Tuesday, December 30, 2014

POETRY EVENT FOR CHICAGO RESIDENTS


Drinking Gourd: An Evening of Poetry and Music
PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, January 13, 7:00PM
Celebrate Willie Lin, the winner of this year’s Drinking Gourd Poetry Prize, a first-book award for poets of color with Drinking Gourd Judge Chris Abani and bassist Tatsu Aoki.


Wednesday Poemtime

Wednesday, January 14, 10:00AM
The Poetry Foundation Library welcomes children ages two to five to a storytime event that introduces poetry through fun, interactive readings and crafts.


FOR DETAILS CLICK ON poetryfoundation.org 

Friday, December 26, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE FOUR


WRITE A THREE-FOLD POEM:

Fold One: Describe/discuss your favorite poet, and why they are?

Fold Two: Describe/discuss your favorite poem and why it is?

Fold Three: Write a response to your favorite poem!

Now keep WRITING until you have all the folds merging into ONE



Thursday, December 18, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE THREE

You're stranded on a desert island with (3) items: A COCONUT, A MASK, and a DICTIONARY.

Write a poem explaining how you used those items to help you get off the island!!!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE TWO

Write a "LOVE" poem.  It should be a poem expressing, or re-creating {IF YOU DARE}, the ECSTASY, the JOY, the RAPTURE, the GOOD, the BAD, the UGLY, the AGITATION, the ANGER, or the INDIFFERENCE you felt when you first "FELL IN LOVE." or better, when you first "FELL OUT OF LOVE!"



POETIC BIRTHDAY

***A REMEMBRANCE CELEBRATION FROM NOVEMBER 13TH


Wanda Coleman was born on this day in 1946, in Los Angeles, California (Watts). She was a poet, writer, journalist, and spoken-word performer.

As a child she was encouraged to read by her parents and as a consequence, she developed a passion for books. She began writing and publishing poetry at a very early age.

She also had a love for the visual arts, theater, and public speaking.

Anger, unhappiness, hate and violence was a vital part of her writing and poetry readings. She was known as a dramatic public performer, with a "take no prisoners" attitude, and  was unapologetic about the stance she took.

Wanda Coleman was dubbed, "The LA Blueswoman," and as a result of being a compelling force on the L.A. poetry scene, she became known as the "unofficial" Poet Laureate of Los Angeles.

Over the years she won numerous awards and fellowships. Her book of poetry, "Mercurochrome," was nominated for the 2001 National Book Award, and was one of the finalists, winning a bronze medal.

Her poetry and writing was devoted to the themes of racism, the female experience and growing up in the city she loved, L.A. (Watts), California.

Wanda Coleman passed on to the realm of the ancestors on November 22, 2013.

TO READ A COMPREHENSIVE BIO, AND SAMPLE HER POETRY, CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

poetryfoundation.orgpoets.org,  afropoets.net, AND poemhunters.com   


Thursday, December 4, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE ONE

Write a "place" poem. Make it a place you have never been before. Use the place as a setting in  your poem, and make that place come alive.

Or, to make it a little less challenging, use a place very familiar to you!


POETRY EVENT FOR CHICAGO RESIDENTS


Library Book Club

Library Book Club : Foundation Events
















Friday, Dec 12, 12:30PM–1:30PM
Poetry Foundation
61 West Superior Street
Free Admission
Please register in advance by emailing library@poetryfoundation.org
All experience levels are welcome to a monthly book group moderated by library staff. In December, the book club discusses Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric. Space is limited to 15 participants.
A provocative meditation on race, Claudia Rankine’s long-awaited follow up to her groundbreaking book Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric 
Claudia Rankine’s bold new book recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in twenty-first-century daily life and in the media. Some of these encounters are slights, seeming slips of the tongue, and some are intent
 ...more
Paperback160 pages
Published October 7th 2014 by Graywolf Press
poetryfoundation.org





















Thursday, October 30, 2014

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ALL ENTRIES ON THIS BLOG WILL BE SUSPENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 4th. 

 I AM OFFICIALLY WRITING A BOOK FOR NATIONAL NOVEL WRITER'S MONTH IN NOVEMBER. 




I WILL ALSO BE PARTICIPATING IN  THE 2014 NOVEMBER PAD CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE.


For info on these two events please click on nanowrimo.org  and writersdigest.com/editor-blogs-poetic-asides



***Most blog images are courtesy of stockvault.net

TAKING CHALLENGE 23

//////////////////////////////
NO REGRETS


i had waited for this
moment a long time
not thinking it would
really happen
knowing  all  the while
i was out of
my league
so when    
in a moment of
weakness 
her sweetness was
left unattended  
i ate
that whole apple pie
she just baked


UPCOMING EVENTS

===================================
NEW YORK CITY
================


THE POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA,  in conjunction with the NYU Creative Writing Program,  Baruch College,  and  Fordham University's poetry series, Poets Out Loud,  proudly presents,


THE NEW SALON: READINGS AND CONVERSATIONS

The following celebrated and highly acclaimed poets are scheduled to participate:

Thursday, 11/13 @ 7 pm - Claudia Rankine

Tuesday, 11/18 @ 6 pm - Marilyn Nelson


Monday, 11/24 @ 7 pm - r erica doyle and Angela Jackson




  IF YOU HAD TO ASK WHO? I'M SORRY FOR YOU!     BUT....just in  case you do...Google their names and find out!


These events are FREE and open to the public.

For a detailed schedule of events and locations, log on to poetrysociety.org


POET PROFILE

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


ALBERY ALLSON WHITMAN was born a slave in Hart County, Kentucky in 1851, and went on to become the finest Black poet of his era. At one time he was considered the "Poet Laureate of the Negro Race. 

When slavery ended in 1865,Whitman, whose parents died before emancipation, was orphaned. He was 14 years old.

He worked in various trades:  at a plow shop, railroad construction, and as a school teacher. Although he had very little schooling,  Whitman published  his first volume of poetry in 1870.  At about the same time, he also entered Wilberforce University in Ohio. 

After 6 months at the school, Whitman went on to become a pastor under the guidance of Bishop Daniel Payne, who was one of the founders of the university in 1856, and in 1863, after the AME church bought the school, he became the first Black president of a college in the United States.

Although never formally ordained, in 1877 , at the age of 26, Whitman became pastor of an AME church in Springfield,Ohio. From 1879-83 he established churches and led congregations in  Ohio, Kansas, Texas, and Georgia. During those years, his poetry was highly praised by critics and other poets as well.

Whitman was an innovator, and fearless in his poetic voice. His achievements place him in the first rank of contemporary Black and White poets. His talents as a poet has been described as somewhere between Phillis Wheatley and Paul L. Dunbar.

He died of pneumonia in 1901. 


To read more details of his bio, Google his name

Thursday, October 23, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 23

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WRITE A POEM DESCRIBING SOMETHING YOU DID WRONG BUT DO NOT REGRET.

TAKING CHALLENGE 22

#############################################

THE JAIL HOUSE BLUES


came home this morning
about half past three
came home about 
half past three
got in this evening about
half past three
county sheriff there
waiting for me 

you under arrest
for shooting ben brown
i arrest you for shooting
ben brown
i'm locking you down
for shooting ben brown
and not putting
that fool in the ground


Thursday, October 16, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 22

.......................................................................
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
...............................................

Write a musical poem in the "voice" of  (pick one) jazz, blues, pop, rock, or soul.

TAKING CHALLENGE 21

=================================



SECOND CHANCE


young love blooming
like flowers in
the garden of delight
young love budding
hovering like 
bumble bees over a
blossom 
waiting to taste                                                 
to drink
unaware that the 
hummingbird
has gone away with
the nectar
leaving an empty
shell
a broken
heart to fend for
itself too cautious to
take a chance
on love again
to trust again
until 
finally the need within
challenges the odds
without
and finds the
greatest love of all

EXAMPLE OF A COUPLET POEM

=====================================
See post: SIMPLY WRITE A POEM 10/2/14

The Rose of Battle

 
W. B. Yeats

THIS JUST IN...

................................................................
GOODREADS POETRY CONTEST

Goodreads and the iPOETRY! group have partnered to host an ongoing poetry contest.

Submit your poem(s) for consideration.

Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here.

Log on to goodreads.com for further details

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
new york city
++++++++++++++

On Friday 10/31 @5 pm POETS HOUSE presents Haunted Poets House: A Halloween Reading and Celebration  for children.

Parents, bring your child in costume to hear monstrous, spooky verse by such poets as Shel Silverstein, Robert Louis Stevenson and others.

Log on to poetshouse.org for details

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++
Evening Street Review and Press is now accepting poems for publication. They currently offer two prizes:

1- The Sinclair Poetry prize is awarded during odd years, for the best full-length manuscript of original poems.

2- The Helen Kay Chapbook prize is awarded for poetry exceeding 35 pages.

Both awards include a monetary prize, inclusion in the review and printing of the award-recipient's book.

For info log on to eveningstreetpress.com



Thursday, October 9, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 21

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

*A two-in-one poem challenge:

1- Write a poem describing a negative event that changed your life.                                                                                                                      

 2- Write a poem describing a positive event that changed your life.        

*You can write two different poems, a two-part poem, or combine them as one poem. 

TAKING CHALLENGE 20

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
AT ALL TIMES


life keeps you
busy
going
doing
renewing
at all times
but don't lose                  
sight
neglect
forget
your source
the one from whom
all blessings flow
so
love 
honor
praise
at all times
always

DEAD POETS REMEMBRANCE DAY

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
On Saturday 10/4 @7 pm the Let's Talk Poetry Group met at John Bishop Memorial Park, in Whitehall Ohio to read the poetry of Ohio's own Paul Laurence Dunbar. It was a poetry event as part of the observance of the 5th Annual Dead Poets Remembrance Day.

Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872, the son of former slaves. In 1896 he published a collection of verse, Lyrics of Lowly Life, for which he gained national recognition. He died in Dayton in 1906. The house in which he lived from 1904-06 is now a historic museum.


The event began with a brief reading of Dunbar's biography. After a silent moment of remembrance, the following poems were recited aloud on the stage of the John F. Lacorte Amphitheater: The Negro Love Song, We Wear the Mask, When Malindy Sings, and 

           COMPENSATION

Because I had loved so deeply,
Because I had loved so long,
God in His compassion
Gave me the gift of song.


Because I had loved so vainly,
And sung with such faltering breath,
The Master in infinite mercy
Offers the boon of death.

UPCOMING EVENT

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
On Tuesday 10/14 @6 pm Witter Bynner Fellow***, Honoree` Fanonne Jeffers discusses Phillis Wheatley, and reads from "The Age of Phillis," her new book on the 18th century poet.

***The Witter Bynner** Fellow is awarded annually to two or more poets who are chosen by the U.S. Poet Laureate in conjunction with the Library of Congress. Fellows are expected to participate in a poetry reading at the Library of Congress in October and to organize a poetry reading in their respective cities.

This special event takes place in the state of Oklahoma. For details log on to loc.gov/poetry/events

Witter Bynner Fellowships are administered by the Library of Congress and sponsored by the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry, an organization that provides grant support for poetry programs through nonprofit organizations.

**Witter Bynner was an American poet, writer, and scholar (1881-1968). He published his first book of poems in 1907. In 1911, he was the Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Poet.
=======================================================
To read a bio of Witter Byner Google his name.

To learn more about Honoree` Fanonne Jeffers Google her name.

To learn more about the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry and the qualifications for and the application process involved in becoming a fellow, log on to bynnerfoundation.org

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

POETIC BIRTHDAY

***************************************
1934
*************
BORN ON THIS DAY - AMIRI BARAKA, poet, writer,  activist, actor, teacher, theater producer/director/writer, in Newark, New Jersey.

In 1951, Baraka won a scholarship to Rutgers University, but transferred to Howard University the next year. His major fields of study were philosophy and religion. He also studied at Columbia University and the New School of Social Research.

During the late 50s he was a central figure in the Beatniks Movement and the New York School Poets in Greenwich Village. Here he worked as an editor and critic, founded Totem Press, and published the poems of Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac, who were Beat poet icons.

In 1961 he published his first book of poems, and the rest in history.

Throughout his storied career Baraka has written and edited volumes of poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction, as well as making literary contributions to music and films. He has also received honors from a number of prestigious foundations.

Baraka has influenced a generation of Black poets and writers. He remains one of the most prolific and controversial figures in literary history.




To read a comprehensive bio Google search his name.

To read his poetry click on  poets.orgpoemhunters.com and poetryfoundation.org

Friday, October 3, 2014

THIS JUST IN

.........................................................................................
NEW YORK CITY
............................................


POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNUAL AWARDS


Each year from October thru December the Poetry Society holds contests for poets at all stages of their careers.

A prize for high school students, our Chapbook Fellowships for, and our award for a poet over 40 who has published no more that 1 book.

These are just a few.  Accepting submissions from 10/1--12/22

For more info and guidelines click on poetrysociety.org

Thursday, October 2, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 20

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

Write a poem to explain the expression " take time to stop and smell the flowers by the side of the road."

TAKING CHALLENGE 19

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
NOT HOW IT LOOK

look baby please
baby
i know how this
look but she
just stopped by
uninvited
i swear
no
it was not planned
i swear she
conniving
baby please
damn

UPCOMING EVENT

################################################
The 5th Annual Dead Poets Remembrance Day (DPRD) will take place from 10/4 through 10/12.

For a schedule of readings log on to writedatbook.blogspot.com (see post: This Just In... 10/1)

For info on the history of the literary holiday click on deadpoes.org/DiaDead




SIMPLY WRITE A POEM

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
COUPLETS

A couplet poem is simply composed of two-line stanzas that rhyme. Although couplets seem very, well, simple, they can be disappointing or uninteresting without some planning.

Thinking of your poem as a little story or a description of an activity can be a way of adding interest. For example, here is a simple couplet. 

Music

Voice of instruments fill the air
Sounds of music everywhere.

Using the above as a guide, follow these simple steps to write a couplet poem:

{1} Select a subject (music)

{2} Write a first line about the subject (Voice of instruments fill the air)

{3} List words that rhyme with the last word in the line. bear, care, dare, chair, everywhere,________, _________, _________,

{4) Write a second line ending with a rhyming word from your list (Sounds of music everywhere.)

{5} Follow these same steps over and over to write other couplets about your topic. 

 The violins are singing
 And the tambourines are ringing.

And that is how to simply write a poem.         

Write as many couplets as you need to tell your story!

HERE IS A SIMPLE COUPLET POEM. NOTICE HOW THE TWO LINES ARE MADE TO RHYME WITHIN A FOUR LINE FORMAT.

XII
BY EMILY DICKINSON


I asked no other thing.
No other was denied.

I offered Being for it;
The mighty merchant smiled.
_______________________________________________first line
Brazil? He twirled a button,
Without a glance my way;

"But madam, is there nothing else
That we can show to-day?"
______________________________________________second line

SIMPLY WRITE A POEM will provide you with step-by-step guidance for writing a variety of poetry forms with detailed examples. These instructions can be utilized by poets on all levels of writing experience.      STAY TUNED!

Friday, September 26, 2014

POET PROFILE

*******************************************
ALFRED ISLAY WALDEN was born a slave in 1847, in Randolph County, North Carolina. He was the son of a slave woman by the name of Ruth. His father, William D. Walden, was a free man who was highly respected in the community.

Walden was gifted with innate abilities in math and language, which expressed themselves even before he was able to read. These blessings of mental math calculations, and the formulation of random verses, was discovered by his master who often showed Walden's talents off to his contemporaries, and referred to him as a poet.

In 1867, after 18 years of slavery in North Carolina,Walden, who was threatened all of his life with blindness because of nearsightedness, was nevertheless   determined to learn to read and to become a minister. During the winter of that year he traveled to Washington, D.C. on foot and supported himself by selling poems and giving lectures.

He published his first book of poems Miscellaneous Poems in 1872 and a second edition in 1873 to help finance his education.

Walden enrolled in Howard University on a scholarship and earned his degree in 1876.

In 1877 he published Sacred Poems, again as a means to pay for his education.

 In 1879 after completing 3 years at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Walden was ordained to the ministry, becoming one of the first Black graduates to achieve that distinction.  

Walden returned to North Carolina and organized his own congregation. He died there in 1884 and was buried in the churchyard at Strieby Congregational Church.


To read a comprehensive bio of Walden , Google Search his name.

To sample his poetry log on to poetryfoundation.org and poemhunters.com


Thursday, September 25, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 19

=====================================================
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?


                                             PUT YOUR-SELF IN THIS PICTURE


Write a poem describing the situation that you are facing and trying to communicate.

TAKING CHALLENGE 18

-------------------------------------------------------------------
...AND WHEN WE ARE OLD


an ancient proverb
from across the atlantic
long before the
middle passage
tells us
it takes a village to
raise a child
meaning
we must all pull
together through thick
and thin through rain                  
and raging storms to
raise our children
in the way
they should go
so when we become
advanced in age and
grow from son to
father to grandfather when
the color of our hair
changes like the seasons
from black to silver to white
we can rest assured
of living out our
life in peace

WRITING YOUR FIRST POEM

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
     The best way to write your first poem is to just do it. There are no magic formulas, secret incantations, or special recipes to help you out. Writing your first poem is about putting pen to paper and getting it done, the old-fashioned way, writing it down....READ MORE ezinearticles.com/?expert=james_c_dudley

THIS JUST IN...

===================================
AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS
==========================

On Friday, 9/26 from Noon - 2 pm, The Emily Dickinson Museum Poetry Discussion Group*** opens it's season with their first meeting which will explore "Metaphors of Enclosure and Concepts of Self in Emily Dickinson's Poetry."

***The group meets every third Friday from September thru May (except December).

Further details are available @ emilydickinsonmuseum.org

========================================================
NEW YORK CITY
===========
===== On Saturday, 9/27 @ 11 am
POETS HOUSE presents a workshop for children entitled Our Earth, Our Sky. This workshop will explore the magic and mystery of poetry. Children will write poems inspired by the earth and sky. Then their work will be celebrated through narration, music and mime. Each child will take their poems home in an earth/sky box.

For more info log on to poetshouse.org

Thursday, September 18, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 18

......................................................................................
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
.....................................................
 Use the following word group to write a poem:  grandfather, village, silver, rain. 

TAKING CHALLENGE 17

Newspaper headline taken from the Columbus Dispatch on 9/11/2014
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MISPLACED PRIORITY


just thinking
where i
would be today
certainly not destitute
with a sorrow that
won't quit
if
i only knew then
what i know now                                                 would have
taken the back door
out of your life
running like i just
stole something valuable
you not who i thought
you were
not worthy
of worship

THIS JUST IN...

................................................................................................
NEW YORK CITY
..............................................
POETS HOUSE presents Back to School: Workshops, Classes & More.

Sign up for a class this fall and rediscover your life and language.

Choose from 6 weeks, 3 weeks, or a 1 day workshop + a Special Workshop For Teens.

These workshops and classes are open to all writers - no applications needed, but registration is required.

LOG ON TO poetshouse.org FOR DETAILS


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

POETIC BIRTHDAY

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
BORN ON THIS DAY
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

1883 - WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, Poet/Writer, in Rutherford, New Jersey.


Williams received his primary education in Rutherford, until 1897, at which time he studied in Paris and New York City.

In 1902, having passed a special examination, he was admitted to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1906. He did internships at a few hospitals,and eventually studied advanced pediatrics.

Although his primary occupation was as a family doctor, Williams had a successful literary career as a poet and writer. He started writing poetry in high school, and published his first book of poems in 1909.

Williams is strongly associated with the American modernist movement in literature and saw his poetic project as distinctly an American one; he sought to renew language through the fresh, raw idiom that grew out of American culture.

He sought to invent an entirely fresh and uniquely American form of poetry whose subject matter centered on everyday circumstances of life and the lives of common people.

In his later years, Williams mentored and influenced many younger poets, including a most dynamic relationship with fellow New Jersey poet, Allen Ginsburg.

 Williams had an especially significant influence on many of the American literary movements of the 1950s.

He has received numerous awards and honors for his literary achievements throughout his life.

The Poetry Society of America continues to honor William Carlos Williams today, by presenting an annual award in his name for the best book of poetry published by a small, non-profit or university press.




For more comprehensive info on William Carlos Williams, please Google search his name and read all relevant entries.

To read his poetry log on to poets.org

Thursday, September 11, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 17

**************************************************
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
*****************************
Write a poem using a headline from today's newspaper as your title.

TAKING CHALLENGE 16

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
(FOR MOTHER)


at twilight i spy
a morning star
way up high
sparkling like a
diamond afloat
in the sky
it was
jade or aqua
sometimes reddish
standing out among
the luminaries
of heaven
dancing around
them
climbing above        
them
as it were
a sight to behold like
nothing my
eyes has seen before
was it
could it
be her
that star
was mother
twinkle twinkle like
no other
i wonder

THIS JUST IN:

********************************************
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

On Thursday 9/18 @7PM

Graywolf Press  invites you to celebrate their 40th Anniversary with an evening of poetry readings from Claudine Rankine, and others.

Rankine, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica , has published several poetry collections. In 2005 she was awarded the Academy of American Poets Fellowship for Distinguished Poetic Achievement. Her most recent book is Citizen.

Other poets scheduled to appear are Katie Ford and Matthea Harvey. A reception and book signing will follow.

ADMISSION IS FREE!

For details log on to poetryfoundation.org
********************************************************
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

 On Thursday 9/18 @7pm

The Poetry Society of America presents it's National Series on THE VOICE OF WOMEN IN AMERICAN POETRY. The series pays tribute to the immense achievement of a wide range of poets: Emily Dickinson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Wanda Coleman, Sylvia Plath, Emma Lazarus, and Adrienne Rich.

Distinguished contemporary poets will celebrate their lives by discussing their influence and reading poems of their own in tribute.

ADMISSION IS FREE

This event is co-sponsored by the Pasadena Central Library.

For further info log on to poetrysociety.org
====================================================
BROOKLYN,NEW YORK

On Sunday 9/21 @10am

THE BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL is the largest free literary event in New York City. It will present an array of literary stars and emerging authors.

Poets appearing this year will include the likes of Mark Doty, who won the National Book Award for poetry in 2008, and is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, and Ohio's own Rita Dove. (For bio info on Dove see the blog post POETIC BIRTHDAY on this site 8/28/14.)

ADMISSION IS FREE

For a full calendar of events log on to brooklynbookfestival.org


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

POETIC BIRTHDAY

********************************************
BORN ON THIS DAY
**************************
1934 - SONIA SANCHEZ, poet/writer, in Birmingham, Alabama.

She has a B.A. in Political Science from Hunter College, and has completed postgraduate work at New York University.

She has written and published more than a dozen books of poetry, as well as, numerous plays and books for children.

Sanchez was a very influential figure in the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Arts Movement of the 60s, during which time she formed a writer's workshop in New York City's Greenwich Village, attended by, among other luminaries, the notable poet, Amiri Baraka.

She was a pioneer in developing Black Studies courses in California, and was the first to create and teach a course based on Black women literature in the United States.

Sanchez has taught as a professor at 8 universities and has lectured at over 500 college campuses. She has read poetry in Africa, the Caribbean, China, Australia, Europe, Nicaragua, Canada, and Cuba.

She is currently a poet-in-residence at Temple University.



To read her complete bio and a sample of her poetry google search her name
========================================================

1950 -  James Dudley, poet/writer, in Bennettsville, South Carolina.

He has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the College of New Rochelle, and a M.S. in Special Education from City College of New York.

In 1969 he attended the  State University of New York at Albany, being among the first Black students to integrate that school.  As a member of the Black Poets Workshop in 1970, he published his first poems in their inaugural magazine, "Blacksphemy."

Dudley works as a freelance writer and poetry blogger/teacher and is currently working on his first collection of poetry.

You can read his condensed bio, and a sample of his writing and poetry by scrolling on this blog, or click on iwrotedat.wordpress.com


Thursday, September 4, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 16

################################################
CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
###########################
Write a "celestial" poem. 

TAKING CHALLENGE 15

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE DARK SIDE


the truth is
the light
that people profess
to want yet
as a rule
cannot handle for
it couples with                                  
responsibility which
they don't want
even if it does
set them free
let them keep
the bondage
of darkness
of ignorance
for it's safer
in their mind to
not know
it absolves them
of action for
in the dark
it's easier to hide




Sunday, August 31, 2014

THIS JUST IN

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FOR RESIDENTS OF GEORGIA
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TODAY at 2:30 P.M. as part of the DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL'S "Where Poetry Lives" feature, the 19th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, Natasha Trethewey will participate in a discussion about her signature project "Where Poetry Lives."

                                                  

Thursday, August 28, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 15

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CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
=============================
Write a poem explaining why people are more afraid of the "light" than they are of the "dark".

TAKING CHALLENGE 14

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NO FAIRY TALE


once upon a time
the world in which
we lived had lines
of separation drawn
down the middle like
the imaginary equator
dividing the globe
in half but
unlike the circle                              
not equally
distant from each
other the                                          
one side for colored only
the other side not
it was clearly
unbalanced though all
were created equal


POETIC BIRTHDAY

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BORN ON THIS DAY
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1952
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RITA DOVE was the 2nd Black poet and woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, winning it in 1987 for her book Thomas and Beulah.

From 1993-95 she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. At 40. Dove was the youngest person to hold the position and the first Black poet to be appointed to this position since it was created in 1986 from the previous "consultant in poetry" position.

No stranger to special achievements and awards in her life, Dove has written numerous poetry collections and has received a plethora of literary awards and academic honors, among them over 25 honorary doctorates.



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To read her bio, google-search her name. To sample her poetry log on to poetryfoundation.org





Thursday, August 21, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 14

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CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
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Write a poem using "once upon a time" as your first or last line.

TAKING CHALLENGE 13

......................................................................................
WHEN THINGS HAPPEN


unexpected
you must
under the most
controlled mind
think
what is the
worst case scenario

and what if anything
can i do
about it
what is the best
course of action
to take
that will
get things back
under control
if you can
do it
life will handle the
rest if you can't
life will still
handle the rest
and then reveal
to the world
what kind of person
you really are

Sunday, August 17, 2014

POETIC BIRTHDAY/POET PROFILE

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                           1837

CHARLOTTE FORTEN GRIMKE was born on this day. She was a poet, anti-slavery activist, and educator.

Charlotte was born into the prominent Black Forten-Purvis family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began writing poetry in 1856, much of which was activist in theme. Her poetry was published in The Liberator and Anglo African magazines.

Forten studied literature and teaching at the Salem Normal School in Massachusetts. After graduating, she taught at the Epes Grammar School, also in Salem, Massachusetts, where she was well received.

During the American Civil War, Forten was the first Black teacher to join the mission to the South Carolina Sea Islands known as the Port Royal Experiment.
While here, she worked with many freedman and their children. She chronicled these times in several essays which were published in the Atlantic Monthly in the May and June issues of 1864.

Charlotte was a regular journal writer until she returned north after teaching in South Carolina. Her diary, The Journal of Charlotte Forten: A Free Negro in the Slave Era, is one of the few extant documents detailing the life of a free Black female in the antebellum North.

Later in life she married Francis James Grimke, a minister. He was the mixed-race nephew of the abolitionist Grimke sisters and active in civil rights.

Although very active in the anti-slavery and women's rights movements, Forten died in 1914, before either cause won full civil rights.

To read her biography google-search her name and read all the related entries. To read some of her poetry link on to poets.org and poemhunters.com

Saturday, August 16, 2014

SHARING MY WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE

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On Saturday, 7/26 & Sunday, 7/27. The Poet Outlaw attended a weekend workshop at POETS HOUSE in New York City.

The workshop, PROMPTS FOR POETS was led  by Valerie Fox & Lynn Levin, authors of the book "Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets."

During the workshop we explored several of the prompts in their book.





PROMPT - WRITE AN "UNANSWERABLE LETTER" POEM.

MY EFFORT:


dear papa

when they laid you

down to sleep in

that backwoods cemetery

your final resting place

committed your body back

to the dust to the ashes

of the earth

dropped that first shovel

of dark moist soil on

top of you

papa i tell you

they might of well

had covered me up too 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

POETRY CHALLENGE 13

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CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
=======================
Write a poem describing how you deal with the unexpected.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

TAKING CHALLENGE 12

...........................................................................
SWITCHING GEARS


first
plan A
was iffy
from the start
thinking deeply
from A-Z  the
strategy was still
iffy because
people change
their nature
switch courses in
mid-stream
then don't even love
you anymore
and somewhere along
the way you resort
to the next
plan B
which was all
you had left
in hoping
in helping
it work out
but love is
iffy  so
it didn't matter
anyway

Thursday, July 31, 2014

THIS JUST IN

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New Yorkers take note:

The 2014 Academy of American Poets Reading Series presents their FINAL summer reading event.

Invited poets share their own poems and others from the library's archival collection. 

This event is FREE and open to the public. It takes place on Tuesday, August 5th at 6 pm and will be held at the New York Public Library,  5th Avenue and 42nd Street.



For more info click on poets.org

Thursday, July 24, 2014

POET PROFILE

=================================
JAMES MADISON BELL  (1826 - 1902)
was a poet, orator, and activist who was born in Ohio.

 Bell was a talented plasterer; he worked in the plastering trade for 40 years. In 1851, he and his brother-in-law, George Knight, who taught him the trade, was awarded the contract to plaster the Hamilton County public buildings in their hometown of Gallipolis.

During this time, Bell wrote, published, and gave public readings of his orations in verse. He also lectured nationwide for abolitionism and Black educational and legal rights.

In 1854, he moved with his family to Ontario, Canada, where he became involved with Underground Railroad activities. He soon became known for his poems and speeches against the ills of slavery.

Bell traveled extensively in Canada, and around the United States giving anti-slavery speaking engagements until 1890, when he settled down again, this time in Toledo, Ohio.

In 1901, he published a number of his poems in a book he titled, "The Poetical Works of James Madison Bell. He died a year later and was buried in Toledo.

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To read the remarkable events of his life, Google Search  his name and read the related entries.

POETRY CHALLENGE 12

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CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
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Write a poem explaining why you had to resort to "Plan B."

Friday, July 18, 2014

THIS JUST IN

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FOR NEW YORK CITY RESIDENTS
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The NY Poetry Festival is an annual 2-day gathering on Governor's Island in New York Harbor.

It features readings, booksellers, artists, craft makers, and poetic events for children.

It takes place 7/26 -27 from 11 AM - 6 PM
For details click on poetrysocietyny.org
                 ALSO COMING UP IN THE CITY:

The Academy of American Poets presents their 8th Annual poets forum on October 16-18 in various locations. 

Buy tickets now and save 20%.

For info click on poets.org