robin's Bookstore in Philadelphia hosts the 12th annual Poetry Ink: 100 poets will read together. For full details, visit the Robin's Bookstore website (click here).

Patricia Hampl: Bryn Mawr: 3/27/08

Thursday, March 27, 7:30 PM: Poet and memoirist Patricia Hampl will give a reading of her work in Thomas Great Hall on the campus of Bryn Mawr College.

Patricia Hampl is the author of books including Woman Before an Aquarium, Blue Arabesque: a Search for the Sublime (about a work by Matisse), I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory, A Romantic Education and Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life. Her new book is The Florist's Daughter.

This reading is free and open to the public. For further information, contact the Office of Public Affairs at (610) 526-6520 or info@brynmawr.edu.

Bret Johnston (fiction): Bucknell: 3/25/08

Tuesday, March 25, 7 PM: Fiction writer Bret Anthony Johnston will give a reading in Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University.

Bret Anthony Johnston is the author of the internationally acclaimed debut collection Corpus Christi: Stories (2004) and the editor of Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer (forthcoming, 2008). His work has appeared in such magazines as Paris Review, Oxford American, and Tin House, and in such anthologies as New Stories from the South: the Year’s Best, Best American Short Stories, and Prize Stories: the O. Henry Awards. A graduate of Miami University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he is currently the director of creative writing at Harvard University.

This event is free and open to the public.

J.C. Todd: Kingston: 3/21/08

Friday, March 21st:
Third Friday Art Exhibit & Poetry Reading
Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery ~ 443 Main Street, Kingston PA

6:00 PM: New Paintings of Veda (Life) Artwork of Brooke Wandall.
Artist's reception. Refreshments served.
Gallery hours are by appointment, and Sundays noon - 5 p.m.

8:30 PM: Featured Reader J.C. Todd and Open Mic.
J.C. reads from her newest collection of poems from Wind Publications, What Space This Body. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, Shade(2004) and Verse Daily. Awards include a Leeway Award for Poetry, a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Poetry Fellowship, a New Jersey Governor's Award for Arts Education, an international exchange fellowship to Schloss Wiepersdorf arts colony in Germany and a scholarship to the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Sweden. She has edited translation features for Frigate and The Drunken Boat. She is a visiting lecturer in Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr College. A book signing will follow her reading. Arrive early to sign up for the open mic portion of the evening, and to check out the art.

Ellen Dore Watson: Bloomsburg: 3/20/08

Thursday, March 20, at 4 PM: Poet Ellen Doré Watson will read at Monty's Assembly Room on the upper campus of Bloomsburg University.

Watson serves as Director of the Poetry Center at Smith College and poetry editor of The Massachusetts Review. She is the author of four books of poems, including We Live in Bodies and Ladder Music, winner of the New England/New York award from Alice James Books and, most recently, This Sharpening, from Tupelo Press. In 1998, Library Journal named her “One of 24 Poets for the 21st Century.” Among her honors are a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artists Grant, a Rona Jaffe Writers Award, two Pushcart nominations, and a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship. Watson has translated a dozen books from the Brazilian Portuguese, including The Alphabet in the Park: Selected Poems of Adélia Prado (Wesleyan University Press), and also co-translates contemporary Arabic language poetry with Saadi Simawe. She makes her home in Conway, Massachusetts.

This event is free and open to the public.

James Harms: Lycoming: 3/18/08

Tuesday, March 18, 7:30 PM: Poet James Harms will give a reading in the Shangraw Performance Hall, Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall, on the campus of Lycoming College.

Harms is the author of five collections of poetry, all from Carnegie Mellon University Press: Modern Ocean (1992), The Joy Addict (1998), Quarters (2001), Freeways and Aqueducts (2004), and After West (2007). His poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in many publications, including Poetry, Kenyon Review, Antioch Review, Denver Quarterly, Gettysburg Review, and American Poetry Review. He is a contributing editor of West Branch.

Harms has been awarded an NEA fellowship, the PEN/Revson Foundation Fellowship, grants from the West Virginia and Pennsylvania state arts agencies, and residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. He directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at West Virginia University and currently serves as the 2008 Poet-in-Residence at Bucknell University.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Sapphire: Bloomsburg: 3/18/08

Tuesday, March 18, 7 PM: Poet and novelist Sapphire will give a reading in Kehr Union, Ballroom 1 & 2, on the campus of Bloomsburg University.

Sapphire is the author of two books of poetry, Black Wings & Blind Angels and American Dreams. Her novel, Push, was published in 1996 and won the Book-of-the-Month Club Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's First Novelist Award. Sapphire's poetry and prose have appeared in numerous journals and publications, including The New Yorker, The Black Scholar, and The New York Times Book Review.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Ellen Dore Watson: Bucknell: 3/18/08

Tuesday, March 18, 4 PM: Ellen Doré Watson will give a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library of the Vaughan Literature Building on the campus of Bucknell University.

Ellen Doré Watson serves as Director of the Poetry Center at Smith College and poetry editor of The Massachusetts Review. She is the author of four books of poems, including We Live in Bodies, Ladder Music (winner of the New England/New York award from Alice James Books) and, most recently, This Sharpening. Her poems have appeared widely in literary journals, including American Poetry Review, Tin House, and The New Yorker. In 1998, Library Journal named her “One of 24 Poets for the 21st Century.” Among her honors are a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist’s Grant, a Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award, and an NEA Translation Fellowship. Watson has translated a dozen books from the Brazilian Portuguese, including The Alphabet in the Park: Selected Poems of Adélia Prado, and also co-translates contemporary Arabic language poetry with Saadi Simawe. She makes her home in Conway, Massachusetts.

The new Writers Up Close series brings to campus poets who also work in arts administration. Each poet speaks on his or her area of editorial/administrative expertise as a guest in Shara McCallum's course on arts administration, then presents a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library.

This event is free and open to the public.

G C Waldrep: Bloomsburg: 3/11/08

Tuesday, March 11th – at 7:30 pm SHARP at Phillips Emporium.
River Poets Feature: Award-winning poet G.C. Waldrep.
Open Reading after. MC: Dick Sweeney.

G.C. Waldrep’s books of poems are Goldbeater's Skin and Disclamor; he is also the author of two chapbooks, The Batteries (New Michigan Press, 2006) and One Way No Exit (Tarpaulin Sky, 2008). His poems have appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, Boston Review, New England Review, Georgia Review, Colorado Review, American Letters & Commentary, Tin House, New American Writing, and other journals. His work has received awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Poetry Society of America, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Waldrep teaches creative writing and directs the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets.

Jon Thompson & Justin Vitiello: Philadelphia: 3/11/08

Tuesday March 11, 6pm - The Moonstone Poetry Series presents Jon Thompson and Justin Vitiello.

Jon Thompson is an associate professor of English at North Carolina State University, where he teaches courses in twentieth century literature. In addition to his publications in poetry, he has published Fiction, Crime and Empire (University of Illinois Press, 1993). He also edits Free Verse: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry & Poetics and is the editor of Parlor Press's new poetry series, Free Verse Editions.

Justin Vitiello was born in New City in 1941. After his B.A. in English and Spanish at Brown University (1963), he spent a year in Madrid as a Fulbright Scholar. He attended the University of Michigan, staying ten years (1964-73) to do a doctorate in Comparative Literature. His work as an activist has shaped his life and writings, notably with Danilo Dolci in Sicily and the USA, the nonviolent movement in Italy and India, the anti-nuke mobilization in Rome and Philadelphia, and the Wobblies (the Industrial Workers of the World) - everywhere. Since 1974, he has taught Italian and Comparative Literature at Temple University in Philadelphia and Rome, focusing his creative, political and scholarly writings on America, Italy and Spain. His books of poetry published are: Vanzetti's Fish Cart, subway home, and Suicide of an Ethnic Poet.

Hosted by Justin Vitiello; open reading to follow.

Poetry Contest: Pocono Armchair Review

The Pocono Armchair Review, a new online journal, is running a poetry contest:

Prize: $50 and publication in the Review.
Fee: Only $1. Send check to address below, or send via PayPal to editor e-mail below.

Please send poems as part of the body of your e-mail (no attachments, please) to editor@poconoarmchairreview.com. Paper submissions should be sent to:
The Pocono Armchair Review, 203 West Hazard St, PO Box 4, Summit Hill PA 18250.
Please type submissions, with a one-inch margin, double spaced, one side of the paper only.

Entry deadline: April 30, 2008.

Click here for general submission guidelines.

Barbara Crooker & David Brooks: Pottsville: 3/8/08

Saturday, March 8, 1:30-4:30 PM: Barbara Crooker and David Brooks will read at All Things Good, 209 West Market Street in Pottsville.

CFS: Washington Prize

ANNOUNCING 28TH ANNUAL WASHINGTON PRIZE COMPETITION

The Word Works announces its 28th annual Washington Prize competition, offering $1,500 and publication for a volume of original poetry by a living American writer. Previous winners of the Washington Prize include Prartho Sereno (the 2007 winner for her book Call from Paris), John Surowiecki, Richard Lyons, Carrie Bennett, Ron Mohring, Fred Marchant, and Enid Shomer.

Send manuscripts of 48 to 64 pages between Jan. 15 and March 1, 2008, inclusive. Please do not send manuscripts before Jan. 15 or after March 1. Author’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and signature should appear on the title page only. Please include a table of contents containing the manuscript title, as well as a cover letter containing your bio and publication acknowledgements. Biographical and publication information must not appear anywhere in the manuscript except the cover letter, which must be detachable from the rest of the manuscript. Use a binder clip to fasten the manuscript. No manuscripts will be returned, but please include a self-addressed, business-sized envelope for notification of contest results.

The winner will be selected by July 1, 2008, and all entrants will receive a copy of the winning book when it is published in January 2009. The entry fee is $25 U.S., by check drawn on a U.S. bank only and made payable to The Word Works. Mail manuscripts to:

Steven B. Rogers, Director
Word Works Washington Prize
3201 Taylor St.
Mt. Rainier, MD 20712

The Word Works is a non-profit literary organization devoted to the dissemination of the best contemporary poetry. It publishes books of poetry in collectors’ editions featuring original artwork. It also sponsors programs such as the Joaquin Miller Cabin poetry reading series in Rock Creek Park and the Cafe Muse Literary Series in Chevy Chase, Md. The Word Works celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2004, and has sponsored the Washington Prize since 1981. For more information about The Word Works and the Washington Prize, please visit http://www.wordworksdc.com/.

Dan Waber: Scranton: 2/29/08

Friday, February 29, 8:30 PM: Poet Dan Waber will read from his new book, Echolalia, at Anthology New & Used Books, 515 Center Street (2nd floor) in Scranton. You can read about (and order) Dan's book by clicking here.

Sascha Feinstein: Bloomsburg: 2/26/08

Tuesday, February 26, 7:30 PM: Poet Sascha Feinstein will give a reading of his work in the Schweiker Room of the Andruss Library on the campus of Bloomsburg University.

Dr. Feinstein, a professor of English at Lycoming College and co-editor of The Jazz Poetry Anthology, will give a campus workshop discussing the making of jazz poems earlier in the day.

The reading is free and open to the public.

John Hoppenthaler: Bucknell: 2/26/08

Tuesday, February 26, 4 PM: John Hoppenthaler will give a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library of the Vaughan Literature Building on the campus of Bucknell University.

John Hoppenthaler is the author of two books of poetry, Lives of Water (2003) and Anticipate the Coming Reservoir (2008). His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Virginia Quarterly Review, McSweeney’s, Southern Review, and other magazines, and in several anthologies. A reviewer, essayist, and interviewer, he is editor of the literary journal Kestrel. Hoppenthaler served for several years as personal assistant to the novelist Toni Morrison. A regular faculty member at the West Virginia Writers Workshop and Writers at the Beach, he is assistant professor of English at East Carolina University.

The new Writers Up Close series brings to campus poets who also work in arts administration. Each poet speaks on his or her area of editorial/administrative expertise as a guest in Shara McCallum's course on arts administration, then presents a poetry reading in the Willard Smith Library.

This event is free and open to the public.

Poetry Residence at Bucknell: 2/23 deadline

Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing

Named for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Bucknell graduate and initiated in the fall of 1993, the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing offers an emerging writer four months of unfettered writing time during Bucknell's fall semester, without formal academic obligations. The Residence is designed to grant the writer time to complete a first or second book. The resident presents a public reading of his or her work and otherwise constitutes a literary presence on campus during the fall. Providing lodging on campus, an office in the Stadler Center for Poetry, and a stipend of $4,000, the Residence is awarded to writers of prose (fiction or creative nonfiction) and poets on an alternating basis.

The Stadler Center is currently accepting applications from poets for the 2008-09 Philip Roth Residence. The Residence will extend from late August 2008 through mid-December 2008. The application deadline is February 23; click here for application instructions.

Chestnut Hill College Poetry Festival: Philly: 2/22-23

Chestnut Hill College Poetry Festival

February 22, 2008, 7 PM to February 23, 2008: Chestnut Hill College, 9601 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia.

Friday evening will feature a performance by musician Shawn Germain, who released his debut album titled "A Neverending Season" in 2007. Following his performance, there will be an open mic for poetry readings and music. On Saturday evening, three poetry readings will be dedicated to William Walker, Ph.D., senior vice president of the College, on the occasion of his retirement in June. The speakers for Saturday nights poetry readings will be Eli Goldblatt, John Ebersole, and Elizabeth Pearson.

For more information, call 215-248-7001 or contact chcapply@chc.edu

Heather McNaugher & Kirk Nesset: Pittsburgh: 2/22/08

Friday, February 22, 8 PM: Heather McNaugher and Kirk Nesset will read their work at the Most Wanted Fine Arts Gallery, 5015 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh. This event is part of the Pot Luck Readers Series; suggested donation is $5 (or bring a dish).

McNaugher is the author of the forthcoming Panic & Joy; Nesset is the winner of the 2007 Drue Heinz Literature Prize.

Kevin Clark: Bloomsburg: MOVED to 2/20/08

Kevin Clark's "Love & Other Silly Notions" will be featured at the February 20th River Poets reading, Tuesday evening at Phillips Emporium (Bloomsburg).

Kevin Clark is a Pittsburgh-born poetry and fiction writer; he currently teaches English at Luzerne County Community College. Kevin performed his multimedia, interactive "Love and Other Silly Notions" last February for an audience in Huntingdon, PA. The project explores love's frailties and flirtations, as well as its fantasies and fulfillments.

A short Open Reading will follow (MC: Emeka Obiozor).

For this and other River Poets events, see their website here.

[Note: This event was rescheduled due to yucky weather on the 12th.]

Eavan Boland: Bucknell: 2/19/08

Tuesday, February 19, 7 PM: Poet Eavan Boland will give a reading in Bucknell Hall on the campus of Bucknell University.

Eavan Boland is the author of nine collections of poetry, including Against Love Poetry (2001), The Lost Land (1998), An Origin Like Water: Collected Poems 1967-1987 (1996), and, most recently, Domestic Violence (2007). Among her many awards and honors are a Lannan Foundation Award in Poetry and an American Ireland Fund Literary Award. She is a professor of English at Stanford University, where she directs the creative writing program.

This event is free and open to the public.

Event to honor Michael Wurster: Pittsburgh: 2/19/08

Michael Wurster has fostered poetry in Pittsburgh for over 30 years, teaching, advising, and conducting a free monthly open workshop. Most recently he co-edited Along These Rivers, a collection of poems by Western PA-based poets, in connection with Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary. His students, friends, and colleagues are honoring Michael. They'll present him with a belated valentine: a tribute volume, Stories About Time. True to Wurster's big-tent approach, the book, edited by Ziggy Edwards and Arlene Weiner, has poems from A (Amenta) to Z (Zdrale). Lynn Emanuel writes the preface. Other authors include Ed Ochester, Arlan Hess, Jan Beatty,and Richard St. John.

The presentation/reading will take place Tuesday, February 19, at 7:00 pm, at the Te Cafe in Squirrel Hill (Pittsburgh), 2000 Murray Avenue. The Te Cafe regularly hosts poetry. Specialty teas and other beverages and tasty light suppers are available.

update: Watershed released

The inaugural issue of Watershed: The Journal of the Susquehanna is out, and contains poems by Richard Brook, Emily Grosholz, Steven Good, Kevin Clark, Marjorie Maddox, JoAnne Growney, James Najarian, Chad Schell-McGaw, Gary Renzelman, Tara Shoemaker Holdren, Shanna Wheeler, Lynell Jones, Todd Davis, and Sandra Kohler.

For more information about Watershed, contact editor Jerry Wemple at river@bloomu.edu.

update: Betsy Wheeler: new chapbook

Betsy Wheeler, who held the Stadler Fellowship at Bucknell, announces the release of her new chapbook: Start Here, published by Small Anchor Press. Betsy is the copublisher, with Dean Gorman, of Pilot Books.

update: Heather McNaugher interview

Karen Lillis, who's just joined our PA Poets roster, has interviewed Heather McNaugher on her small press blog. You can read the interview here.

update: Karen Lillis: 3 poems

Karen Lillis has three poems in SALiT Magazine.

Second Thursdays at Public Library: Lewisburg: 2/14/08

Frances Gundrum, from the Public Library for Union County in Lewisburg, organizes a monthly poetry reading on the second Thursday of every month from 7-8 PM. The February reading falls on Valentine’s Day, and poets are invited to come and share love poems.

There is no registration for the readings, and drop-ins are welcome. Complimentary coffee and tea.

Craig Czury: Marywood Univ: 2/11/08

Monday, February 11, 7:30 PM: Poet Craig Czury will give a reading of his work in the Comerford Theatre on the campus of Marywood University.

A native of Dallas, Pennsylvania, Czury is the author of 15 books of poetry, many of which focus on the coal regions of Pennsylvania. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University and works as a poet in schools, homeless shelters, prisons, mental hospitals, and community centers throughout the world. His poems have been translated into Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Chinese, Macedonian, Croatian, Albanian, and Italian. A featured poet at international poetry festivals, Czury lives in Reading, PA.

The reading is sponsored by the English Department and is free and open to the public.

update: Heather McNaugher: new chapbook

Prererelease Announcement: Heather McNaugher's chapbook, Panic & Joy, scheduled for publication this spring by Finishing Line Press, is now available for preorder (click on the press link, open the New Releases section, and scroll down).

Heather McNaugher is Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University, where she is Poetry Editor of Fourth River. Her work has appeared in Paper Street, The Bellevue Literary Review, 12th Street Review, The Paterson Literary Review, Blithe House Quarterly, The New Yinzer and Dirt Rag Magazine.

Richard Grunn performs "Urbano's Circus": Kingston: 2/8/08

Friday, February 8th, 7 PM: Urbano's Circus performed by Richard Grunn.

Inspired by Alexander Calder's "Circus," "Il Circo di Urbano"(Urbano's Circus) is where art meets theatre. You will be amazed and entertained by these trash-constructed puppets as they perform their death defying and suspenseful acts. The show features Ivan the Iron-Clad Stomach, Clyde the Fearless Clown, and Boris the Elastic Acrobat. The Town Crier said, "The audience was soon cheering as these cleverly constructed puppets performed!" $5, or give of yourself! Bring us a poem or a work of art. Refreshments served.

Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery: 443 Main Street, Kingston PA 18704.

update: Barbara Crooker: new book

Congratulations to Barbara Crooker, whose book Line Dance was recently published by Word Press. You can read more about Barbara's new book (and order a copy) by clicking here.

CFS: Allegheny River Watershed Anthology

Call for submissions: Allegheny River Watershed Anthology
Editors: Helen Ruggieri and Linda Underhill
Submission deadline: January 31, 2008

GUIDELINES: We are looking for poems and short prose about the Allegheny River Watershed of New York State and Pennsylvania. Human history, natural history, personal experience - any subject that in some way connects to the watershed will be considered for the anthology.

More information about the watershed, including a map of the watershed region, can be found here.

Send all submissions to awa@foothillspublishing.com. There is a limit of 70 lines per poem and 700 words for prose. Simultaneous submissions and previously published poetry will not be accepted. Please include a brief bio paragraph.

Submissions should be sent as MSWord attachments. If not possible, send in the body of an email.
Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2008. We will acknowledge receipt of your submission and respond within 60 days.

Tentative release date for the anthology is spring of 2008. Contributors will receive a complimentary copy of the book as payment and will be able to purchase additional copies at a 50% discount.

Linda Underhill grew up within sight of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, PA. She has degrees in writing from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Arizona. Her collection of essays, “The Unequal Hours: Moments of Being in the Natural World,” was published by University of Georgia Press.
Helen Ruggieri lives two blocks from the Allegheny in Olean, NY (where the river first becomes navigable). She has an MFA from Penn State. Her book of poetry, “Glimmer Girls,” was published by Mayapple Press.

FootHills Publishing has been publishing chapbooks and books of poetry since 1986.
Previous anthologies include Knocking on the Silence (the Finger Lakes of New York State), Listening to Water (Susquehanna River Watershed), and The Dire Elegies (endangered species).

James Harms: Bucknell: 1/22/08

Tuesday, January 22, 7 PM: Bucknell's 2008 Poet-in-Residence, James Harms, will give a reading in Bucknell Hall.

Harms is the author of five collections of poetry, all from Carnegie Mellon University Press: Modern Ocean (1992), The Joy Addict (1998), Quarters (2001), Freeways and Aqueducts (2004), and After West (2007). His poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in many publications, including Poetry, Kenyon Review, Antioch Review, Denver Quarterly, Gettysburg Review, and American Poetry Review. He is a contributing editor of West Branch. Harms has been awarded an NEA fellowship, the PEN/Revson Foundation Fellowship, grants from the West Virginia and Pennsylvania state arts agencies, and residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. Harms directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at West Virginia University.

This reading is free and open to the public.

Keystone Chapbook Award: Harry Humes

Underground Singing: Poems by Harry Humes

Winner of the inaugural Keystone Chapbook Award, selected by Jeff Mann

Publication date: December 21, 2007

Now accepting preorders: please e-mail me to order your copy for $8 postpaid

A copy will be mailed to all entrants in the 2007 competition.

CFS: Last call: MPWA Journal

[per Dennis Toomey on behalf of the MPWA]:

Last call for submissions to the Mulberry Poets & Writers Association Journal. Submissions must be received by December 8th, and can be sent via e-mail [click here] or regular mail to MPWA, PO Box 468, Scranton, PA 18501.

Also, please do check out th MPWA website. Submissions for the site may be sent via e-mail [click here].

update: Craig Czury receives Fellowship

The Wilkes University Creating Writing Program has awarded the 2007 Norris Church Mailer Fellowship to Craig Czury. The fellowship is awarded annually to a graduate student in Wilkes University’s creative writing program who has shown artistic promise and demonstrates a commitment to public service in the local writing community and beyond.

For the complete article on Wilkes University's website, please click here.

Katie Hays & Erinn Batykefer: Bucknell: 9/25/07

Tuesday, Sept 25, 7 PM:

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

K A Hays, the 2007-08 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. Her poems have appeared recently or are forthcoming in Southern Review, Mid-American Review, Florida Review, Gray's Sporting Journal, Missouri Review, Antioch Review and other magazines. Hays is also a fiction writer and verse translator whose work in those genres has appeared in Hudson Review, Gulf Coast, Cimarron Review, and other magazines.

Erinn Batykefer, the 2007-08 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. She is currently at work on first collections of both creative nonfiction and poetry; her poems and essays have appeared in such journals as Gulf Coast, Denver Quarterly, Threepenny Review, and Maisonneuve Magazine, among others. 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.

River Poets: Whitman Sampler: Bloomsburg: 9/11/07

[from the River Poets Calendar]

SEPTEMBER 11, 2007 - Whitman Sampler - Danny Robinson of Bloomsburg town and University will conduct a multi-media presentation of a premier American poet, Walt Whitman. There could be chocolate, but there will definitely be words. Open Reading will follow. MC: Scott Hemingway.

G.C. Waldrep: Bucknell: 9/4/07

Tuesday, Sept 4, 7pm:

Poet G.C. Waldrep will read his poems in Bucknell Hall at 7 PM.

G.C. Waldrep holds degrees in American history from Harvard and Duke and a MFA in poetry from the University of Iowa. He is the author of Southern Workers and the Search for Community (2001 Illinois Prize for history), Goldbeater's Skin (2003 Colorado Prize for Poetry), The Batteries (a poetry chapbook from New Michigan Press), and Disclamor (due in September from BOA Editions). His poems have appeared in many journals, including Poetry, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, New England Review, Colorado Review, American Letters & Commentary, and West Branch. He has just joined the creative writing faculty at Bucknell University.

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