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“I left like a season’s first lover across a window, // slowly like a southern sun / diagonal on a work-back.” Tyree Daye reads “The Mechanical Cotton Picker,” which appears in his poetry collection Cardinal (Copper Canyon Press, 2020), in this Academy of American Poets video.
“I’m no moaning bluet, mountable / linnet, mumbling nun. I’m / tangible, I’m gin. Able to molt / in toto, to limn.” In this short film, Paisley Rekdal, who served as the Utah state poet laureate from 2017 to 2022, recites her poem “Self-Portrait as Mae West Anagram” for the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.
“Fish / fowl / flood / Water lily mud / My life // in the leaves and on water,” writes Lorine Niedecker in “Paean to Place,” a long lyric poem that meditates on the region of southern Wisconsin where she was born and lived most of her life. Written in short sections, the poem goes in and out of memories and pastoral descriptions of marshlike landscapes, altogether serving as a testament to the impact a place can have on one’s poetic sensibilities. This week write a pastoral ode to the landscape you grew up in. Whether an urban sprawl or a rural town, try to use the poem’s form and idiosyncratic language to paint a portrait of your experience in this formative place.
With only a few more days left before the deadline, don’t miss the opportunity to submit to the annual National Poetry Series Open Competition. Five U.S. poets will receive $10,000 each and publication of their collections by participating trade, university, or small press publishers. The 2023 publishers are Beacon Press, Ecco, Milkweed Editions, Penguin Books, and University of Georgia Press. Residents of the United States and American citizens living abroad are eligible to apply.
Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of a suggested length of 48 to 64 pages with a $35 entry fee by March 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Finalists will be notified around May 31, around which time their manuscripts will be shared with five judges for further consideration. The competition winners will be notified around August 31, and all finalists will be informed of their status at that time.
The National Poetry Series literary awards program seeks to “support poetry and increase the audience for poetry by heightening its visibility among readers,” as well as “give American poets, of all ethnic and racial groups, gender, religion, and poetic style, access to publishing outlets not ordinarily available to them.” Members of the Board of Directors include Natalie Diaz, Daniel Halpern, Cathy Park Hong, Imani Perry, Tracy K. Smith, and Natasha Trethewey. Recent winners include Adrienne Chung (Organs of Little Importance, Penguin Books), Olatunde Osinaike (Tender Headed, Akashic Books), Tennison S. Black (Survival Strategies, University of Georgia Press), Courtney Bush (I Love Information, Milkweed Editions), and Alisha Dietzman (Sweet Movie, Beacon Press).
Open seven days a week, this location includes a café and has frequent events with authors, celebrities, and musicians. Along with a wide selection of books, there is also a department for toys and games as well as vinyl records.
Since 2003 C & P Coffee Company has been building friendships around community and coffee. It proudly serves Lighthouse Roasters fine coffees as well as a rotating selection of beer and wine. It offers locally sourced baked goods including vegan and wheat free options.
The coffee house is also home to a variety of events including live music, open mics, poetry and storytelling, arts and crafts fairs, lectures and more—including Poetry Bridge, a reading series that features guest writer and an open mic.
Founded in 1972, Irish Arts Center is a New York-based arts and cultural center dedicated to projecting a dynamic image of Ireland and Irish America for the 21st century, building community with artists and audiences of all backgrounds, forging and strengthening cross-cultural partnerships, and preserving the evolving stories and traditions of Irish culture for generations to come.
San Diego Writers, Ink is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. They offer classes, groups, workshops, readings and other literary events at The Ink Spot and other locations throughout San Diego County. Some of their monthly literary events including Friday Night Liberty Open House, San Diego Memoir Association Meet-Up, Dime Stories: Open Mic Prose Nights, Sunday Author Series, and more.
Through its live programming, workshops, publications, website, and special events, The Poetry Project promotes, fosters, and inspires the reading and writing of contemporary poetry by presenting contemporary poetry to diverse audiences; increasing public recognition, awareness, and appreciation of poetry and other arts; providing a community setting in which poets and artists can exchange ideas and information; and encouraging the participation and development of new poets from a broad range of styles.
The University of Minnesota bookstore is located in the Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota campus with easy access to public parking and transportation. Visit and peruse the variety of new fiction, poetry, and nonfiction selections as well as attend author events and meet the minds behind today’s leading literature.
