Tag Archives: poetry

A soon-to-be published poetry book by Melissa Varnavas

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I met Melissa Varnavas when she came to work at the Beverly Citizen newspaper back in the late 1990s. She became a great friend, joining the North Shore Poets’ Forum and sharing with fellow Forum members much that she was learning in her Master of Fine Arts program.

She then reached out to others in the poetry community of the North Shore, including the Tin Box Poets and the Salem Writers Group. She was full of joy and information and talent. She died much too soon, in August 2022, from cancer, at the very young age of 48.

With her husband Chris Terrell and Tin Box poets Javy Awan and Margaret Eckman, I helped select some of her marvelous poems for a book that will be off to the printer soon. We know her family, friends, fellow poets and others she met through the years will enjoy this upcoming book of Melissa’s poems. Until that is available, however, I hope the attached interview with Reach Arts member Agatha Morrell, with remind you of how charming, talented and wonderful she was.

Thinking in images

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The North Shore Poets’ Forum met on Saturday, April 20, and enjoyed a very interesting workshop by Sandy Hokanson entitled, “Turning abstract terms into concrete images.”

Her inspiration was a book she read years ago entitled “Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches.” Written by Chad Davidson and Greg Fraser, she credited It with changing her approach to writing.

She had a worksheet with 50 or more abstract terms such as: courage, happiness, kindness, anger, beauty, etc. Members then thought up and shared descriptive words or phrases to convey those terms.

We then shared our own poems for gentle critique.

Our next meeting is May 18 in the Sohier Room of the Beverly Public Library, 10:30 a.m.. to 12:30 p.m. I will do my best to present a program, to be announced.

Cheers!

May meeting: a Spring treat

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The Noth Shore Poets’ Forum met on May 15 in the Sohier Room of the Beverly Public Library, with 8 of us in attendance: Cathryn O’Hare (me), Jennifer Revill, Sandy Hokanson, Mary Miceli, Ellie Nelson, Beverly Barnes, Susan Picole, and Nancy Pantano.

Susan introduced us to the extraordinarily poignant poetry of Warsan Shire, born in 1988 in Kenya to Somali parents. She was brought to England as a one year old and grew up there. She now lives in the U.S.

Shire focuses on abuse, love, war, and more. Susan read a number of Shire’s poems, including “Home.”

I found this You Tube clip of Shire reading that poem.

Shire has published three volumes of poetry to date, and her poems have appeared in many journals. Here’s a fun fact: her poems were adapted to music for Beyonce’s album Lemonade. Quite a resume for this 25 year old!

After this wonderful introduction to such a proficient poet, we then shared our own poems for gentle critique.

We also decided to have a summer outing. However, the Mass State Poetry Society is meeting on June 17 at the Beverly Public Library, which some of us forgot (me). Therefore, if there is enough enthusiasm, we would have to choose a different date. Please let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

A New Year at the Poets’ Forum

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Happpy New Year! I have booked the Beverly Public Library for the Poets’ Forum meetings on the third Saturday of seven different months, as follows: 

March 18; April 15 (National Poetry Month); May 20; September 16; Oct. 21; Nov. 18; Dec. 16. The March and April meetings are in the Barnet Room; all others are in the Sohier Room. 

The library has allotted us from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for our meetings. We will go back to our 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. time for the March meeting, since most of us are used to it. The library is allowing us to bring our inidivduals lunches, which is very nice since food is usually forbidden. We can discuss at the meeting whether we would rather meet from 10 to 12 or 12 to 2. We can also decide if we want a summer outing, which we’ve enjoyed in the past.

It has been a while since we met regularly. The Covid virus was a big culprit. And, someone getting a job on Saturdays (i.e., me, the former and now current Forum director), set things back a bit. Both Jeanette Maes, Mass State Poetry Society President, and Roberta Hung, her right-hand woman, did their best to add the Forum to their busy lives, but each sighed with relief when I quit my Saturday job and offered my services again.

We have in the past presented programs on different poets or poetric forms or periods. I will think of something for March 18th — perhaps an Irish poet. I’ll let you know closer to the date. Other members are encouraged to make presentions. We will also politely critique one another’s poems. Sharpen your pencils and start writing your fabulous poems. And, if they aren’t quite fabulous, we’ll help you get there!

Note, that the Mass State Poetry Society has regular meetings. Check them out at https://mastatepoetrysociety.tripod.com.

Now for some inspiration. You probably know that Pulizer Prize winner and US Poet Laureat Charles Simic died this month. He immigrated from Siberia as a teenager and taught at the University of New Hampshire for more than 30 years. But, I am bringing you a poem by David Slavitt, since it is about death and mourning. Also, it is set in Boston, on Arch Street, near the old Filenes. I was charmed. I hope you like it.

 

Summer Outing coming up

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We are having a Summer Outing this year with a particular twist — to say goodbye to Diane Giardi, who is moving to New York to start a new chapter in her life. Because of her busy schedule, we are changing the date to the fourth Saturday, June 28. We’ll meet , at Captain Carlo’s in Gloucester, 27 Harbor Loop, at 11:30 a.m., when the restaurant opens. Bring some poetry!

I’ll post more information as the date nears. Please let me know if you can come, so that I can be sure to reserve a table for all of us.

 

Cheers!

Contest Winners and Reading — Coming Up

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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.

Share your favorite poet

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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!

Next meeting is Sept. 21

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The next meeting of the North Shore Poets’ Forum is Saturday, Sept. 21, 11 a.m., at the Beverly Public Library. We have to set up our agenda, so please come prepared to volunteer to prepare a program.

For the first meeting, too, I hope you will bring a poem or two by a different poet (not yourself) to read. Then we’d like to hear what you admire about this poet/poem.
New this year: If you bring a poem of your own that you want to share, please bring six or seven copies so that we can gently critique it. This is in the longstanding tradition of the poets’ forum that we all need feedback, that there is always more to learn, and that we humbly realize we need help to become better poets.

I look forward to seeing you next month.

Naomi Cherkofsky contest winners

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The results of the Naomi Cherkofsky Memorial Contest  are in, and we are very excited to share them with you. We do hope any of you who entered and are not on this list know that all of us have not been on some list or other! It doesn’t mean you are not terrific. Please know that we would love to have you join the winners to share your poetry during the North Shore Poets’ Forum’s annual celebration of National Poetry Month on Saturday, April 20, at the Beverly Public Library, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is always an entertaining time.

And now the list:

1st Prize   Carol Seitchik – “Tel Aviv: Meandering Back”

2nd Prize   Clemens Schoenebeck – “Resurrection”

3rd Prize   Sally Clark – “One Loose Screw”

Honorable Mentions:

1HM   C.H.Coleman – “A Mother’s Moment”

2HM   Clemens Schoneback – “Old Dog”

3HM    Ms. Phyllis Hodge – “Blizzard in the City”

4HM   Peter McDale – “Almost Spring”

5HM   Alan Swartz – “In the Dream there was a Card Game”

6HM   V. G. Bisaillon – “A Partly Blocked View”

7HM   Richard Samuel Davis – “Waiting for Deer at the Island Refuge”

We invite our winners to come to our celebration to read their poems. After they read, we have an Open Mic. Lots of people join in, and we all have a great time.  Please try to make it!