The University of Maine at Farmington will celebrate Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair’s recent 2015 PEN New England Award for Poetry. A reception and reading will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, June 19, in the Emery Community Arts Center at UMF. The event is free and open to the public. Blood and Memory — … Continue reading UMF celebrates McNair’s poetry award (via Franklin Sun Journal)
The electorate numbers more than 250,000 – all Oxford graduates who have bothered to collect their degree. The duties – one lecture a term for five years – are almost as paltry as the annual salary of £12,000. So the five-yearly contest to be elected Oxford University’s professor of poetry may seem an unlikely provoker … Continue reading Brawls, booze and slurs: 300 years of Oxford University’s professor of poetry (via The Guardian)
Maeva Ordaz brought one dress with her when she flew to Washington, D.C., in April to compete in the national Poetry Out Loud Competition. "I didn't think I'd need a second one," she said. "I never thought I'd make it to the finals." The West High School senior was representing Alaska in the competition for … Continue reading Anchorage teen brings home national poetry prize (via WRAL)
Walking past a row of books in a library, 21-year-old aspiring poet Juan Felipe Herrera was stopped short by a title: "Snaps." The book was the debut collection by Victor Hernandez Cruz. "I opened it up, started reading those poems," Herrera recalls 45 years later. "Puerto Rican bilingual English style and language and voices. The … Continue reading Juan Felipe Herrera new U.S. poet laureate: ‘Shout it from the roof tops’ (via LA Times)
When I first heard about Kiss Punch Poem, a weekly series at the Magnet Theater that merges poetry and comedic improv, my initial reaction was that there were two ways this could go: painfully bad or insanely hilarious. I am pleased to report that my experience reflects the second supposition. The blend of a talented … Continue reading The ‘Kiss Punch’ poetry collider (via The Villager)
Rest in peace, Kalief. May God keep you safe and sound. Full Title: Rosie O'Donnell Writes Poem for Kalief Browder: I Texted With Him Before His Suicide Rosie O'Donnell wrote a poem in honor of Kalief Browder, the 22-year-old New Yorker who committed suicide following a three-year stint at Rikers Island for a theft charge that … Continue reading Rosie O’Donnell Writes Poem for Kalief Browder (via THR)
Actor Bill Murray led hundreds of poetry lovers over the Brooklyn Bridge Monday for an annual fundraising event. Poets House’s Poetry Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. “It starts with a meeting here at the foot of the bridge — the Manhattan side. We’ll perform a couple of poems, then we … Continue reading Bill Murray Leads Group Of Poets Across Brooklyn Bridge For Fundraising Event (via CBS)
As a young child, Danielle Legros Georges learned that life could stop in one place, and begin again thousands of miles away. She was born in Haiti but her family left for Zaire, political exiles from their homeland. They moved again, to Boston, when she was 6, joining some of the city’s early Haitian immigrants … Continue reading Boston’s new poet laureate wants to make poetry comfortable for all (via Boston Globe)
Full Title: Fostering a passion for poetry; Robert Frost Foundation presents annual AHS Night (via The Andover Townsman) This spring’s sixth annual Robert Frost Foundation’s “An Evening of Poetry” brought together Andover High School teachers and students in a multi-generational event at Café Azteca in Lawrence. Presented by the foundation’s executive director emeritus, Mark Schorr, … Continue reading Robert Frost Foundation presents annual AHS Night (via The Andover Townsman)
In bars, libraries and homes around the city and across the country, small groups of people gather regularly to hear poets read from their work. But on Thursday night, 1,100 people will fill Koerner Hall for the chance to hear the seven finalists of the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize. The prize was established by businessman … Continue reading Griffin Poetry Prize 2015 finalists on bringing poetry back (via The Star)
