Etheridge Knight (1931 – 1991) lived in Worcester and hosted his Free People’s Poetry Workshops for part of his life.  These workshops were free and were open to anyone who wished to attend. Those who wanted to learn bought Knight drinks throughout the night, and in return, he would look over their poetry and offer advice. Apocryphally, Knight explained that if someone ís reading poetry and can stop a drunk man with a bladder full of beer on his way to the bathroom, you know it ís a good poem.  A version of the Free People’s Workshop continues today with artists, poets, musicians, dramatists, and others meeting to discuss and share their work.

In September 2018, the WCPA honored Knight by renaming the performance portion of the WCPA’s Annual College Poetry Contest.  The “Etheridge Knight Performance Prize” is awarded to a single individual each year and includes a cash prize.  College and universities in central Massachusetts chose a participant to represent the school at the event.  Craig Blais of Anna Maria College is chairing the contest again this year.

You can find additional information about Etheridge Knight in the Literary Tour section of our website.

One of the celebrations that take place during February is Black History Month. It’s a time to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans. While we should celebrate Black history every month, this dedicated time allows everyone to share, remember, and embrace the influence of Black heritage and culture.

To celebrate Black History Month, we’ll be sharing poems, forms, and history of local and not-so-local poets who occupy a special place on our bookshelves. Join us in celebrating these poets and their words.

Let’s start with poet Amanda Gorman. Ms. Gorman is an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. In 2017, she was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word – a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions, and states.

You can watch a recording of Amanda Gorman sharing a poem to kick off 2022 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aCJhuDIirg.

Visit Amanda’s website at https://www.theamandagorman.com/.

On Thursday, February 17 at 7:30 PM in the Curtis Performance Hall, the Assumption University HumanArts Series presents the 2022 Michael True Memorial Reading, featuring poet Jonathan Blake. Jonathan has been a fixture of the Worcester County poetry scene for more than three decades. His voice, contemplative and liturgical, provides a needed antidote to the pell-mell world in which we are so often embroiled. Michael True was a professor in Assumption’s English Department for nearly four decades and was a co-founder of the Worcester County Poetry Association, which has been active for 50 years now, bringing poets and poetry to schools and venues across Worcester County, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United States, and Internationally.

Each year on Robert Burns’ birthday (January 25), Scots around the world pay tribute to the bard and his words that continue to inspire and challenge us all today.

Today at 2pm EST (7pm in Scotland), tune in to a “Big Burns Supper”, a free, virtual Burns Night celebration full of music, comedy, poetry, performance, and prose. This year’s event is described as a “cabaret-esque rollercoaster around the world. From KT Tunstall in LA to Dervish performing from lockdown in Dublin, this year’s Big Burns Supper takes Burns Night global once again.”

Eddi Reader’s Big Burns Supper is taking place live on Facebook. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/3177152909275106 starting at 2:00 pm Eastern.

Renowned poet, painter, memoirist, and short story writer, Worcester’s own Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) rests within Hope Cemetery. On what would be her 111th birthday, we gather by her grave to read her poetry and summon the scenes so skillfully painted in her verse. Come celebrate with the WCPA and Beth Sweeney, director of the new Mapping Worcester in Poetry Project, on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 12:00pm.

Please wear appropriate attire, footwear, and a mask.

To find Bishop’s grave in Hope Cemetery at 119 Webster Street:
– Enter the cemetery’s main gate and drive along Curtis Avenue
– Take your fourth left onto Beech Street
– Proceed for one block until you see two trees next to each other on the left side of the road
– Bishop’s grave lies behind the first tree
– If you like you can use these coordinates: 42°14’08.7″N 71°49’43.2″W

If you have a bit of time that day you might wish to use this new downloadable, 20-minute do-it-yourself driving tour which will lead you past five Bishop sites on Main Street in Worcester to end at her grave in Hope Cemetery. Download the PDF at https://worcestercountypoetry.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Bishop-DIY-Driving-Tour.pdf.

Congratulations Adael Mejia, the newly named City of Worcester Youth Poet Laureate!

Along with the Worcester Poet Laureate, the Youth Poet Laureate serves as an official ambassador to the City’s historic and vibrant cultures of poetry and literature, both using their positions to promote local writers and the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word.

Mejia, a Burncoat High graduate, will begin his term as Youth Poet Laureate in 2022. Mejia assumes the role after the two-year term of the City and Commonwealth’s first Youth Poet Laureate, Amina Mohammed, came to an end on Dec. 31, 2021. Worcester Poet Laureate Juan Matos, whose own term continues through 2022, will serve as a mentor and guide to Meija.

Read more about Adael in the official City of Worcester press release or in this profile in Worcester Magazine. You can also follow the new youth poet laureate on Facebook.

The WCPA is thankful to receive a $10,000 Community Grant from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation! GWCF operating support will help us focus on our mission to celebrate the rich literary history and creative energy of Central Massachusetts through poetry.

An Evening of Poetry will be held on Saturday, November 20^th at the GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill, 60 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, MA. A celebration of poetic excellence, this event features readings from four regional poets and an open mic segment following intermission.  Scheduled from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, the event is free and open to the public with donations welcome.

The poetry showcase will spotlight Candace Curran, Paul Richmond, Karen Warinsky, and Gerald Yelle, who will all read during the first hour. Curran has twice been named Western Massachusetts Poet’s Seat laureate, while Richmond was honored as Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019) and National Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019). Warinsky has been a finalist in the Montreal International Poetry Contest. Her debut collection, Gold in Autumn, was released last summer. Yelle’s publications include The Holyoke Diaries and No Place I Would Rather Be. He is a member of the Florence, Massachusetts Poets Society.

Following intermission, community poets from the audience will be able to participate in an open mic segment, with five minutes allotted to each poet. Participants will be able to sign up to read at the start of the event.

This event is being hosted by ValleyCAST, the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services. Following Open Sky’s COVID safety protocol, all attendees are required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.

For further information about this program or to learn more about participating, email Karen Warinsky: karen.warinsky@gmail.com. To learn more about ValleyCAST and/or Open Sky Community Services, visit openskycs.org.