A summary of the year. Content needed.
WCPA Annual Meeting and Board Elections
On February 24, 2019, we held our annual meeting in the Bancroft Room at the First Unitarian Church in Worcester (our regular venue was unavailable due to construction). After a short business meeting, where we discussed the past year and elected a new board of directors, we held an open poetry reading since our scheduled feature, Sebastian Lockwood, could not join us due to bad weather near his home in New Hampsire.
If you’d like to learn about what the WCPA did in 2018 please take a look at our Annual Report.
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2019-2020 WCPA Board
Elizabeth Bacon
Robin Boucher, Treasurer
Therese Carr
Jim Cocola
Robert Cronin
Bob Gill, VP Programming
Carle Johnson
Jay Lavelle
Ann-Marie Lucci
Rodger Martin, President
Laura Menides
Kate McIntyre, Editor, The Worcester Review
Diane Mulligan, Secretary
Chris Reilley
Susan Roney-O’Brien
Karen Sharpe
Robert Steele
12th Annual College Poetry Competition Finalists’ Reading
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Worcester Popup, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 College Poetry Contest Reading
Etheridge Knight Performance Prize
Kate Brice of Assumption College
Amber John of the College of the Holy Cross (runner-up)
Elizabeth Bishop Manuscript Prize
Dani Black of Clark University
Ariele Lee of Fitchburg State University (runner-up)
The Nominees
Paula Kneeland, of Anna Maria College and Worcester, MA
Kate Brice, of Assumption College and Colchester, CT
Dani Black, of Clark University and Middleboro, MA
Amber John, of the College of Holy Cross and Austin, TX
Ariele Lee, of Fitchburg State University and Beverly, MA
Jesse Madore, of MCPHS and Salem, NH
Erica Gilman, of Worcester State University and North Brookfield, MA
Michael Clements, of WPI and Exeter, NH
Judges
Susan Roney-O’Brien
Ashley Wonder
Contest Chair
Craig Blais, Anna Maria College
Congratulations to Fran Quinn, Winner of the 2019 Stanley Kunitz Medal
Presented on Thursday, July 25, 2019
at the Worcester Historical Museum
30 Elm Street, Worcester
Winners’ Reading for the WCPA’s Annual Poetry Contest The Frank O’Hara Prize
Sunday, September 29, 2019, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
First Unitarian Church
90 Main Street, Worcester
Featuring readings by the contest judge, Rachel McKibbens, and the 2019 contest winners
Congratulations to the 2019 Winners
First Place
Carolyn Oliver
Second Place
Jacqueline Morrill
Third Place
Jennifer Freed
Honorable Mention
bg Thurston
A Reading of the Epic of Gilgamesh
Performed by Sebastian Lockwood
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Worcester Art Museum
Renaissance Court
55 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA
A Tribute to Elizabeth Bishop
Forty years ago American-poet, and Worcester-native, Elizabeth Bishop died. Bishop, an only child, was born in Worcester in 1911. Through twists and turns, she lived in Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, Key West, Brazil, and San Francisco. Her early life influenced her poetry, as did her interaction with poets Marianne Moore and Robert Lowell.
We paid tribute to Bishop on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, with a reading of her work at Bedlam Book Cafe by Therese Carr. The reading started with a short open poetry reading.
11th Annual Gregory Stockmal Reading featuring Patrick Donnelly
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 – 7:30pm
Anna Maria College, Zecco Performing Arts Center
50 Sunset Lane, Paxton
Each year the Worcester County Poetry Association partners with a local college or university to present a poet who had a connection to poet Stanley Kunitz. This year we welcomed Patrick Donnelly as our reader at the 11th Annual Gregory Stockmal Reading on Wednesday, October 16th. The reading was hosted by Anna Maria College in Paxton and started at 7:30pm.
Love Unknown: The Life and Worlds of Elizabeth Bishop.
Noted Elizabeth Bishop biographer, Tom Travisano, joined us in Worcester for a presentation from his new book, Love Unknown: The Life and Worlds of Elizabeth Bishop.
Writing Elizabeth Bishop:
A Biographer’s Journey
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Worcester Historical Museum
30 Elm Street, Worcester
6:00 to 7:30 pm

Root & Press Bookstore
for making copies of Travisano’s book available for sale.
For all the Tea in Zhōngguó – a Dual Language Reading
For all the Tea in Zhōngguó a dual language reading with Rodger Martin and Ann Shi
Saturday, November 16 @ 2:00pm
Worcester Pop-up at JMAC
20 Franklin Street, Worcester