The Massachusetts Poetry Festival 2015: Cape Cod's Steeple Street Poets: Poems o...

Welcome to the schedule of the 2015 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, happening May 1-3 in the beautiful and historic town of Salem!

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Cape Cod's Steeple Street Poets: Poems of Place, with an Open Mic FULL

Limited Capacity seats available

Poetry of place is associated with, but not limited to the natural world. Poetry can be inspired by the workplace, a birthplace, an urban or rural landscape. The poetry of Philip Levine, Ted Kooser and B.H. Fairchild come to mind. Cape Cod has inspired poets such as Mary Oliver, Mark Doty, Brendan Galvin, Stanley Kunitz and Marge Piercy. The Steeple Street Poets, co-founders, James Kershner and Robin Smith-Johnson, and members, Judith Askew, Samm Carlton, Maeve Hitzenbuhler, Karen Klein, Laurel Kornhiser, Christina Laurie, Judith Partelow, Rich Youmans and Sheila Whitehouse will poems responding their connection with "place." Alice Kociemba will invite audience members to read a poem of place, as time allows.

Moderators

Alice Kociemba

Founding Director, Calliope—Poetry for Community

Alice Kociemba is the author of Bourne Bridge (Turning Point, 2016) and was guest editor of Common Threads (2015 & 2016). She has facilitated a monthly poetry discussion group at the Falmouth Public Library since 2009. She lives in Falmouth with her husband, Rich Youmans.

Speakers

J. Lorraine Brown

J. Lorraine Brown received a MA Grant and VSC Fellowship. She is a PNWA Zola Award winner. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser chose her poem for his nationwide newspaper column. Her chapbook, Skating on Bones, was a 2012 “Must-Read” Book of Poetry. She was included in Cape Cod’s Broadsides... Read More →

James Kershner

professor, Cape Cod Community College

James Kershner is the co-founder of Steeple Street Poets and a professor at Cape Cod Community College, where he teaches a variety of classes, including creative writing. He is the author of The Elements of News Writing, and the upcoming text, The Elements of Academic Writing.

Judith Partelow

Reader, Steeple Street Poets

First chapbook, "A Woman's Heart," was published in 2014. I was a featured reader for National Poetry Month at the Wellfleet Library that year, and this year I am a featured reader at the Brewster Ladies' Library for NaPoMo. I'm a member of the Steeple Street Poets, Guyer Barn Poets... Read More →

Robin Smith-Johnson

As a long-time resident of Cape Cod, Robin Smith-Johnson has been involved with several local poetry groups including the Lead Pencil Poets (Falmouth) and the Steeple Street Poets (Mashpee). Her poems have been published in CapeWomen, The Larcom Review, Sandscript and Yankee. Her... Read More →

Sheila Whitehouse

Rich Youmans

Rich Youmans’s haiku, haibun, and related essays have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, including Modern Haiku, Paterson Literary Review, Journeys 2017: An Anthology of International Haibun, and Contemporary Haibun Online (where he was recently a featured writer). His... Read More →

Saturday May 2, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Old Town Hall, 2nd floor

Group Reading

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival 2015