Category: poetry

National Poetry Month wrap-up

April is National Poetry Month in the United States and I had a busy time this year, so I thought I’d do a post with links for those who wanted to catch up.

On April 14th, I sang with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton in a concert entitled America Speaks. We sang settings of poems by American poets with readings by members of S.T.A.R. (Southern Tier Actors Read).

On April 2oth, I travelled to Cooperstown for the Write Out Loud 2024 performance which included my poem “Some Time Else” from my chapbook, Hearts.

On April 27th, I read with the Grapevine Poets at the Broome County Arts Council, where their POETREE was on display.

Throughout the month, my poem “North Adams Public Library” was part of their National Poetry Month display.

I contributed to the Tioga Arts Council’s Poetry Out Loud series with a recording of my poem, “The Bridge.”

On April 30th, current US Poet Laureate Ada Limón read at Smith College, which, though I could not attend in person, I wrote about here.

One thing that was missing from April this year was attending workshops with the Binghamton Poetry Project, which is in the process of being re-organized as the Binghamton Writers Project. I missed the chance to learn from Binghamton University grad students and other community poets who attend these workshops.

I took another step forward with my full-length poetry collection by sending a revised draft to April Ossmann for review. April has sent me extensive feedback so there will be more revisions and then a new round of submissions. Stay tuned for updates!

Early May bonus is that poet Samantha Terrell is featuring me in the SHINE section of her website.

I love it when National Poetry Month goes into overtime!

I’d love to hear in comments about others’ National Poetry Month experiences this year. Stay tuned for more poetry news – and more eclectic musings – here at Top of JC’s Mind.

Ada Limón at Smith College

About the featured image: Ada Limón, as poet laureate, has begun an initiative called Poetry in Parks in conjunction with the National Parks Service. To complement this project, she invited poets to write new work centered on our relationship with nature. In April, Milkweed Editions published You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World as a testament to that enduring relationship.

Ada Limón, 24th poet laureate of the United States, gave an amazing reading at my alma mater, Smith College, on the last day of National Poetry Month, April 30, 2024, followed by a conversation with Matt Donovan, director of the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center at Smith.


So many things struck me about the reading, many of which resonate with my own poetic sensibilities. The sense of place and relationship with the natural world. The vast possibilities for poems that surrounds us. The exquisiteness of short poems, just long enough to offer what needs to be said. The way the mind seeks myriad connections. That there are poems written for oneself that may never be shared with others. The interest in received forms without the compulsion to write them for public consumption. The honesty and authenticity of her work and of her speaking between poems and responding to questions.

I was not able to be there in person but I know John M. Greene Hall, where the reading took place, well, having spent many hours there as a student rehearsing and performing with choral groups and practicing the organ. It’s a cavernous space, which seats about 2,000 people. I was awed at the intimacy that Ada Limón was able to project, as though she were reading and talking with a small circle of friends in a living room after dinner.

I wish I had been able to be there.

Maybe, someday, I will hear her read in person.

Poetry feature on Samantha Terrell’s SHINE

I am honored that poet Samantha Terrell has chosen to feature my work as part of her SHINE – Featured Poets series this month.

I first met Samantha virtually through the Binghamton Poetry Project last year. Her poetry lives in a socially conscious context and she is very generous in sharing her talents with the community.

She recently led a workshop at the Broome County Arts Council entitled “Using Your Voice: A Poetry Workshop for Authenticity.” This inspired the creation of a new poetry club, Binghamton Beatniks, which will meet for the first time on May 14, 2024 at 11 AM in the Fenton Free Library, 1062 Chenango St., Binghamton NY. Local poetry lovers are invited to attend and bring along a poem to share.


Many thanks to Samantha Terrell for featuring me on her website this month and for all she is doing to celebrate poetry in our community!

Grapevine Poets at BCAC ’24

On Saturday, April 27, seven of the Grapevine Poets happily returned to the Broome County Arts Council’s Artisan Gallery to offer a reading in honor of National Poetry Month.


We decided to use the format of our first group reading at BCAC in April ’23, with each poet reading their own work together with that of another poet. After a welcome from Connie Barnes, BCAC’s Gallery and Education Manager, and introduction from Merrill Douglas, Richard Braco gave a moving tribute to Myron Ernst, the local poet who was the origin of what grew into the Grapevine Poets and who passed away over the winter. Myron’s work appeared in many journals over the decades. His 2013 collection, God Time Creosote, follows his life from childhood through old age.

My own selections this year centered on the interplay of the arts, history, and our current social circumstances. I read two of my yet-to-be-published ekphrastic poems, “Revelation in Shadow” and “Memphis, Tennessee,” along with Robert Frost’s “Choose Something Like a Star,” which was set to music by Randall Thompson and performed by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton at our concert earlier this month.

One of the things I especially liked about our reading this year was the frequent expressions of how important community is for us as poets. While the stereotype of writers in general and poets in particular is that they are off alone in a secluded spot scribbling away, the reality is that our work is often strengthened by coming together to share our works-in-progress with our fellow writers. I often acknowledge the Grapevine Poets, the Boiler House Poets Collective, and the Binghamton Poetry Project in my bios because I know I would never have been able to publish without their example, advice, and support. During National Poetry Month, it was good to acknowledge what we are to each other as poets.

This year’s participants were (left to right) with quilt exhibit in the background: Sharon Ball, Wendy Stewart, Susan Thornton, Richard Braco, Joanne Corey, Jessica Dubey, and Merrill Douglas.


After the reading and Q&A, there was time for us to greet our guests, browse the Artisan Gallery, and visit the POETREE, which is pictured above. Several of the Grapevine Poets had poems that were part of the POETREE display, which showcased short, spring- or renewal-themed poems from local writers.

Many thanks to Connie Barnes and the Broome County Arts Council for inviting us to read with them in honor of National Poetry Month. We Grapevine Poets look forward to more collaborations in the future.

Write Out Loud 2024 video now available!

I’m pleased to share the video of the Write Out Loud 2024 performance, which was just released last night.

If you expand the description of the video, you can read the program, which is helpfully indexed to bring you to the beginning of each segment, first the writer’s biography and then their poem, essay, short story, or play. If a piece is performed by someone other than the writer, that information is included, as well.

With 22 writers represented, the full video is two hours, so it is nice to have it organized in this way so a viewer can easily choose segments to watch when they have time.

You can read my blog post about my participation in Write Out Loud 2024 here .

My thanks once again to Mike Tamburrino, Christine Juliano, the Fenimore Art Museum, and the Glimmer Globe Theatre for including me in Write Out Loud 2024 and making it such a memorable experience.

I hope that I will be able to submit work for future Write Out Loud performances and, perhaps, be fortunate enough to be included again. Writers within a 100-mile radius of Cooperstown, New York, can be on the lookout for the submission call coming out this fall for Write Out Loud 2025. Playwrights from that same geography should look for the NEXT! series, which offers staged readings of new work. You can read my post about Eva Schegulla’s Fall Forever, which was part of NEXT! 2024, here.

If you are visiting the Cooperstown area, be sure to check out the Fenimore Art Museum and their partner-across-the-road, the Farmers’ Museum. Both museums have winter closures; the links should take you to the page with their hours and dates for the current year.

To hear more about what it’s like to live in Cooperstown, which most people know as home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, check out the final piece of Write Out Loud 2024, Robert Harlow’s “Cooperstown, an insider’s guide.”

You might pick up some tips…

Poetry Out Loud ’24

To celebrate National Poetry Month, the Tioga (NY) Arts Council sponsors a series of recordings of local poets reading a poem of their choice.

I’m pleased to say that my poem “The Bridge” is part of this initiative this year. You can listen to my recording here.

You can find the 2024 Tioga Arts Council recordings here, including offerings from fellow Grapevine Poets Merrill Douglas and Jessica Dubey.

Enjoy!

One-Liner Wednesday: Grapevine Poets at BCAC

Binghamton, NY area folks are cordially invited to come hear me and six fellow Grapevine Poets read works by ourselves and others in honor of National Poetry Month at the Broome County Arts Council’s Artisan Gallery on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 1:30.

This invitation comes to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays series. Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/04/24/one-liner-wednesday-parenting/

Write Out Loud 2024

I am honored to have been selected for the fourth annual Glimmer Globe Theatre/Fenimore Art Museum Write Out Loud performance on Saturday, April 20th. There were 22 writers represented with a mix of poems, short story, essays, and even a short play, all written by people living within a 100-mile radius of Cooperstown, New York.

My daughter T and I decided to make a weekend of it. We visited the Museum in the afternoon. Our favorite new exhibition was “As They Saw It: Women Artists Then and Now.” It will be showing through September 2, 2024. We loved how it demonstrated the power of women’s artistic expression over time, both as individuals and in relation to other women across the generations. We also appreciated viewing the thoughtfully curated Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, which has had a home at the Fenimore since 1995.

After a delicious early dinner at the Council Rock Brewery in a room filled with vintage clocks, T and I headed back to the Fenimore for the performance. We arrived early so that I could attend a walk-through. I had the opportunity to meet Christine Juliano, the actor who would read my poem, “Some Time Else” from my chapbook, Hearts. I admit that the whole evening was much more relaxing because I didn’t have to perform myself. It made the walk-through more interesting as I could observe the microphone adjustment and lighting cues without having to worry about dealing with them myself. It was also a good reminder that having a mike is not an excuse to dial back on vocal projection.

We had a good house for the performance, filling the auditorium, which was exciting for me who is more used to wondering if the readers will outnumber the audience! A brief bio from each writer was read as they or the actor reading their piece took the stage. There were also accompanying visuals projected behind the stage that complemented each reading.

The range of topics was wide and it was fun to have a mix of genres represented. While the age of the writers skewed older, we did have some younger folks participating. Quite a number of the writers had been professors or editors or directors of writing series, so I, totally lacking in academic English credentials myself, felt honored to have been chosen alongside them. Submissions for Write Out Loud are read anonymously so the individual piece is selected, not the author. I was also surprised that a large majority of writers had chosen to present themselves; one of the things that had attracted me to submit was the opportunity to hear an actor read my work. I must admit, though, that some of the writers were so evocative in their performance that I couldn’t imagine an actor would have done better.

I learned that Write Out Loud began as a virtual performance during the pandemic, which then continued as a live event when restrictions were lifted. This year saw the largest number of participants thus far.

I’m not going into too much detail about the program itself because, on Saturday, April 27 at 7 PM, the recording will be released on the Fenimore Art Museum’s YouTube channel. Update: The video of Write Out Loud 2024 is now available here. If you expand the description, you will find the program, helpfully indexed to bring you to whichever piece you select.

Thanks to the Fenimore Art Museum and the Glimmer Globe Theatre, especially Mike Tamburrino, Manager of Performing Arts Programs at the Fenimore Art Museum and the affiliated Farmers’ Museum, for including me in this special event!

One-Liner Wednesday: Write Out Loud 2024

My poem “Some Time Else” from my chapbook Hearts has been selected for performance at the Fenimore Art Musuem through the Glimmer Globe Theatre in Cooperstown NY on Saturday, April 20 at 7 PM as part of Write Out Loud 2024; the recording will be released the following week and I will be sure to post it here at Top of JC’s Mind.
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Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/04/17/one-liner-wednesday-a-what-kind-of-ritual/

end of our 45th season

Yesterday, I sang with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton as we closed out our 45th anniversary season, which had concentrated on American themes.

This final concert was called “America Speaks” and focused on American poets. In an interesting twist, the poems were read by members of S.T.A.R. (Southern Tier Actors Read) before we sang the settings based on the poems. As a poet, I’m accustomed to hearing poets read, but actors enunciate and emote much more than most poets. I especially love that this concert took place during National Poetry Month.

(As it happens, I will have the opportunity to hear “Some Time Else,” one of the poems from my chapbook Hearts, read by an actor affiliated with the Glimmer Globe Theatre at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown on Saturday as part of Write Out Loud 2024. Stay tuned for more information.)

The highlight of the concert for me was performing Frostiana, Randall Thompson’s setting of seven poems by Robert Frost, written to celebrate the bicentennial of Amherst, Massachusetts. We were accompanied by members of the Binghamton Community Orchestra, so we could appreciate Thompson’s skill as an orchestrator as well as a composer. I especially liked the flute’s imitation of thrush calls in “Come In.”

What was most special, though, was that our artistic director, Dr. Bruce Borton, was able to conduct Frostiana for the performance. He has been battling a serious illness and this was his only appearance at our concerts this season. I began singing under his direction in 1988, when he was at the local university as a professor and began conducting the Binghamton University Chorus, which I had joined in 1982. I first sang “Choose Something Like a Star,” the final piece in Frostiana, under his direction relatively early in his tenure, so it was especially poignant to sing it yesterday.

I managed not to cry.

I hope to sing for Much Ado in the Garden this summer and for our 46th season. I’ll post details as they become available.