Monday, September 12, 2011

Monday Muse: Fall Poetry Events

Today, Monday Muse offers a round-up of some of the many poetry readings, lectures, and other poetry-related events scheduled this fall and winter (and sometimes into spring) around the country.

✦ In Washington, D.C., Split This Rock launches a Poetry Discussion Series on September 14, beginning with the work of the late June Jordan. Subjects of follow-on discussions are Douglas Kearney (October 13), Minnie Bruce Pratt (November 9), Homero Aridjis (December 6), Rachel McKibbens (January 11, 2012), and Marilyn Nelson (February 8). All sessions, which are free and open to public, will beheld at Split This Rock/Institute for Policy Studies. Details are here.

✦ This Friday, September 16, the Athenaeum in Alexandria, Virginia, is the site for the first in a series of quarterly spoken word poetry events: Write. Speak. Live. Hosted by Shelly Bell, director of Seven City Art Society, the 7:00 p.m. event includes a performance by Ms. Wise and Bell, as well as other scheduled poets. Attendance is free; however, audience members who pay $10 may compete, slam style, for a $100 prize at evening's close.

✦ Contemporary Irish poetry is the theme at Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., on September 19, when Paula Meehan, recipient of the Butler Award for Poetry from the Irish American Cultural Institute, and Theo Dorgan, recipient of the 2010 Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Prize for Irish Poetry, discuss poetry with Joseph M. Hassett, author of W.B. Yeats and the Muses. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.00.

Meehan and Dorgan kick off the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series for 2011-2012, which also hosts Robert Pinsky (October 4), Mark Kraushaar and James Fenton (November 8), Aracelis Girmay for the Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute (December 5), Yusef Komunyakaa (February 9), Eavan Boland (March 5), The Dark Room Collective's Reunion Reading Tour (April 30), and Gary Snyder (May 14). Find out more about the individual events here.

✦ In the first in a series of art-full evenings, I'll be reading from my debut collection, Neruda's Memoirs: Poems, on September 19, 7:30 p.m., at Judith HeartSong Fine Art Studio and Gallery, Glen Echo, Maryland. You'll find details about "An Evening of Poetry and Community" here. Free. A book signing follows.

At the same location on October 9, 3:00 p.m., Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson Brown, Ginger McKnight-Chavers, Laura G. Gschwandtner, and I will be reading our prose and poetry contributions to the Gulf charity anthology Oil and Water and Other Things That Don't Mix. All proceeds from sales of the anthology benefit Gulf aid organizations. Free. A book signing follows.

✦ The 35th Anniversary Reading Series at The Writer's Center, Bethesda, Maryland, features Taylor Mali in the Poetry Slam Final Competition, October 11, 7:30 p.m.; member/student and non-member tickets are available.

The Writer's Center on FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube

✦ Local actors create "Poetry on Stage: Meet Mr. Yeats" on September 18 and 19, 7:00 p.m. each night, at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago. National Book Award-winner Terrance Hayes reads on October 20, 6:00 p.m. Both events are free.

Poetry Foundation on FaceBook and Twitter

✦ In New York City on September 22, Anselm Berrigan and John Godfrey present "Readings in Contemporary Poetry" at 6:30 p.m, at Dia:Chelsea. There is a small admission fee. 

The reading series also presents Rae Armantrout and Lisa Jarnot (October 27), Alice Notley and Brenda Coultas (November 10), and Tony Towle and Jennifer Moxley (January 26).

Poetry Society of America and Red Hen Press co-sponsor the LA Spotlight Series. On September 18, 7:00 p.m., the series introduces Joshua Edwards, Joshua Pryor, and Terry Wolverton. The poets will read at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Tickets are required.

On November 8, 6:00 p.m., the PSA presents "Latino/A Poetry Now" with Rosa Alcala, Eduardo C. Corral (2011 winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize; press release), and Aracelis Girmay. The event is free and open to the public.

✦ In Missouri, the St. Louis Poetry Center opened its Observable Readings series September 6 with Debra Allbery and Stephanie Schlaifer Usher. The series continues with Nicole Cooley and Brad Richard (October 3), Devin Johnston and Maureen McLane (December 5), and Katy Didden and Bridget Lowe (February 6). 

PoetsWest features readings and special poetry events in Seattle, Washington, and around the Pacific Northwest. Check the long list of events here, which include September 13 readings from 2011 Jack Straw Writers Nassim Assefi, Donald Fels, Debra Jarvis, and Annette Spaulding-Convy at Seattle's University Book Store, 7:00 p.m.

✦ The 2011-2012 Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series, whose media sponsor is Crab Creek Review, begins October 5 with Dorianne Laux. Others in the series include Peter Cole, Bill Porter, and Nikolai Popov (November 6), Terrance Hayes (December 8), Albert Goldbarth (February 9), Louise Gluck (March 15), Troy Jollimore and John Koethe (April 4), and Matthew and Michael Dickman (May 15). Season tickets are available.

Moon Pie Press, Westbrook, Maine, joins Harlow Gallery to present "partner poets" Duff Plunkett and Marita O'Neill and Anna Wrobel and Jim Donnelly on October 21, 7:00 p.m.

✦ In Santa Fe, EcoVersity offers a reading by Stephen Levine on December 15.

Event Calendars

To keep track of events in your city and state or nationally, check the Poets & Writers Literary Events Calendar. If you register, you may add your own event(s). In addition, you may add an event to Gallery Cat on its FaceBook page; you'll also find there news of literary contests. Another free service that broadcasts literary events to events editors at newspapers and Website is NetRead EventCaster.

4 comments:

Glynn said...

Maureen - you're a poetry event! Cool!

When we were in Chicago in May, we walked by the then-still-under-construction new home for the Poetry Foundation. It's since opened - a beautiful building.

Louise Gallagher said...

How I wish I were at Judith Heartsong on Sep 19 to hear you read from Neruda's Memoirs. Hope you post a video when it's done!

Kathleen said...

What a lot going on! Thanks for this helpful round-up. And best wishes on your own reading.

Anonymous said...

good to see you have a gig lined-up.