A small group met at the Beverly Public Library on Saturday, Sept. 15, and we’ve come up with a schedule and some of the programs for the year, which follow. However, we didn’t want to exclude anyone who wasn’t at the meeting from a chance to volunteer for a program. Therefore, we have a coupd of unplanned meetings for you!

There was some talk about presenting a program for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, which is scheduled this year for Ma 3-5. It won’t conflict, as it did last year, with our Poetry Month Reading in April, which is good news. And, therefore, Mary Miceli suggested that we might want to find a few members of the Massachusetts State Poetry Society, of which our group is a chapter, to do a program for the festival. She suggested the topic be on Aging, although she had more of a transitions theme in mind, and aging in all its age groups.

As just one chapter, we didn’t feel we could make any definitive decisions and voted to bring the topic up at the Mass. State meeting coming up this Saturday, Oct. 6.

So, back to the NSPF schedule. We always meet at the Beverly Public Library, at 11 a.m. to about 1 p.m. Everyone is asked to bring a food item or beverage to share. The date is usually the third Saturday, but it can change. See below:

Oct 20: Melissa Varnavas will present a program on line breaks.
Nov. 17: Volunteer needed.

Dec. 1: Holiday Party, with the whole Mass State Poetry Society. NSPF sponsors the Most Apt Poem contest, which goes to the person who has a poem that best describes the present he/she brought for the Yankee Swap. Poems/presents are unsigned. The winner must fess up! And, it’s all in good fun!

Jan. 19: Need a volunteer.

Feb. 15: Mary Micelli will do a program, TBA.

March 16: Diane Giardi will do a program, TBA.

April 20: Celebration of National Poetry Month, with readings by the winners of the Naomi Cherkofsky Contest, followed by Open Mic.

May 18: Volunteer needed.

June 15: Annual Outing.