What did you think?

We had a great time last Saturday at the Philadelphia Poetry Fest. We hosted close to 25 organizers & their representative poets, we featured 3 amazing poets, and we had almost 5 hours of pure, unadulterated poetry fun.

That's what we think. But we want to know what you think: what did you like? what's your favorite memory from the day? and how do you think we can improve next time?

Please post a comment with your thoughts. We WILL take your feedback into consideration. It means a lot to us to make this even better, more inclusive & even more representative of the broad Philly poetry community.

Thanks to all!

The organizers of the Philly Poetry Festival would like to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm, which made our event on Saturday such a wonderful success!! We are posting photos on Facebook, and we invite you to share yours with us.

We're looking forward to doing it all again next year. And in the meantime, we hope that this site can be a resource for helping to locate & connect Philly poetry organizations. Please let us know what we can do to be of service to the community.

With love,
Autumn, Eileen, Joanne, Leonard & Tamara

The Schedule!

We were up late working last night to nail down the schedule for tomorrow's Festival. Well, here it is! We're so excited by this amazing line up -- the diversity of talent, programs, and poets in one spot is going to be pretty energizing! We can't wait & we hope you're equally excited.

_________

THE PHILADELPHIA POETRY FESTIVAL
April 23, 2011

12pm: Opening Remarks, Leonard Gontarek

1ST SET
Hosted by: LEONARD GONTAREK

• The Free Library Teen Poetry Slam Finalists (Aurora Sanchez)
• National Black Authors Tour (Dr. Maurice Henderson/ B. Michelle Horton)
• The 34th Street Poets (Betti Kahn / Deidra Greenleaf Allan)
• Poetry as Performance (Dr. Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon )
• Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program (Dr. Christopher Bursk/Amy Small McKinney)
• Moveable Beats Poetry Series (Peter Baroth / Courtney Bambrick)

2ND SET
Hosted by: JOANNE LEVA

1:00pm: Special Guest, Thomas Devaney

• The Green Line Poetry Series (Leonard Gontarek /Charles Carr/Elyse Fenton)
• Overbrook Poets  (Peter Krok / Tree Riesener)
• Poet-tree en Motion Performance Series (Gabrielle deBurke)              
• Monday Poets Series (Amy Thatcher)
• Moonstone Art Center (Larry Robin)
• Certificate Program in Writing & Publishing –Drexel University (Harriet Levin)

3RD SET
Hosted by: TAMARA OAKMAN

2:00pm: Special Guest, Nathalie Anderson 

• Mad Poets Society (Eileen D’Angelo / John Timpane)
• Painted Bride Quarterly (Kathleen Volk Miller/ Paul Siegell)  
• Apiary Magazine (Lillian Dunn / Tamara Oakman)
• Philadelphia Poets (Rosemary Cappello / Peter Baroth)
• Poetryplus.com  (Catherine Weiss-Celley)
• Philadelphia Writers’ Workshop (Rachel Kobin / Kathryn Smith)

4TH SET
Hosted by: AUTUMN KONOPKA

3:00pm: Special Guest, Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno

• Making Poems that Last: Poetry Workshop (Leonard Gontarek /Catherine Bancroft)
• Poetry-Go-Round (Barbara Brenner /Christopher D. Ney)
• Poetry Noir (Joanne Leva / Scott Edward Anderson)              
• East Falls Poetry Series (Courtney Bambrick )           
• Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio (Alison Hicks / Kay Peters)
• New Philadelphia Poets (Debrah Morkun)     
• Schuylkill Valley Journal (Peter Krok/Fereshteh Sholevar)

FEATURED POET: Kathleen Sheeder Bonnano

Kathleen Sheeder Bonnano, poet

Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno is an award-winning author and poet who received the Beatrice Hawley Award for her book of poetry, Slamming Open the Door, a collection of poems recounting the true story of the murder of her daughter. Kathleen has recently been shortlisted for a Knights Art Foundation Grant and was covered by WHYY's Newsworks. Her poetry has also been published in Women’s Review of Books, Margie and the anthology: Beloved on the Earth:  150 Poems of Grief and Gratitude. In 2007, Kathleen received the Purple Ribbon Award from the Lutheran Settlement Home for her advocacy on behalf of domestic violence issues. She is a contributing editor of The American Poetry Review and teaches English and creative writing in Montgomery County.

Kathleen, our third featured poet, will read at 3pm tomorrow at the Philadelphia Poetry Festival.

FEATURED POET: Thomas Devaney

In addition to spotlighting more than 25(!) of Philly's poetry organizations, the Philadelphia Poetry Festival is pleased to feature three of the Philadelphia's most prominent & hard-working poets. These poets and their work are influential in Philadelphia and the greater Poetry community (yep, Poetry - with a capital P). They've watched the scene in Philly grow, pulse & mutate. And we are excited for them to share their thoughts on Philadelphia poetry as well as their own amazing work.

Thomas Devaney, poet

The first of our featured poets will be Thomas Devaney. Thomas is the author of two poetry collections A Series of Small Boxes (Fish Drum) and The American Pragmatist Fell in Love (Banshee Press), and a nonfiction book, Letters to Ernesto Neto (Germ Folios). Recent poems have been published in The Brooklyn Rail, Jacket, and The Awl. His essay “That Obscure Object of Desire” was published in the catalogue for Virgil Marti’s Set Pieces exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (2011). Other criticism has been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Poetry Project Newsletter. He teaches at Haverford College and is the editor of ONandOnScreen (poems + videos).

FEATURED POET: Nathalie Anderson

Nathalie Anderson, poet

Nathalie Anderson will be our second featured reader on Saturday. Nathalie's first book, Following Fred Astaire, won the 1998 Washington Prize from The Word Works, and her second, Crawlers, received the 2005 McGovern Prize from Ashland Poetry Press; her third, Quiver, is forthcoming from Penstroke Press; and a fourth, Stain, is under consideration by publishers.  Anderson’s poems have appeared in such journals as APR’s Philly Edition, Atlanta Review, Denver Quarterly, DoubleTake, Inkwell Magazine, Journal of Mythic Arts, Louisville Review, Natural Bridge, The New Yorker, Nimrod, North American Review, Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, The Recorder, Southern Poetry Review, and Spazio Humano.  Her work has been commissioned for the Ulster Museum’s collection of visual art and poetry titled A Conversation Piece; for the catalogue of the retrospective exhibition Sarah McEneany at the Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania; and for the artist’s press book titled Ars Botanica published by Enid Mark of ELM Press. Her work appears in The Book of Irish American Poetry From the Eighteenth Century to the Present (Notre Dame), and her poems have twice been solicited for inclusion in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror (St.Martin’s). She has authored libretti for three operas – The Black Swan; Sukey in the Dark; and an operatic version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia – all in collaboration with the composer Thomas Whitman and Philadelphia’s Orchestra 2001.  A 1993 Pew Fellow, she serves currently as Poet in Residence at the Rosenbach Museum and Library, and she teaches at Swarthmore College, where she is a Professor in the Department of English Literature and directs the Program in Creative Writing.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Poetry-Go-Round

Poetry-Go-Round

poetrygoround@gmail.com
(856) 649-4512

WHO
Christopher D. Ney, Director
cney@comcast.net
(856) 455-7396

Barbara W. Brenner, Asst. Director
brennersbrew@hotmail.com
(856)297-9846

WHERE
The Bridge Towne Restaurant
36 South Laurel Street
Bridgeton, NJ

WHAT
Poetry-Go-Round is a non-profit corporation dedicated to using poetry as a vehicle to educate, inspire, and serve the surrounding community through literacy workshops, open microphone events, and charitable events. Poetry-Go-Round hosts a monthly open mic at the Bridge Towne Restaurant. On May 13, 2011, the organization will be holding a spoken-word event to raise funds for the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe, to help them offset unexpected costs associated with the emergency replacement of the oil tank in their offices.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Apiary

Apiary
theapiarycorp.com

WHO
Editors: Michelle E. Crouch, 
Lillian Dunn, 
Nick Forrest, 
Tamara Oakman

WHAT
Apiary Magazine gathers writing by Philly artists of many ages, cultures, and styles. We showcase the best of Philadelphia’s buzzing literary scene and bring together diverse people who love words. Writers get inspired. Readers have fun.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Making Poems That Last

Making Poems That Last - Poetry Workshop With Leonard Gontarek
www.leafscape.org/LeonardGontarek  

WHO
Leonard Gontarek
gontarek9@earthlink.net

WHERE
Osage workshop: 4221 Osage Avenue (West Philly)
Moonstone workshop: 108 S. 13th Street, 2nd floor
Kelly Writers House Workshop: 3805 Locust Walk, Univ of Penn campus

WHEN
The Osage workshop is ongoing on Saturdays, 11-1PM.
The Moonstone workshop is ongoing on Thursdays, 5:30-7PM,
The Kelly Writers House Workshop, in the Fall of 2011

WHAT
The workshop includes discussions of contemporary and international poetry, translation, the students’ poetry, and the realities of publishing poetry. Specific direction and assignments are given, with attention to the basic elements and forms of poetry. Through invention the poets build more accurate and textured work. The workshop is designed for poets at all levels of accomplishment.

Workshop leader Leonard Gontarek will describe the workshop, followed by a brief reading by Catherine Bancroft.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Mad Poets Society

Mad Poets Society 

www.madpoetssociety.com

WHO
Eileen D'Angelo
Madpoets@comcast.net
P.O Box 1248 
Media, PA 19063-8248

WHERE
Throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.

WHEN
Several readings that happen on a monthly basis, as well as special annual/semi-annual events, including the Mad Poets Festival and the Mad Poets Bonfires.

WHAT
Formed in 1987, Mad Poets Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization, organized exclusively for the purpose of promoting poetry, the spoken word and the literary arts,  to promote both beginning and established poets and to stimulate appreciation for poetics and to raise the level of interest and education in the community and in the schools.  MPS aspires to support poets and the appreciation of poetry in Philadelphia and the surrounding communities, as well as encourage a nurturing atmosphere to foster individual artistic growth. Mad Poets Society is supported by PA Partners in the Arts (PPA), the regional arts funding partnership of the PA Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency. State government funding comes through an annual appropriation by PA’s General Assembly and The National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.  PPA is administered in this region by the FIVE COUNTY ARTS FUND.

At the Festival, Director Eileen D'Angelo will talk a bit about the Mad Poets' programs followed by a reading from John Timpane. Timpane was the Media Editor/Writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1997 to 2009. He was the Editor of the commentary page of the Inquirer and has been published in hundreds of newspapers. He is a regular guest on National Public Radio and elsewhere.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Monday Poets

Monday Poets Series
http://www.freelibrary.org/libserv/monpoets.htm

WHO
Amy Thatcher
thatcheramy@gmail.com 
thatchera@freelibrary.org   

WHERE
Free Library of Philadelphia   
Central Branch
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

WHEN
Runs the first Monday of the month from October to April.

WHAT
A free poetry series showcasing two featured readers, followed by an open mic. This series is now in its 17th year.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Painted Bride Quarterly

Painted Bride Quarterly
http://pbq.drexel.edu/

WHO
Kathleen Volk Miller, Co-editor, Painted Bride Quarterly
kvm@drexel.edu
215-895-1303
Fax: 215-895-1071

WHERE
Drexel University
Department of English and Philosophy
3141 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

WHAT
Painted Bride Quarterly is one of the country’s longest running literary magazines, established in Philadelphia in 1973. As a community-based, independent, non-profit literary magazine published quarterly online and annually in print, PBQ’s main agenda is to maintain and grow a venue for the highest quality literature that best represents the individual voice. PBQ does not limit itself to one particular school or genre. We publish emerging and established regional authors in the context of their peers from across the country and around the world. The combination of PBQ’s volunteer editorial tables and the ever-changing student staff makes its published voice unique.  

We publish online four times per year and make a print annual.

Paul Siegell, author of wild life rifle fire (Otoliths Books, 2010), jambandbootleg (A-Head Publishing, 2009), and Poemergency Room (Otoliths Books, 2008), and an editor at Painted Bride Quarterly will be PBQ's representative poet at the Philly Poetry Festival.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: PoetryNoir

PoetryNoir
www.poetrynoir.com

WHO
Eric Medlin
em@a2pwebdesign.com

WHERE
Ambler Theatre

WHAT
Explore the universal moments presented or "spoken" in Black-and-White films with poetry writing. We feature a film clip and challenge you to observe the film, then to capture in words the poetry evoked by its cinematic moments.

Program coordinator Eric Medlin will introduce this program at PPF, and poet Scott Edward Anderson will offer a brief reading.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: PoetryWITS

PoetryWITS (Writers in the Schools)
www.poetrywits.com

WHO
Elizabeth Rivers
elizrivers@aol.com

WHAT
Founded by 2008 Montgomery County Poet Laureate winner Elizabeth Rivers, the PoetryWITS (Writers in the Schools) Program has been established to showcase student writing and encourage poetry teaching.       

The PoetryWITS presentation this Saturday will include an explanation of the program by founder Elizabeth Rivers and a brief poetry reading by poet Cleveland Wall.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program

Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program (MCPL)
www.montcopoet.com

WHO
Joanne Leva
joanneleva@comcast.net

WHAT
MCPL aims to preserve and promote arts and culture through community-based opportunities and programs from the grassroots up.       

The MCPL presentation at the Philadelphia Poetry Festival will include an explanation of the process and programs, as well as a reading by current poet laureate, Amy Small-McKinney.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Philadelphia Writers' Workshop

Philadelphia Writers' Workshop

www.phillywriters.com
www.facebook.com/WritewithRachel

WHO
Rachel Kobin
Tel: 917-499-1854
rachel@phillywriters.com

WHERE
The Center for Oneness
124 Sibley Ave.
Ardmore, PA 19003
www.thecenterforoneness.com

The Resiliency Center
602 S. Bethlehem Pike, Bldg B
Ambler, PA  19002
www.theresiliencycenter.com

WHEN
Mondays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Ardmore
Tuesdays from 7-10 p.m. in Ambler

WHAT
The Philadelphia Writers' Workshop provides a structured, supportive setting for writers at any level to create new work or further develop current projects in any genre. Rachel Kobin, the workshop leader, uses the Amherst Writers & Artists method to encourage members to learn to trust their creative instincts.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Lit-Philly List Serve

Lit-Philly List Serve for Literary Events in the Phila Area

WHO
Nathalie F. Anderson
nanders1@swarthmore.edu

WHAT
The Lit-Philly List Serve acts as a conduit for announcements about literary events in the Philadelphia area. To join the list, write Nathalie Anderson at nanders1@swarthmore.edu.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio

Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio

WHO
Alison Hicks
ahicks@philawordshop.com


WHERE
Workshops meet in Center City and Havertown, PA. Private consultation also available.

WHAT
GPWS supports writers in the development of their individual voices and practice of their craft through community-based writing workshops, following the Amherst Writers & Artists method. Weekly meetings in 10-week Winter, Spring and Fall sessions, and two 4-week sessions in July and September. Includes poetry, fiction, non-fiction.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Green Line Poetry Series

The Green Line Poetry Series

WHO
Leonard Gontarek & Lillian Dunn

WHERE
Green Line Café
45th & Locusts Streets
West Philly

WHEN
Third Tuesdays of the Month - 7 PM

WHAT
Readings & Interviews of Poets

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: poet-tree en motion

poet-tree en motion performance series
www.therotunda.org

WHO
Gabrielle de Burke (PlumDragoness)
dragoness@earthtones.com

WHERE
The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street
West Philly, PA 19144

WHEN
Wednesdays:  May 11th & June 8th, 7-10pm-ish

WHAT
From Gabrielle de Burke: i am a resident performance artist @ the rotunda, who has organized the event, booked the acts, hosts the artists & open mic/stage, as well as presenting my own works in progress that range from working w/ musicians, visual projectionists & dancers!  info specific to each event is listed below (i.e. the kinds of art presented vary depending on the theme of the month)!

This FREE event series will present a diverse range of dance, movement theater, live & electronic/acoustic music, poetry/spoken-word, story-telling, performance art, object manipulation, fire play, live visual art & VJ projections, etc.!}

Sign up early for the open stage/open mic… NOW OPENING the night @ 7pm SHARP! Each event highlights the work of Resident Performance Artist, ”Plum Dragoness” a.k.a. Gabrielle de Burke (www.plumdragoness.com), with guest collaborators from the live music & poetry project “PlumDragoness & the Elements” (Visit the rotunda website for featured musicians) plus VJ Peter (Parker) Brodhead (www.parkerism.com) & VJ Kevlar (www.visualinfinity.com)!

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Straw Gate Books

Straw Gate Books

http://www.leafscape.org/StrawGateBooks/index.html

WHO
Phyllis Wat, Publisher
phylliswat@aol.com

WHAT
Started up in Philadelphia in 2005, Straw Gate Books is a small press publisher of poetry books with a special interest in works by women and non-polemical writing that has an underlying social content. We feature new authors and authors who work has been under-served. These include Valerie Fox, Bill Kushner, Stephanie Gray, Lydia Cortes, Tom Savage, David Mills and Merry Fortune (book in process) as well as an anthology, The Red Room, Writings from Press 1. Our distributor is SPDBooks.org.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Calypso Editions

Calypso Editions 

www.calypsoeditions.org

WHO
Martin Woodside, co-founder
martinwoodside@yahoo.com

WHAT
From Martin Woodside: Calypso is an artist-run co-operative press. We publish both poetry and fiction, and we aren't necessarily located in one particular place.  By that I mean, the press has eight members who all live in different cities.  However, that structure is intentional, and rather than making us invisible in our local communities, we hope to build a stronger sense of community through our various local ties.  I'm a poet, I live in Philadelphia, and I'm eager to make Calypso a part of the literary community here.     

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Drexel University

Drexel University, Certificate Program in Writing and Publishing   
http://www.drexel.edu/engphil/cwp.asp

WHO
Harriet Levin, co-director
millanhl@drexel.edu


WHAT
Among the courses in literary and professional writing our students take to earn the certificate are the following poetry classes:  Creative Writing, Writing Poetry, Poetry Workshop, and Live Poets and Authors.  In addition to offering writing classes, the Certificate Program runs a reading series.  Recent visiting poets include Carl Phillips, Forrest Gander, Major Jackson, Jane Miller, Sarah Vap, Michael Waters and Gerald Stern.  Students also participate in projects in collaboration with One Book One Philadelphia and  in social action projects relating to writing such as sponsoring a reading by Haitian poet Beaudelaine Pierre to raise money for earthquake victims in Haiti.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Poetryplus.com

Poetryplus.com

WHO
Catherine Weiss-Celley
catmajo@yahoo.com

WHAT
Poetryplus.com is a website open to other poets or businesses who want to advertise their books or businesses on the site. Mostly, Poetryplus.com has been used for people to vent their anger at current events like at Toyota for their "automatic acceleration" problem, at BP for its maintenance control and slow fix, or at soda drinks for the way they eat at our bones. 

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Philadelphia Poets

Philadelphia Poets
www.home.comcast.net/~redrose108

WHO
Rosemary Petracca Cappello
redrose108@comcast.net

WHAT
Philadelphia Poets is an annual literary publication with roots going back to 1980. The publication is not exclusive to poets from this city but publishes the works of those from other areas as well. Original artwork is an important part of each issue. Four reviews of poetry books are also included. All poets published in Philadelphia Poets have opportunities to read at the programs organized and presented by the editor throughout the year, such as our long-established Ethnic Voices readings and our book launches in various sections of the city. Poets are also eligible for the two awards bestowed annually at presentation/readings, the John and Rose Petracca & Family Award and the Amy Tritsch Needle Award. We had the Petracca Presentation/Reading at the Fumo Family Library on March 15th, and on April 14th, we held the Amy Award event. Earlier, in January, there was one of our annual Ethnic Voices Readings, at the Manayunk/Roxborough Art Center. The 2011 issue of Philadelphia Poets, Volume 17, will be published during the spring.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: East Falls Poetry Potluck

East Falls Poetry Series: Poetry Potluck on 4th Wednesdays

WHO
Courtney Bambrick
ckbambrick@gmail.com

WHERE
The Free Library's Falls of Schuylkill branch in East Falls    

WHEN
6-7:45PM, 4th Wednesday of most months*
(no April event & November/December usually combined)
 
WHAT
From Courtney Bambrick: I try to incorporate a little workshopping -- writing new work or discussing what is read.  I also encourage folks to bring favorite poems by other writers. Sometimes we have themed events, and sometimes we have featured readers; but usually, it is a round-robin open mic. Most participants are from Northwest Philly -- the K bus passes the library and the Manayunk/Norristown train stops at the East Falls train station a few blocks from the library, which makes getting to us pretty easy.  There is plenty of parking on Midvale Avenue.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Moveable Beats Poetry Series

Moveable Beats Poetry Series

WHO
James Mancinelli
mancinelli51@gmail.com

WHERE
The Slingluff Gallery
11 W. Girard Ave., 19125 (Fishtown)

WHEN
3rd Sunday of every month

WHAT
This series is now in its second year, bringing poetry, flash fiction, music, and song to Fishtown and beyond.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Moonstone Arts Center

The Moonstone Arts Center

www.moonstoneartscenter.org

WHO
Larry Robin
larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

WHERE
110A S. 13th Street
Second Floor
Philadelphia PA 19107

WHAT
The Moonstone Arts Center inspires individuals to give voice to the creativity, perspective, and intelligence within each of us. It is an environment that encourages an active engagement in the world through the arts, creating a diverse community of people who hear and encourage each other.

Six days to go!

... and just that fast the Philly Poetry is upon us.

With less than a week to go, we're going to start introducing some of the amazing Philadelphia organizations that are going to be presenting at the event. Check the site every day, multiple times a day, to learn a little about the diverse organizations you can meet on Saturday.