Poetry Reading: The Fairy Tale That Was Not Told

ArtsWorcester and the Worcester County Poetry Association invite you to a reading of poems inspired by photographs in Mari Saxon’s The Fairy Tale That Was Not Told on Saturday, February 1, 2025 from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM. The poetry reading will take place on the seventh floor of the Printers Building in Worcester, MA at 44 Portland Street. Guests are invited to regroup back on the first floor, in the ArtsWorcester East Gallery, to view Mari’s photographs that inspired the poems. The Fairy Tale That Was Not Told is on view in the ArtsWorcester galleries (Jan. 16 – Feb. 16) as part of ArtsWorcester’s Artist Shoebox exhibition series.

A “surrealistic fairytale” is how artist Mari Saxon describes her photographs, rich in storytelling and delightfully up for interpretation. The Worcester County Poetry Association (WCPA) in partnership with the Worcester Writers’ Collective (WCC) organized a series of three workshops, which were held during regular WWC meeting hours (Tuesdays from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM) at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. The writers used Saxon’s artfully staged photos in addition to their own favorite childhood stories, personal lore and literary style to pay homage to The Fairy Tale That Was Not Told, creating and editing work over the course of the three workshops.

The poetry reading event will take place on the seventh floor of the Printers Building, and a slideshow will feature Mari’s corresponding photographs that inspired the poems. Then, guests will be invited back down to the first floor galleries to see the photographs on view in the ArtsWorcester East Gallery.

Elevators and stairs are accessible up to the reading on the seventh floor of the building. Light refreshments will be available. Parking is available at the Worcester Public Library (McGrath) Lot, Federal Plaza Garage, Worcester Common Garage, and Pearl-Elm Garage. Metered street parking is also available. On weekends, and on weekdays after 5:00 PM, visitors may park in the Printers Building parking lot free of charge. Please do not park in the lot across the street from the Printers Building; you will be immediately towed.

This event is in collaboration with the Worcester County Poetry Association, a nonprofit organization founded in 1971. WCPA and ArtsWorcester share the goal of advancing the creative energy of Central Massachusetts, and are thrilled to be fusing visual and literary art to produce this event.

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