Category Archives: Poetry

Meeting on Saturday

Meetings, Naomi Cherkofsky Contest, Open mic, Poetry

 

The next meeting of the North Shore Poets’ Forum is Saturday, March 21, 11 a.m. to 1ish, at the Beverly Public Library, Program Room. It is the first full day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox having officially begun the evening of March 20. So, with any luck but bad, it should be a lovely day.

The program will be led by Jeanette Maes, who will pay tribute to two poets who died recently: Philip Levine and Rod McKuen.

Save the Date

Although we did not have the annual Naomi Cherkofsky contest, we will still have a poetry reading on April 18 with an Open Mic. Please invite your poet friends to join us in our celebration of National Poetry Month.

To get you in a poetic frame of mind, here’s a little number from Seamus Heaney, who also died recently and whose birthplace, Ireland, and its patron saint, St. Patrick, are brought to mind this time of year:

Digging

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound.
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner’s bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up
To drink it, then fell to right away
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
Over his shoulder, going down and down
For the good turf. Digging.
The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.

 

A summer goodbye

Poetry

Diane's party 7 outing 1 outing 2 outing 3 outing 4 outing 5 outing 6 outing 7 outing 8 outing 9

Goodbye Diane

The North Shore Poets’ Forum gathered this past June to wish a fond farewell to Diane Giardi, a wonderful poet and terrific person, with such a good heart and generous spirit. We will miss her.

Of course, we will keep in touch. She has moved to New York, not the ends of the earth. And, email is just a click away. We hope, as she states in her thank you note, that she will be able to come and visit sometimes.

From Diane:
“Thank you everyone for such a wonderful send-off yesterday, with the delicious meal
at Captain Carlos on the sunny deck and hill top poetry reading and photo shoot looking
over the harbor.  It was all great and I’ll miss such a wonderful group and your poems
and individuality.  Thanks Cathryn for planning this and I’ll keep in touch with maybe
a summer visit.  Enjoy the rest of the summer. ” -Diane
I’ve finally gathered the photos that members sent to me. I have no idea why WordPress presents them so oddly. But, enjoy!

Next meeting coming up

Meetings, Poetry

November 2, 2014, and it snowed. Big, fat, wet snow flakes fell all over my backyard and, I assume, although I didn’t go out to check, all over a whole lot of other back yards. I’ll bet one or two of you took the occasion of such an early snowfall to write a poem. And, maybe you will bring it to the next meeting of the North Shore Poets’ Forum on Saturday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m., in the Sohier Room of the Beverly Public Library.

This month Ray Whittier will present the program. I’m not sure what it will be, but I am sure it will be interesting. Everyone is asked to bring a treat for the food table. And, we will have gentle critique of member poems. Please bring 6 to 10 copies to share.

We did not have a meeting last month since we ran into issues at the library and because Mass State had scheduled its Poetry Day meeting the same day. That took precedence. Member Roberta Hung had a number of winning poems in the national contest. Congratulations, Roberta!

Please see under the Meetings tab for the rest of this year’s schedule. But, here’s a heads up: We will meet with Mass State on Dec. 6, 11 a.m., same place, lots of food and fun, for the annual Holiday Party.

Cheers!

Meeting on Saturday

Meetings, Poetry, ,

Please join us for the last official meeting of the year at the Beverly Public Library, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are supposed to bring either our own or a favorite poet’s poems about place. If you bring your own, please bring copies to share for gentle critique.

We will also be discussing elections and schedule for next year, as well as a summer outing.

AlamoIn any case, here’s a picture of the Alamo, which is a place, but I didn’t write about it! You, too, have been on vacation or on  a business trip here or there.

When looking for an existing poem about the Alamo, here’s something I found that I think says a lot about place.

Taovayo-Wichita Burial Eulogy

We are children of the earth, and as we go on a journey it means that we are like children crawling upon our mother, and as we exist upon the earth we are kept alive by her breath, the wind, and at the end of our time we are put in the ground in the bosom of our mother.

Now you have been made to contain all things, to produce all things, and for us to travel over.  Also we have been told to take care of everything which has come to your bosom, and we have been told that in your body everything should be buried.  I now come to bury this man.

From G.A. Dorsey, Mythology of the Wichita, 1904

I hope this has inspired you to look for other examples of poetry about place or to write something. See you on Saturday!

 

 

Winners of the Naomi Cherkofsky contest

Naomi Cherkofsky Contest, Poetry

We had a great celebration of National Poetry Month at the Beverly Public Library on Saturday, April 26. Thank you to those who came, in particular the winners of the annual Naomi Cherkofsky contest who came to read their winning entries. Thanks to those who came to listen, to share their own poetry, and to socialize. The food was delicious, the poetry was delightful, and the day was great.

Here are the winners:

1. Timothy Russell, Toronto, OH: The Next Thing I Knew

2. Barbara Blanks, Garland, TX: View From the Pilots’ Barracks

3. Mark Wacomer Stevick, Salem, MA: Cross Our Hearts.

Honorable Mentions

Note: these were not ranked.

Paulette Demers Turco, Newburyport, MA: The Limpet

Richard Samuel Davis, Byfield, MA: Where the Night Sky Can Be Seen

Gwendolyn Carr, Gloucester, MA: As the World Turns

Mark Wacomer Stevick, Salem, MA: Just Drive.

Maryellen Letarte, Lunenburg, MA: He Remembers SOS

Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR: On the Stairs

Margaret Eckman, Swampscott, MA: Sky Diamonds

Carol Seitchik, Beverly, MA: Copake Falls, The Valley

Carol Seitchik, Beverly, MA: The Sculpture Studio

Carol Seitchik, Beverly, MA: Effluvium and the Afterlife

 

 

 

 

Contest Winners and Reading — Coming Up

Meetings, Poetry, , , , ,

Just a quick note to say that the winners of the annual Naomi Cherkofsky national contest have been chosen, but the judge needs to get the names and contact info — always a secret — which the contest chair has to pull together. So, we’ll keep you posted.

Then, everyone should join us at the Beverly Public Library on Saturday, April 26, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for a celebration of National Poetry Month, with readings of the winning poems followed by an open mic. Light refreshments will be available.

See you then!

Trying to publicize the contest

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So, newspapers these days make you, the subscriber and would-be reader, do all the work of trying to get something published. I have been on my little computer here for hours and hours, trying to add the Naomi Cherkofsky contest to the calendars of Boston Globe, Boston.Com, Salem News, Lynn Item, and possibly, although not necessarily, to all their affiliates. (See here, Poetry Contests, for details.) I also tried to add the announcement to the North Shore Sunday calendar, which would, presumably, add it to all the Wicked Local papers. This proved beyond my capabilities. So, I am relying on an old friend and former coworker to do the job for me. Here’s hoping she is allowed to do it!

Now, will anyone read those? I’m not sure. Therefore, I beg you, my fellow poets in the North Shore Poets Forum and those of you who aren’t but occasionally drop into this blog for a bit of news, to enter the contest, to tell your friends to enter the contest, to tell them to tell everyone to enter the contest. If they aren’t poets, please encourage them to join us on April 26 for our National Poetry Month celebration, during which the winners of the contest read their winning entries. An Open Mic follows, during which we have always had very talented people show up to share their work. After all, most people don’t write, but they do enjoy. Here’s to those wonderful enjoyers!

And, here’s another little poem to get you in mind of warm breezes and Spring.

More Than Enough

By Marge Piercy

…

The first lily of June opens its red mouth.
All over the sand road where we walk
multiflora rose climbs trees cascading
white or pink blossoms, simple, intense
the scene drifting like colored mist.

…

The arrowhead is spreading its creamy
clumps of flower and the blackberries
are blooming in the thickets. Season of
joy for the bee. The green will never
again be so green, so purely and lushly

…

new, grass lifting its wheaty seedheads
into the wind. Rich fresh wine
of June, we stagger into you smeared
with pollen, overcome as the turtle
laying her eggs in roadside sand.
…
Note: Marge Piercy is one of the featured poets at this year’s Massachusetts State Poetry Festival.

Annual Poetry Reading date and time change!

Meetings, Poetry, , , , , , , ,

Life is full of changes. So, the North Shore Poets’ Forum has a little change to announce. The annual Poetry Reading in celebration of National Poetry Month that features readings by winners of the Naomi Cherkofsky contest followed by an Open Mic is from the third Saturday in April to the last one. That’s April 26, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Beverly Public Library.

I have been a sleepy, lazy, cold lady this winter and haven’t posted much. Still am. But, here’s a little poem by Billy Collins to give you — and me — hope. (Note: WordPress does not allow all poetic formatting! So, I have an ellipse to indicate stanza breaks.)

TODAY

By Billy Collins

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
…
that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house
…
and unlatch the door to the canary’s cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,
…
a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies
…
seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking
…
a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,
…
releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage
…
so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting
…
into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.

Share your favorite poet

general, Meetings, Poetry, , , , , , , , ,

Bring along some poems by your favorite poet to share with the group at our meeting Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m., at the Beverly Public Library. Add a few words about the poet and the reasons you think he/she is so terrific. We had intended this agenda for last month, but then changed it to a Seamus Heaney retrospective given his recent demise. It was a great meeting, and I expect the next one will be, too.

I will bring Mary Oliver (I think) and Roberta said she was going to bring Elizabeth Bishop. Of course, I mean their poems, not their bodies, although that would be a kick. One (quiz time: which one?) is not with us anymore, but given the onset of the Halloween season (it is a season in Salem), it might work. (Just kidding.)

At our September meeting we also outlined an agenda for the rest of the formal Forum year.

November 16: Write a poem about thankfulness. If you can’t write one, bring one by another poet to share.

December 7: Joint meeting with Mass State Poetry Society. This year we will have a special Tribute to Althea Adelheim, one of our founding members who died this year. As usual, we will have lots of good food. We will also have a Yankee Swap, gifts in the $5 range, with the Most Apt Poem contest sponsored by the North Shore Poets’ Forum. To participate, you simply write a poem to describe the swap gift you are bringing. You do not sign the poem or swap gift package. A judge will determine which poem was the best description of the swap gift, and the winner gets $10. It’s always fun!

January 18: We are stretching our poetic muscles and writing poems in forms. In addition, bring another form poem by an established poet to share.

February 15: Mary Miceli will lead a program on rhythm, using the rhythm of music as an easy route to understanding. You might consider bringing in the sheet music, or simply the words, to one of your own favorite songs.

March 15: Even though St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner, Melissa and I (Cathryn) are ignoring that great day and presenting a program on the Imagist poets.

April 26:  Annual National Poetry Month celebration with readings by the winners of the Naomi Cherkofsky contest followed by an Open Mic.

May17: Poems of Place. Bring, write, explain.

Anyone who was at the September meeting who has a different recollection of the decisions made regarding the agenda, please let me know.

Thanks!

Shall we reconsider the topic?

Meetings, Poetry, , , , ,

Of course by now you know that Seamus Heaney died yesterday. He was a wonderful poet. and since I left it that we should all bring poems by a favorite poet to our Sept. 21 meeting, how about if instead we do a tribute to Seamus Heaney? I will get copies of some of my favorite of his poems, and I would love it if others of you brought copies of his poems that you particularly like. I think we should all take turns reading the poems and discussing.

Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Cathryn, aka Cathy