Virtual Reading Opportunity

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After watching “Gather in Poems: a Virtual Reading” from the Academy of American Poets, Worcester poet, and poetry organizer Eve Rifkah reached out about organizing a local version. She envisions a Zoom reading with each poet reading a poem by another Worcester area poet (alive or not) and one of their own poems. Eve quotes the Academy of American Poets’ own description of the event to explain why the idea of a local event appeals to her right now; “sharing poems create a sense of community, especially at a time when so many are apart.”
 
It sounds like a fantastic event, and the WCPA is excited to be a part of it.
 
Interested in being a reader? You can contact Eve on Facebook or e-mail wcpaboard@yahoo.com, and we’ll share her e-mail address with you.
 

Our next virtual reading is this Sunday, 12/13/2020

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A quick reminder that Zoom into Poetry with Julie Danho is happening next Sunday (12/13).  Visit this link, register, and Zoom will send you the details for the WCPA’s last “Zoom into Poetry” virtual poetry reading of 2020.

More virtual readings in the series are in the works for 2021 with poets David Keali’i MacKenzie, Jeff Walt, and Dane Kuttler.  Plus we have a tribute to Langston Hughes in the works.

#508Fridays – Preservation Worcester

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Next up on #508Fridays, we are sharing the work of Preservation Worcester.  They work to maintain importance to Worcester’s culture, history, and architecture for future generationthe e  They would be gearing up for their annual Holiday Stroll with visits inside homes decorated beautifully in winter holiday finery in a normal year.  This year they needed to reimagine this major event and have introduced the Door to Door – Holiday Tour.

Starting December 5, 2020, tourgoers will view a variety of exterior decorations at their leisure. A digital booklet will contain the tour route in addition to historical and architectural information on each featured neighborhood.  Visit their Facebook event for more information.  The Holiday Tours will last through December 19, 2020.

#508Fridays #508culture

 

 

The Worcester Review – volume XLI has been mailed out

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3 copies of "The Worcester Review" literary journal are fanned out on a dark green surface

Kate McIntyre, Managing Editor of The Worcester Review, shared last night at the WCPA December 2020 board meeting that Robert Steele delivered the 2020 volume to the post office that morning. Members and contributors in central Massachusetts should start to receive their copies with a week.

Volume XLI features selected poems and fiction alongside a feature section highlighting South African poet and activist Dennis Brutus. Worcester State University holds an extensive archive of Brutus’s letters, poetic drafts, and printed materials. This volume also includes poems from the 2020 Frank O’Hara Prize winners Lynn Frederiksen, Patrick Nolan, and Paul Szlosek and contest judge Doug Holder.

The cover art, and a selection of interior images, are by Tanzanian-American artist Abu Mwenye. Mwenye lives in Worcester. Find him online at visionaryafrica.com.

The Worcester Review celebrates the rich literary history of Central Massachusetts, enhances it with work from beyond the region, and serves as a conduit to promote that richness to a national audience. First published in 1972 by the WCPA, a volunteer staff of editors supports its annual publication. We thank all those involved for another incredible volume of literature to help us through the coming days.

Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award

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Worcester Poet Laureate Juan Matos shared in a Facebook post earlier this week the news the Plough Publishing is honoring poet and translated Rhina Espaillat.  In summer 2021, Plough will announce the winners of its first annual Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award. The winning poet will receive a two thousand dollar award and the winning poem will be published in Plough Quarterly. In addition, two finalists will receive two hundred and fifty dollars as well as publication in Plough.

The WCPA was honored to support a virtual reading by Juan Matos and Rhina Espaillat earlier this year.  That reading was organized by Bedlam Book Cafe.

For additional information on the Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award please visit plough.com.

Remembering Mary Pat True

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It is with sadness that we must note the passing of Mary Pat True on Thanksgiving morning in Minneapolis. She was with her daughter.   Mary Pat was a long-time supporter of the WCPA, the artful hostess at 4 Westland Street for poets from around the world, and spouse of Mike True (the initial Stanley Kunitz Medal winner).   Mary Pat was a member of the critically acclaimed Denise Levertov workshop at Assumption College.   Her series of art photography featuring Worcester doorways showed her willingness to transcend borders and differences in the community.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Mary Pat and Mike’s children and grandchildren.

Two figure seated in a garden setting. Mary Pat True (left) and Mike True (right)

Mary Pat (left) and Mike True (right) at the 2015 Kunitz Medal ceremony.

#508Fridays – ArtsWorcester

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This week for #508Fridays, we are talking about ArtsWorcester. With their new(ish) gallery on Portland Street in Worcester, ArtsWorcester engages artists and the public to advance and celebrate contemporary art. They produce solo, small group, and member exhibitions and work with regional museums to offer artists opportunities.

ArtsWorcester has two exhibits opening on December 3, 2020, that will be viewable in-person or online.  In the West Gallery, celebrate the artists who nurture the next generation of creatives in our city in State of Being: Works by Worcester Public Schools Visual Arts Faculty. Cross the corridor into the East Gallery and immerse yourself in the provocative and whimsical Along the Wrack Line, a solo show featuring new works by Present Tense Prize winner Rebecca McGee Tuck.

#508Fridays #508culture

Write Better Poems [.com]

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A man wearing a suit coat and blue button-down shirt gestures with his left hand in front of a microphone and black music stand

Photo courtesy of Robert Steele

Brian Evans-Jones, who took read the British poems from our A Tale of Two Cities – Worcester UK & US program from 2018, has a new website for people writing and learning about poetry. It’s called The Poetry Place and it has free articles on Form and Techniques, Creativity, and the Drafting Process to help intermediate or beginning poets learn more about the art. While there you can download his new teaching ebook, 8 Steps to Better Poems.

All the resources on the site, including the ebook, are available for free. You can find it at writebetterpoems.com.

Poetry Writing 101 with Susan Roney-O’Brien: Metaphors Be with You

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a website banner with a winter-scape background The Worcester Public Library is sponsoring a new poetry writing workshop with WCPA board member Susan Roney-O’Brien.  The virtual workshop will take place on Saturday, December 5 between 11 am and noon.  Here’s the workshop description:

Metaphors Be with You – And they are. You say, S/he’s a bear in the morning, not a literal statement, but figurative, a comparison that brings the image to life. Metaphors, similes, personification, apostrophe, irony…all these handy tools build fresh images through the use of our senses. Beginning with definitions and readings of poems, we’ll create our own tapestries of words, combine figurative language and literal experiences to forge “the best words in the best order.”

Registration link: https://mywpl.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/poetry-writing-101-with-susan-roney-o-brien-metaphors-be-with-you/

Two other poetry writing workshops will be held on January 2 and February 6, 2021. More information, along with registration links, once they are available.

Introducing #508Fridays

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While poetry is our passion at the WCPA Worcester is filled with many wonderful arts organizations. This week we are starting a new Friday series called #508Fridays. We’ll be sharing info about other small and mid-size arts groups who call the 508 area code home.

For our first post in the series, we’re staying ridiculously close to home and featuring the Solos: artists on a mission gallery show at the Sprinkler Factory. In 2017 the WCPA moved our offices into a studio at the Sprinkler Factory. The Sprinkler Factory had an ambitious exhibit schedule for 2020 that was knocked aside by COVID-19. They regrouped and have opened this limited admission, socially distanced, safety precaution heavy, free show.

You can view the work of 29 artists by reserving a free time slot via this EventBrite link.  The exhibit is open on Saturdays through December 5, 2020, and slots are available on November 21, November 28, and December 5.