TABLE OF CONTENTS_______________________________________
- Quotes
- Poem of the Month
- Book of the Month
- Website of the Month
- News Items / Writing Workshops
- Poetry Calendar for September
- Subscription and Contact Information
I:__QUOTES________________________________________________
The most valuable of talents is never using two words when one will do.
– Thomas Jefferson
So-called difficult poetry is often very rude. It ignores the presence of the reader. It wants to be an act of writing taking place in front of you, but it doesn’t want to address you.
– Billy Collins
Poems have become reflexively, wearyingly, claustrophobically (or is that agoraphobically?) personal, seeking nothing but miniature epiphanies, like so many needles in the disorderly haystack of life. Poets retail the meager incidents of their lives, even if they’ve suffered nothing worse than an IRS audit, a bicycle accident, and a headache..
– William Logan
II:__POEM OF THE MONTH__________________________________
THE HANGMAN AT HOME
Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)
What does the hangman think about
When he goes home at night from work?
When he sits down with his wife and
Children for a cup of coffee and a
Plate of ham and eggs, do they ask
Him if it was a good day’s work
And everything went well or do they
Stay off some topics and talk about
The weather, baseball, politics
And the comic strips in the papers
And the movies? Do they look at his
Hands when he reaches for the coffee
Or the ham and eggs? If the little
Ones say, Daddy, play horse, here’s
A rope—does he answer like a joke:
I seen enough rope for today?
Or does his face light up like a
Bonfire of joy and does he say:
It’s a good and dandy world we live
In. And if a white face moon looks
In through a window where a baby girl
Sleeps and the moon gleams mix with
Baby ears and baby hair—the hangman—
How does he act then? It must be easy
For him. Anything is easy for a hangman,
I guess.
III:__BOOK OF THE MONTH_________________________________
Each month we highlight a book of poetry by a Connecticut author.
GANDY DANCING
by Jean Sands
In her first full-length poetry collection, Gandy Dancing, Jean Sands has pulled out all the stops. The utter honesty of this compelling book is shocking and welcome. One cannot read its poems without being inspired by the courage, resilience, love, and eventual victory they describe in language stripped to the essentials. From the title poem (describing the way the young poet sees a threatening gang of gandy dancer drunks as circus performers) to the last poem in the collection, “I Became the Woman I Am Now,” Gandy Dancing is a song of triumph, the triumph of the human spirit over the worst that life can throw against it.
About the book, Cortney Davis writes, “The poems in Jean Sands’ debut collection, Gandy Dancing, are straightforward and strong, revealing and transformative... This is a powerful and unforgettable collection. Reading Gandy Dancing, I was reminded that poetry can change our lives.” Honor Moore adds, “Gandy Dancing is an extraordinary first book, the narrative of an American Everywoman whose life does not often come into poems. In language that is direct, uncommonly modest, and so unsparing it breaks the heart, Jean Sands brings that woman, herself, beautifully, shockingly into the great conversation of American poetry.” And Dick Allen is equally enthusiastic: “As I read and re-read Jean Sands’ poems, the word that comes to me again and again is harrowing... Intense feelings are shared, yet kept ruthlessly in check. Not an image or sound is out of place. Almost every poem clicks shut, is an illuminated and illuminating scene, so honest (the best poem in this intense collection may well be ‘If We Are Honest’) and vivid, so frighteningly lacking in self-pity, it makes the reader say, ‘Yes, damn it, this is unflinching, this is what it’s like to be beaten and survive, this is how our lives are.’
Jean Sands’ poetry has been published in literary journals, anthologized, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is also a journalist, reviewer, and correspondent whose interviews, essays, and feature articles appear in regional and national publications as well as online. Jean has served as a poet in the schools and has taught poetry and creative writing to adults throughout northwest Connecticut for over twenty years. In addition, she edits novels and non-fiction books for private clients and occasionally offers writing tutorials.
$16.00 Antrim House (ISBN: 978-0-9817883-7-1)
Jean will be reading in Bethel on September 23. See the Poetry Calendar below for details.
IV:__WEBSITE OF THE MONTH______________________________
SILLIMAN’S BLOG
Ron Silliman, a poet generally associated with Language Poets, isn’t to everyone’s taste, but he’s a tireless blogger with definite opinions on contemporary poetry and poetics. His Wikipedia entry claims, “Silliman’s fame and notoriety have grown considerably since 2002, due in large part to his popular and controversial weblog. Debuting on August 29, 2002 to little fanfare and without expectations of an audience, it is now (arguably) the most influential English-language blog on the web that is devoted to contemporary poetry and poetics. Silliman’s Blog received its 2,000,000th visit on January 19, 2009.” Pretty impressive, especially for a blog about contemporary poetry. Yet regardless of his opinions on poetics or politics, his blog is an remarkable source for links to poetry blogs (in the left column) and poetry books, interviews, reviews, articles, and everything else (in the posts).
ronsilliman.blogspot.com
V:__NEWS ITEMS / WRITING WORKSHOPS____________________
September 2009
U.S. POET LAUREATE
Kay Ryan will return as the Poet Laureate (or, as the official mouthful of a title reads, the “Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress”) to serve a second term as Poet Laureate, for the 2009-2010 literary season.
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Sunday, September 20 2009
2:00pm
CONNECTICUT BOOK AWARDS
The eighth annual Connecticut Book Awards will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in the atrium of Hartford Public Library.
This tribute to Connecticut ’s vigorous and varied literary community recognizes and honors books with specific ties to our state: the author, illustrator, or designer must be native-born or have been a legal resident of Connecticut for at least three years, or the book must have a Connecticut setting in order to be considered. Eligible books are those first published in the previous calendar year. Katharine Weber, winner of the 2008 award for Fiction, said that the Awards, “remind us that our state not only possesses a magnificent literary heritage but also has a significant, thriving contemporary population of notable writers of all persuasions.”
The Awards program, presented annually by Connecticut Center for the Book at Hartford Public Library since 2002, is free and open to the public. The following reception with book signings will be a ticketed event: nominated books will be for sale and all attending finalists will be available to sign their books. Tickets are $45 per person and will be held at the door; call 860-695-6320 or email klyons@hplct.org by 14 September to reserve.
Winners in each category will be announced for the first time during the program. Meriden-born children’s book author/illustrator Tomie dePaola will deliver the keynote.
Matthew K. Poland, Interim Co-Director of Hartford Public Library, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Fran Keilty, proprietor of Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot, will speak on behalf of the Connecticut Center for the Book Advisory Council, as its Chairperson.
The Lifetime Achievement in Service to the Literary Community Award will be presented to Bessy Reyna during the ceremony. Reyna is well-known throughout the state for both print and broadcast journalism, in both English and Spanish; for poetry readings and events, in both English and Spanish; and, for the poetry- and memoir-writing workshops she has offered at writers’ conferences and in public venues. Her many awards include: the 2001 Latina Citizen of the Year Award from the State of Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission; the 2007 One Woman Makes a Difference Award from the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund; and, the 2009 Outstanding Latina Cultural Arts, Literary Arts and Publications Award from the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education. Among her literary awards are First Prize in the Joseph E. Brodine Poetry Competition and artist award grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. She has been a Master Teaching Artist for the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism
This program is made possible in part by support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Email klyons@hplct.org, or call 860-695-6320 for more information.
Poetry book Finalists for 2009:
- Let’s Not Call It Consequence, Shearsman Books (UK), written by Richard Deming
- The Odes of Horace, the Johns Hopkins University Press, translated by Jeffrey H. Kaimowitz
- Present Vanishing, Sarabande Books, written by Dick Allen
Connecticut Center for the Book is a program of Hartford Public Library, and is Connecticut’s affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Its mission is to celebrate books, writers and readers who engender and sustain the life of the imagination and to highlight authors, illustrators, printers, publishers and the literary heritage of the State of Connecticut.
VI:__POETRY CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER_____________________
Tuesday, September 1 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
FIRST TUESDAY POETRY
featuring Wendy Battin
Wendy Battin is the author of In the Solar Wind, a selection of the National Poetry Series, and Little Apocalypse, first winner of the Richard Snyder Memorial Prize. Her work has appeared widely in anthologies and journals such as Poetry, The Nation, Field, Threepenny Review, and Yale Review. She’s taught at MIT, Smith College, Syracuse University, Boston University, Connecticut College, and most recently at the Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies in Athens. She’s also a yoga teacher and Director of the Contemporary American Poetry Archive. She’s received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, and has been a fellow at The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Yaddo, MacDowell Colony, and Millay Colony for the Arts. Born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1953, she holds degrees from Cornell University and the graduate writing program at U. of Washington. She writes and teaches in Mystic, Connecticut.
Come help us welcome Wendy Battin to the store and share some of your own work too!
On the first Tuesday of every month, Broad Street Books hosts a featured poet followed by an open mike. All are welcome to come and read, recite, perform their work! Admission is free.
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT
Broad Street Books
For more information, contact Brian Mitchard at 860-685-7323
Before the reading, tune in to “J-Cherry Presents” at 6:30pm on 88.1 FM WESU in Middletown to hear J-Cherry host our featured poet.
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Tuesday, September 1 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, September 2 2009
6:30pm - 8:30pm
CALLING ALL POETS (And Poetry Lovers)
presents Eileen Albrizio
Poet, playwright and novelist, Eileen Albrizio, whose work has appeared in numerous publications across the Northeast, will read from her latest book, Perennials, New and Selected Poems, a 2008 Connecticut Book Award nominee. Ms. Albrizio was the recipient of the 2008 New Boston Fund Individual Artist Fellowship, as well as numerous other awards.
The reading will be held in the East Wing of the library. Admission is free. The open mike sign-up is at 6:15pm. There will be time to meet the poet and book signing after the open mike. Open mike theme: Favorite Poetry.
“Calling All Poets” is hosted by Victoria Muñoz.
The Silas Bronson Library
267 Grand Street
Waterbury, CT
203-574-8223
www.bronsonlibrary.org
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Wednesday, September 2 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Chris Bolster
Chris Bolster has recently published his first poetry collection, Dangerously Metaphorical, and also won one of WNPS’ poetry slams.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Thursday, September 3 2009
7:00pm
CURBSTONE PRESS READING SERIES
with Linda McCarriston
Linda McCarriston is the senior core faculty member and Professor of Poetry in University of Alaska Anchorage’s Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program. Linda McCarriston has received two literature fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as two from the Vermont State Council on the arts. A winner of the Grolier Prize and the Consuelo Ford Prize from Poetry, she was awarded the poetry fellowship at the Bunting Institute (now the Radcliffe Institute) at Harvard for 1992-1993, after which she was named Jenny McKean Moore Visiting Writer in Washington at the George Washington University.
Her poems have appeared in, among many others, The Atlantic, Poetry, Georgia Review, Ploughshares, Calyx, TriQuarterly, and New England Review, which also solicited her oft-reprinted essay “The Grace of Form: Class Un consciousness and an American Writer” for a special issue on Class and American Writers. She has read at Berkeley, Poets’ House in NYC, The Library of Congress, and countless other sites around the country, is a featured poet in Bill Moyers’ PBS Poetry Series, The Language of Life (her tape, with Sandra McPherson: “The Field of Time”), and has been twice interviewed by Terry Gross for Public Radio’s Fresh Air.
Hygienic Art continues its evenings of monthly poetry readings in association with Curbstone Press from Willimantic on the first Thursday of the month. This reading is sponsored by the Robert N. Rue Education Fund at Curbstone Press, established in honor of Dr. Rue, who died in September 2007, honoring his lifelong commitment to education and good writing.
Hygienic Galleries
79-83 Bank Street
New London, CT
860-443-8001
For more information, contact Hygienic Art at 860-443-8001, email gallery@hygienic.org, or visit www.hygienic.org.
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Thursday, September 3 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Friday, September 4 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Sunday, September 6 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Sunday, September 6 2009
4:30pm - 6:00pm
POETRY POTLUCK AT THE SANCTUARY
Do you love poetry? Would you like to be part of an ongoing poetry discussion group offering food for the mind and the heart? If so, come and join us on the this first Sunday at The Sanctuary in East Haddam to discuss poetry and build community.
This is not about sharing our own work but instead offers us a chance to share the work of poets we love, so you don’t have to be a poet to be part of this group. Just come and bring your love of poetry and a poem you would like to share.
Hosted by Greg Coleman, Suzy Lamson, and Edwina Trentham.
The Sanctuary at Shepardfields
59 Bogel Road
East Haddam, CT
(From Daniels Road, turn left onto Bogel, then look for the “Labyrinth & Yurt” sign. It’s a dirt driveway.)
For more information call 860-319-1134 or visit www.sanctuaryatshepardfields.org. Pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in being part of this discussion group. This is a different type of poetry event. Instead of a particular feature or an open mike where we read our own poetry, this is a gathering to read aloud some of your favorite poems - those not written by you. In a way, it’s like a poetry salon, a sharing of the poetic intellect. We’ve called it a “Poetry Potluck” because whoever comes will bring something different to it. (There will be foodstuffs of cookies and hot drinks available.)
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Monday, September 7 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
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Monday, September 7 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry
Anything goes for this open mike - spoken word, poetry, etc. BYO instrument or play our congas or piano. Warm, casual and friendly group offers encouragement and an ongoing sign-up list. Refreshments available. Happens every Monday!
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 suggested donation - give what you can.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Monday, September 7 2009
7:30pm - 9:00pm
POETRY BEAT
Poetry open mike at Las Vetas Lounge.
Las Vetas Lounge
1462 Post Road
Fairfield, CT
203-255-1958
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Monday September 7 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
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Tuesday, September 8 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, September 10 2009
7:00pm
INESCAPABLE RHYTHMS
“Inescapable Rhythms,” a poetry reading and open mike series, takes place on the second Wednesday of each month. A featured poet gives a half hour reading (7:00pm) followed by an open mike (7:30pm), in which members of the audience are invited to share their work.
The series takes its title from the Wallace Stevens poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” Stevens, a major American Modernist poet, was a Hartford resident.
Real Art Ways
56 Arbor St.
Hartford CT
www.realartways.org
Email questions to: ahenchey@hotmail.com
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Wednesday, September 9 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Ngoma
Ngoma is a performance poet, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and paradigm shifter, who for over 40 years has used culture as a tool to raise sociopolitical and spiritual consciousness. He is a former member of the Spirit House Movers And Players with Amiri Baraka and the Contemporary Freedom Song Duo, Serious Bizness. Ngoma weaves poetry and song with the goal of raising contradictions and searching for a solution for a just and peaceful world.
He was the Prop Slam winner of the 1997 National Poetry Slam Competition in Middletown, CT, and was published in African Voices Magazine, Long Shot Anthology, The Underwood Review, Signifyin’ Harlem Review, Bum Rush The Page/Def Poetry Jam Anthology, and Poems On The Road To Peace (Volumes 1,2 & 3). He was featured in the PBS Spoken Word Documentary, “The Apro-Poets,” with Allen Ginsberg.
Ngoma has hosted the slam at the Dr. Martin Luther King Festival of Social and Environmental Justice Festival in New Haven for the past 11 years. He has a CD Movie Documentary “Ngoma: Alive and In Your Face from NYC” which features Jazz/Funk/Fusion and Spoken Word,and two more CDs “Didgitation: Solo Didgeridoo Musik for Meditation” and “Ancient Future Meditational Musik” which focus on altered states of consciousness. His latest CD,“Ngoma:State of Emergency” is a 2 Disc compilation of poems and music. For further info check out www.myspace.com/notyouraveragestringthing and www.Ngomazworld.com.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Wednesday, September 9 2009
9:00pm
POETZ REALM
Poetz Realm is not just a physical location where artists can get together and share in their artistry. Poetz Realm also provides web services such as a social networking community which allows it’s members to network, upload videos, pictures , music, chat, post poetry, written work and much more. Whether it be in the form of spoken word, poetry, and emceeing, singing or simply verbal expression, Poetz Realm is the place to be.
Poetz Realm meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. Admission is $5.00 for regular patrons and free for whomever signs up for the open mike. There is a feature for each show. Features have included: Ngoma, Fredrick Douglas, Mo Jarvis, Baub Bidon, E da Storyteller, Shanna Melton, Kamal Imani, Influence, Ainsley Burrows, and many others.
“Let Your Voice Be Heard!”
Hosted by Ernel Grant, Founder/CEO
Bridgeport Innovation Center
Gallery 1212
955 Connecticut Ave
Bridgeport, CT. 06607
www.poetzrealm.com
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Thursday, September 10 2009
7:00pm
MISHI-MAYA-GAT Spoken Word & Music Series
presents Asnuntuck Community College English Department Featured Reading, with John Sheirer, Edwina Trentham, and Elizabeth Szewczyk
7:00pm - Featured Musician: Yovianna García Alvarado, classical guitarist and composer. www.yoviannagarcia.com.
8:00pm - Featured Poets: John Sheirer, Edwina Trentham, and Elizabeth Szewczyk
John Sheirer is the author of the memoir, Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail, which received the Connecticut Green Circle Award for environmental activism. He is also the author of the 2005 memoir, Growing Up Mostly Normal in the Middle of Nowhere, a finalist for the Sante Fe Writers Project Literary Award, as well as a book of poetry, Saying my Name. He teaches English and Communications at Asnuntuck Community College. More information on John, his books, and other reading appearances, can be found on his website: www.johnsheirer.com.
Edwina Trentham has one book of poetry, Stumbling into the Light, and has published her work in a number of magazines, including The American Scholar, Kalliope, The Massachusetts Review, Prairie Schooner, and Connecticut Review. Her work has also appeared in several anthologies. She has been a fellow at Yaddo, and has won a number of awards for her poetry, including honorable mention in the 2004 Sunken Garden Poetry Festival International Competition. She is professor of English at Asnuntuck Community College, where she is also the editor of Freshwater, a national poetry journal. More information on Freshwater can be found at: www.acc.commnet.edu/freshwater.htm. The poet’s website is: www.edwinatrentham.com.
Elizabeth Szewczyk is an adjunct professor of English at Asnuntuck Community College. Her recently published chapbook, This Becoming, has been described as, “Rich language and abundant imagery immediately set the tone for this unique collection filled with surprising insights. Once immersed, the reader is presented with honest recollections of both happiness and heartache as Elizabeth Szewczyk tackles themes of love and loss without sentimentality, self-pity, or vague generalizations” (Alexis Czencz Belluzzi, Practicing Distance).
Readings on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Free and Open to the Public.
Sponsored by the MCC Foundation. Hosted by Stephen Campiglio.
Fireside Commons, Learning Resource Center
Manchester Community College
Great Path
Manchester, CT
For more information or directions, please visit the Mishi-maya-gat web page at www.mcc.commnet.edu.
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Thursday, September 10 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Friday, September 11 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Saturday, September 12 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm
OPEN MIC NIGHTS at Bru Cafe
Hosted by Baub Bidon
Music DJ Ccoubz
Admission: “Just buy something to eat.”
Second Saturday of each month.
Bru Cafe
141 Orange Street
New Haven, CT
203-752-0052
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Sunday, September 13 2009
1:00pm
FAIRFIELD AREA POETS OPEN MIKE
Fairfield Area Poets meets each month at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Westport. Please come and listen to local poets, bring a favorite poem, read your own poems too.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers Westport
Post Plaza Shopping Center
1076 Post Road East
Westport, CT
203-221-7955
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Sunday, September 13 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Monday, September 14 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
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Monday, September 14 2009
7:15pm
MONDAY NIGHT POETRY in STAMFORD
featuring Robert Masterson
Robert Masterson is an award-winning writer, editor and teacher who divides his time between New York and New Mexico, has worked as a professor of English at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York, and at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Masterson’s creative work has appeared in numerous publications including Blue Mesa Review, Tierra: Contemporary NM Fiction, Tyounyi, The Temple, and Bombay Gin.
Monday Night Poetry meets on the second Monday of each month at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Stamford Town Center. Please come and listen to local poets, bring a favorite poem, or read your own.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Stamford Town Center
100 Greyrock Place Suite H009
Stamford, CT
203-323-1248
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Monday, September 14 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry
Anything goes for this open mike - spoken word, poetry, etc. BYO instrument or play our congas or piano. Warm, casual and friendly group offers encouragement and an ongoing sign-up list. Refreshments available. Happens every Monday!
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 suggested donation - give what you can.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Monday, September 14 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
.......................................................................................
Tuesday, September 15 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, September 16 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Will Nixon
Will Nixon’s book, My Late Mother as a Ruffed Grouse, offers poems inspired by his experiences growing up in the Connecticut suburbs, then living in Hoboken and Manhattan as a young man, and finally moving to a Catskills log cabin. His previous chapbooks are When I Had It Made and The Fish Are Laughing. His poems have also appeared in many journals, including Rattle, The Ledge, Slipstream, Wisconsin Review, Tar River Poetry, and others. He occasionally hosts a poetry segment on WDST’s Sunday morning radio talk show, “The Woodstock Roundtable.” As a journalist in the past, he was a contributing editor to The Amicus Journal, published by the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a correspondent for The Adirondack Explorer. More recently, he has been writing a series of “Walking” columns for the Woodstock Times with Michael Perkins, a fellow poet. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and and listed in The Best American Essays 2004. He now lives in Woodstock. To find out more or read a sample poem visit willnixon.com.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Thursday, September 17 2009
6:00pm
JIM PEARCE in MYSTIC
Jim Pearce to read his poetry, including poems from his debut book, Slant Light.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Pearce has resided in New London, Connecticut for more than fifteen years. He recently retired from the position of Quality Improvement Officer for a non-profit child and family agency in New London. Before that, he was a professional with United Way for thirty years, living in many parts of the country. He remains active in his retirement, serving on the New London Board of Education, engaging in volunteer work, traveling with his wife, Janet, and pursuing his writing career vigorously. His poetry has appeared in many national magazines.
Bank Square Books
53 W. Main St.
Mystic, CT
For information, call 860-536-3795.
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Thursday, September 17 2009
6:30pm
WORD OF MOUTH POETRY SERIES
Valerie Lawson has won awards for her poetry and performance at the Cambridge Poetry Awards and has been twice nominated for Pushcart Prizes. Dog Watch, her first full-length collection of poems was published in 2007 by Ragged Sky Press. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about winter in far downeast Maine.
Lawson was the slammaster of the Bridgewater Poetry Slam at the Daily Grind Coffeehouse and a co-host of the Boston Poetry Slam. Lawson’s involvement in Boston area youth slams included the New England Scores slam and coaching an all-girl team that went to the YouthSpeaks National Slam. Lawson has traveled to Europe and the UK to perform poetry and helped host the Swedish Slam Nationals in 2002. Lawson was a participant in Optimal Avenues, a mixed-media cultural exchange between Massachusetts and Ireland, celebrating the United Nation's International Decade for the Culture of Peace. She has performed her poetry at First Night Boston, the Boston Center for the Arts Fringe Festival, at the Bank of Ireland Center and Mansion House in Dublin, at the Swedish National Poetry Slam, and regularly at Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway Theater with Doc Brown's Traveling Poetry Show. In 2008, Lawson was invited to the First Women of the World International Poetry Slam in Detroit as a Legacy Poet.
Lawson, along with her partner Michael Brown, co-edits the literary journal Off the Coast (www.off-the-coast.com).
On the third Thursday of each month, Word of Mouth Poetry Series celebrates an eclectic mix of poetic voices. Free. Refreshments. Open mike. Outstanding featured readers. In a casual setting. Open to all members of the public and others. For more information, please contact allwordofmouth@gmail.com or mcguireschwartz@gmail.com.
Doors Open at 6:30. Open mike at 7:00. Please arrive a few minutes early to sign up for open mike.
The Institute Library
847 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT
Word of Mouth is an affiliate of Arts and Literature Laboratory.
Please visit our website at http://sites.google.com/site/wordofmouthpoetryseries/Home.
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Thursday, September 17 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Thursday, September 17 2009
7:30pm - 9:00pm
THIRD THURSDAY OPEN MIC
Open mike poetry reading on the third Thursday of every month at the Stamford Borders.
Borders
1041 High Ridge Road (near Merritt Parkway exit 35)
Stamford, CT
Phone: 203-968-9700
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Friday, September 18 2009
1:00pm
POETRY DISCUSSION GROUP
A once-a-month poetry discussion, which take place on the third Friday of the month at 1:00pm. Each month a different poet’s work will be up for discussion. New members always welcome.
A limited number of free copies of the book to be discussed will be available for approximately one month before the meeting. See the library’s Circulation Desk. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
Location: Dayton Program Room
Ridgefield Library
472 Main Street (Route 35)
Ridgefield, CT
203-438-2282 or
rdgprograms@biblio.org
www.ridgefieldlibrary.org
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Friday, September 18 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Friday, September 18 2009
7:00pm
OPEN MIKE NIGHT at RJ JULIA
Come read from your newest short story, poem, or essay and feel the rush of taking your work public. All we ask in return? That you limit your time to 5-8 minutes, and that you come prepared to be impressed! Please reserve your spot at the Information counter or at www.rjjulia.com.
RJ Julia Booksellers
768 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT
203-245-3959
books@rjjulia.com
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Sunday, September 20 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Monday, September 21 2008
5:00pm - 7:00pm
CPS POETRY WORKSHOP in DANBURY
The Danbury Chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society holds a writing workshop at the Danbury Library on the third Monday of each month. Newcomers are welcome! Bring poems for sharing and discussion (about 6 copies to pass around, if possible).
For information, contact: dmh2000@sbcglobal.net
Danbury Library
Upstairs Conference Room
170 Main Street
Danbury, CT
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Monday, September 21 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
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Monday, September 21 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry
Anything goes for this open mike - spoken word, poetry, etc. BYO instrument or play our congas or piano. Warm, casual and friendly group offers encouragement and an ongoing sign-up list. Refreshments available. Happens every Monday!
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 suggested donation - give what you can.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Monday, September 21 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
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Tuesday, September 22 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, September 23 2009
7:00pm - 8:30pm
AUTHOR'S LIVE
A reading by West Hartford’s new Poet Laureate, Dennis Barone
Author of fourteen books, Barone most recently co-edited with West Hartford resident James Finnegan, Visiting Wallace: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Wallace Stevens (University of Iowa Press, 2009). In 2008 Quale Press published North Arrow, a collection of seventeen stories that traverse stylistic, emotional, and geographical landscapes. From New Jersey to the Netherlands to abstract poetic terrain, Dennis Barone places his characters in situations where they’re forced to confront the nature of memory, of change, and of finding one’s way in a society that can be hostile to those who circumvent its meager expectations.
The poet Noah Eli Gordon has written: “There is a muscularity with which [Barone’s] writing unfolds, an accumulative approach that manages to move each piece through a veritable cornucopia of contrasting images and characters, of sets and props, enlivened by his consistently rhythmic and often speedy prose.” In 1998 Left Hand Books published his volume of selected poems, entitled Separate Objects.
Dennis Barone is a Professor of English and Director of American Studies at Saint Joseph College.
The event is free. Books will be available for purchase
Library Meeting Room
Noah Webster Library
20 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT
860-561-6950
www.westhartfordlibrary.org
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Wednesday, September 23 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Jean Sands
Jean Sands’ poetry has been published in literary journals, anthologized, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is also a journalist, reviewer, and correspondent whose interviews, essays, and feature articles appear in regional and national publications as well as online. Jean has served as a poet in the schools and has taught poetry and creative writing to adults throughout northwest Connecticut for over twenty years. In addition, she edits novels and non-fiction books for private clients and occasionally offers writing tutorials. See www.antrimhousebooks.com/sands.html.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Wednesday, September 23 2009
8:00pm
THE RUSSELL HOUSE SERIES
presents a reading by the Wesleyan Writing Faculty
The Russell House Series, Wesleyan University’s internationally known writer’s series, begins its 2009-2010 program with a reading of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Novelist Lisa Cohen, novelist Deb Olin Unferth, and poet Elizabeth Willis, members of Wesleyan’s celebrated writing faculty, will read from their work. (Bios below.)
Wesleyan University
Russell House
350 High Street
Middletown, CT
For more information call 860-685-3448
www.wesleyan.edu/writing/distinguished_writers
Lisa Cohen’s poetry and nonfiction have appeared in numerous journals, including Ploughshares, Lit, Barrow Street, Bookforum, The Boston Review, and Voice Literary Supplement. She is currently completing a group biography of three early twentieth century figures—the fashion professional Madge Garland, the fan and collector Mercedes de Acosta, and the eccentric scholar Esther Murphy.
Deb Olin Unferth is the author of a collection of stories, Minor Robberies, and a novel, Vacation, both published by McSweeney's. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, 3rd Bed, Fence, and other publications. She has received a Pushcart Prize, a Creative Capital Grant from the Warhol Foundation, and in 2009 the Cabell First Novelist Award. She joins Wesleyan’s English department this year.
Elizabeth Willis is the Shapiro-Silverberg Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Wesleyan University. She is the author of four books of poetry, Second Law, The Human Abstract, Turneresque, and Meteoric Flowers. Her work has been selected for the National Poetry Series and her awards include the Boston Review Prize, an award from the Howard Foundation, a Walter N. Thayer Fellowship for the Arts, and a grant from the California Arts Council. As a critic, she has written on 19th- and 20th- century poetry, and she has edited a collection of essays entitled Radical Vernacular: Lorine Niedecker and the Politics of Place.
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Wednesday, September 23 2009
9:00pm
POETZ REALM
Poetz Realm is not just a physical location where artists can get together and share in their artistry. Poetz Realm also provides web services such as a social networking community which allows it’s members to network, upload videos, pictures , music, chat, post poetry, written work and much more. Whether it be in the form of spoken word, poetry, and emceeing, singing or simply verbal expression, Poetz Realm is the place to be.
Poetz Realm meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. Admission is $5.00 for regular patrons and free for whomever signs up for the open mike. There is a feature for each show. Features have included: Ngoma, Fredrick Douglas, Mo Jarvis, Baub Bidon, E da Storyteller, Shanna Melton, Kamal Imani, Influence, Ainsley Burrows, and many others.
“Let Your Voice Be Heard!”
Hosted by Ernel Grant, Founder/CEO
Bridgeport Innovation Center
Gallery 1212
955 Connecticut Ave
Bridgeport, CT. 06607
www.poetzrealm.com
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Thursday, September 24 2009
6:30pm
RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES at Wood
presents Rennie McQuilkin
Rennie McQuilkin’s poetry has been published by The Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, The American Scholar, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, The Hudson Review, Crazyhorse, and other journals. He is the author of ten poetry collections, two of which have won awards, and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the State of Connecticut. His latest book, The Weathering: New & Selected Poems, is culled from what McQuilkin considers the most lasting of his poems. For many years he directed the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT, and subsequently founded Antrim House Books, which publishes the work of Northeastern poets. In 2003 he received the Connecticut Center for the Book’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Wood Memorial Library
783 Main Street
South Windsor, CT
860-289-1783
www.woodmemoriallibrary.org
www.riverwoodpoetry.org
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Thursday, September 24 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Friday, September 25 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Friday, September 25 2009
7:00pm
MYSTIC ARTS CAFE
The long standing poetry and music series returns. Mystic Arts Café is an eclectic series featuring nationally renowned poets. The doors open at 7:00pm, reading begins at 7:30pm.
Mystic Arts Center
9 Water Street
Mystic, CT
860-536-5680
www.mysticarts.org/events.html
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Saturday, September 26 2009
6:30pm
THE RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES at Buttonwood
An evening of poetry. See www.riverwoodpoetry.org for details.
Suggested donation is $3.00 and a non-perishable food item to be donated to the local soup kitchen/food pantry. Non-perishable food donations welcome to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Place. Goodwill donations welcome.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Sunday, September 27 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
.......................................................................................
Monday, September 28 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
.......................................................................................
Monday, September 28 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry
Anything goes for this open mike - spoken word, poetry, etc. BYO instrument or play our congas or piano. Warm, casual and friendly group offers encouragement and an ongoing sign-up list. Refreshments available. Happens every Monday!
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 suggested donation - give what you can.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
.......................................................................................
Monday, September 28 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
.......................................................................................
Tuesday, September 29 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, September 30 2009
6:30pm
CAROL ALTIERI & PAT O’BRIEN in CLINTON
Carol Altieri, author of The Jade Bower, and Patricia O’Brien of the Guilford Poetry Guild will read from their collections of poetry.
The poems of Altieri and O’Brien have been described as passionate and tender with rich insight and engaging humor. They are both published poets and recipients of many poetry awards.
This event is free and no registration is required.
The Henry Carter Hull Library
10 Killingworth Turnpike
Clinton, CT
860-669-2342
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Wednesday, September 30 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Cortney Davis
Cortney Davis, a career RN, nurse practitioner, and award winning writer and poet has written numerous volumes of poetry and prose, and is the poetry editor of Alimentum: the Literature of Food (www.alimentumjournal.com). The poems in her new poetry chapbook, Conversion / Return, are all religious and very personal, documenting first her conversion to Judaism, then to Catholicism. Visit her website at www.cortneydavis.com.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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