Jump to navigation Skip to content
“I’m no moaning bluet, mountable / linnet, mumbling nun. I’m / tangible, I’m gin. Able to molt / in toto, to limn.” In this short film, Paisley Rekdal, who served as the Utah state poet laureate from 2017 to 2022, recites her poem “Self-Portrait as Mae West Anagram” for the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.
“Fish / fowl / flood / Water lily mud / My life // in the leaves and on water,” writes Lorine Niedecker in “Paean to Place,” a long lyric poem that meditates on the region of southern Wisconsin where she was born and lived most of her life. Written in short sections, the poem goes in and out of memories and pastoral descriptions of marshlike landscapes, altogether serving as a testament to the impact a place can have on one’s poetic sensibilities. This week write a pastoral ode to the landscape you grew up in. Whether an urban sprawl or a rural town, try to use the poem’s form and idiosyncratic language to paint a portrait of your experience in this formative place.
With only a few more days left before the deadline, don’t miss the opportunity to submit to the annual National Poetry Series Open Competition. Five U.S. poets will receive $10,000 each and publication of their collections by participating trade, university, or small press publishers. The 2023 publishers are Beacon Press, Ecco, Milkweed Editions, Penguin Books, and University of Georgia Press. Residents of the United States and American citizens living abroad are eligible to apply.
Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of a suggested length of 48 to 64 pages with a $35 entry fee by March 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Finalists will be notified around May 31, around which time their manuscripts will be shared with five judges for further consideration. The competition winners will be notified around August 31, and all finalists will be informed of their status at that time.
The National Poetry Series literary awards program seeks to “support poetry and increase the audience for poetry by heightening its visibility among readers,” as well as “give American poets, of all ethnic and racial groups, gender, religion, and poetic style, access to publishing outlets not ordinarily available to them.” Members of the Board of Directors include Natalie Diaz, Daniel Halpern, Cathy Park Hong, Imani Perry, Tracy K. Smith, and Natasha Trethewey. Recent winners include Adrienne Chung (Organs of Little Importance, Penguin Books), Olatunde Osinaike (Tender Headed, Akashic Books), Tennison S. Black (Survival Strategies, University of Georgia Press), Courtney Bush (I Love Information, Milkweed Editions), and Alisha Dietzman (Sweet Movie, Beacon Press).
The Twig Book Shop began its evolution in 1972. Currently located at the former Pearl Brewery on the Museum Reach of the Riverwalk, The Twig provides newly released books for children and adults as well as award-winning classics. The space at Pearl has become a venue for local and national poets and authors. The Twig makes books available for book clubs, schools, and conferences. The Texana collection makes the Twig a destination for history lovers near and far.
City Lights Bookstore is in Sylva, North Carolina, on a Main Street town tucked in the heart of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Their goal is to share the literature of the region with the world, and the world of books with their community.
Selling new and used books, cards, gifts, journals, maps, and more since 1985.
Kramers opened in 1976 and is the first bookstore/cafe in Washington, D.C. The shop has a good stock of LGBT and local literature, as well as a healthy general selection, and is open twenty-four hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Events include author signings and readings.
Symposium Books is an independent bookstore that sells new and used books, gifts, cards, socks, and more. They regularly host author book readings and signings, book clubs, a poetry reading series, and other events throughout the year.
Town Hall Seattle is an events venue that holds numerous community, cultural, arts and entertainment, science, and civics events throughout the year. The Short Stories Live series presents author readings, storytelling, poetry readings, presentations, and more.
Established in 1916 as a private club in San Francisco’s Mission District, the historic Verdi Club is now available to the general public for private functions such as weddings, conferences, concerts, and many other special events.
The first space in Chicago dedicated solely to the art of poetry, the Poetry Foundation building houses a thirty thousand volume poetry library (which includes audio and video recordings in private listening booths and a Special Collections section), an exhibition gallery, a performance space for the foundation’s events, and the offices of the Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. Programming includes author events, readings, discussions, poetry camps, and more.
Photos by Melladramatic, courtesy of the Poetry Foundation.
