For the month of May, the Poem of the Month prompt is to write a persona poem, or a poem not from your own perspective. You can write in the voice of a family member, a famous person, a pet or even an inanimate object.
When your poem is finished, copy and paste it as a comment on this post. Be sure to include the poem’s title, your name and your township of residence.
Happy writing!
Episode 14 (original airdate 5/9/13) features singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso, Suzi Brown / art & video by filmmaker, Clare Fogerty / shamanistic beatnik poetry by Stefan May
Don’t forget to catch a new episode of Culture & Main tonight at 8 on WRCT Ch. 18 in York or streaming live at wrct.tv.
What did you think of episode 14?
Look for PoemSugar titles at www.etsy.com/shop/PoemSugar.
York’s Poet Laureate hates sleep.
Actually, I’m sure she loves sleep. I’m just not convinced she gets any because she’s too busy writing poetry, promoting poetry, attending poetry events (which, in the York region, are many), and booking/coordinating/producing a weekly TV show about poetry (and art, and music).
Oh, and she also publishes poetry.
Carla Christopher runs an independent small press called PoemSugar. Continue reading
Brutal Allure, poems by Melissa Carl (Bryce Cullen Publishing, 2011).
We’ve seen and read what York poet and educator Melissa Carl can produce under the parameters of form (found poetry) and the constraints of time (a daily writing challenge).
But since wrapping up my coverage of her participation in Pulitzer Remix, I’ve read her book.
I can tell you that what Melissa can produce without the aforementioned constraints is still controlled, highly structured and crafted.
She finds more than enough adequate words, phrases and images in her own mind to move us as readers. Continue reading
Episode 13 (original airdate 5/1/13) features spoken word by Joslin Kearse aka SoulCry / paintings by artist, Lovie Rineholt Price / Second Saturday Art Gallery host, Ron Vestal / music by The Infidels, Amy Mummert & Ian Dellinger
Heads up: Culture & Main has moved to a new night and time. Check out new episodes 8 p.m. Thursdays (previously 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays) at WRCT Ch. 18 in York or streaming live at wrct.tv.
What did you think of episode 13?
I promote a lot of poetry events on this blog, as well as individual writers. And I’ve touched on the idea of writing groups and community-building, but I haven’t yet, in any substantial way, mentioned Poetry Spoken Here, a mainstay of the York literary community. Continue reading
The written word is an art, and inspires art in
other forms, too.
Attend “Prose & Poetry,” a special art exhibit that explores the intersection of the written and the visual, June 2 through July 6 at the York Art Association’s Nancy M. Woodward Gallery, 220 S. Marshall St., York.
According to the York Art Association’s Facebook page, “Each artist that enters a work in the exhibit will also be asked to provide an artist’s statement that refers to the prose or poetry that inspired the work. It can relate to a particular work of art or to your work in general. The statements will be available in a binder in the gallery during the exhibit.” Continue reading
I attended this event last year — its first year — and I can assure you: The name is apt.
In fact, the point of Jawstruck! is to present poetry so real and moving that it leaves you picking your jaw up off the floor, as if either after a sucker punch or an unexpected kiss.
You don’t want to miss the second annual Jawstruck! Spoken Word and Performance Festival, 7 to 9:30 p.m. June 7 at the York Emporium, 343 W. Market St., York. Continue reading
Episode 12 (original airdate 4/24/13) features live concert footage of “Poets Sing the Blues” at the York Emporium with poets Jack Veasey, Maria James-Thiaw & Kenneth Vincent Walker and musicians Tim Moore & Parker James Hooker. Special guest spot by SoulCry.
What did you think of episode 12?
Follow @VersifyYDR on Twitter!
In addition to Exquisite Teens, I did another collaborative writing project during National Poetry Month.
While the teen project was just for YDR staff and the Poem of the Month contests are for poets primarily in York County, the Found Poetry Twitter Project was open to anyone with a Twitter handle. Continue reading
National Poetry Month has come to a close, as has the April Poem of the Month contest, the prompt for which was to write a poem that is in some way about poetry.
This month, and for the third month in a row, I received 13 entries. Lucky number 13?
It’s harder for me to choose this time around because the very nature of writing a poem about poetry is to exhibit your enthusiasm for the craft.
How does one “judge” enthusiasm? Continue reading
Here, I'll discuss and review contemporary books of poetry, with a focus on regional writers, publications, and organizations. I'll promote area writers by offering prompts and contests, because I want to foster a spirit of community centered around poets and readers of poetry. This is a place to demystify the art of poetry, to appreciate its economy of language, its precision of image and sound.
Please share suggestions for blog content by emailing me at sfleegal@ydr.com. I'd love to hear from you! Let's versify PA and support those who are doing the same.
