Tag: Wesley McNair

Poem In Your Pocket 2012 Wrap-Up

This morning I opened my email to find this lovely note:

Thank  you very much for your good spirit and good work in the name of poetry this past week.  I missed the poem-in-your-pocket festivities on Thursday, but went to hear Wes McNair last night and enjoyed his readings and observations immensely.

What a joy to feel appreciated but a bigger joy still to have worked with co-organizers, Evie Katz, and Kathy Koerber, to bring something positive, and constructive to my community.

Throughout the week we brought poetry into the hearts and minds of over 100 neighbors.

Our events provided a stage and microphone for over 25 poets young and old, from those newly embracing the poetic form to professionals and professors.

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Events in the schools and libraries served students in grades K-8 and the high school librarians created a beautiful bulletin board for Poem in Your Pocket Day. All these numbers resulted in countless smiles and new friends.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with next year’s festivities, please contact me. annajboll at gmail dot com

Poetry Friday: Wesley McNair in Brunswick, Maine tonight!

Tonight, Friday, April 27th, Wesley McNair, Maine’s Poet Laureate will read at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine.

Recently, Wes sent me an email with the following vision of the event:

 I plan to tell the story of my life as a poet, using poems from my recent book, Lovers of the Lost, which is new & selected and so offers me this opportunity.

Wes has been a champion of poetry during his tenure as Poet Laureate. He edits a wonderful new weekly feature in the Portland Press Herald entitled Take Heart: A conversation in poetry. He appears around the state doing workshops and poetry readings, and has helped prepare high school students for the Poetry Out Loud competition. We are fortunate to have him.

I’m looking forward to meeting the kind man with whom I’ve been communicating, and the poet that I admire. I hope you’ll join me tonight at one of the final events of National Poetry Month.

Poem in Your Pocket Day!!!

If you didn’t already know, it’s Poem in Your Pocket Day. Since September, I’ve been working with two other community organizers, planning events, applying for grants, finding sponsors, designing posters and social networking around this fabulous, stupendous day!

Today I walked Maine Street in Brunswick with a bag of poem and stickers and handed them out to anyone who would take them. I visited the Little Dog Café, The Bohemian Coffee House, Frosty’s and Wild Oats. Some folks said they had heard about Poem in Your Pocket Day on the radio. Maybe this story. The smiles that I got in exchange for the poems made my day. My favorite interactions occurred when a few people told me they didn’t need one of my poems because they already had poems of their own! Listening to them read was lightness, and sunshine, and warm smiles.

One little girl with her Grandmother took my poem and sticker but the little girl was extremely shy. I left, walked the entire town then came back to my car. “Wait,” I heard. It was the Grandmother. “My granddaughter and I have been looking all over Brunswick for you. She wanted to give you this.” She handed me a poem that they had written out after I’d left. I think they made it up together. It made my day. Here it is:

Tulip
Tulip in the ground unplanted
We circle ’round and ’round
We wonder where it came from
Growing dizzy, falling down

TONIGHT, April 26th: Open Mic Night, 6:30-8:30, Curtis Memorial Library. Come read one poem. Yours or someone else’s. Must be family friendly. Sign-up when you arrive.

TOMORROW, April 27th: Reading by Wesley McNair, Maine’s Poet Laureate, 6:30-8:30, Curtis Memorial Library. Wes will have some books available for sale.

Poem in your pocket day will soon be gone. Quick, stuff your pocket with poems and share, share, share!