by Ami Maxine Irmen
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? It was founded in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, and it has since become the largest literary celebration in the world. The intent behind this month-long celebration is to encourage the reading of poems, to assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms, and increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media.
Got a thing for poetry? Then UntitledTown has got you covered. Be sure to mark the following poetry events on your calendar:
Waters Deep: A Great Lakes Poetry Reading
Saturday April 27, 2019 12:00pm – 2:00pm
KI Convention Center – Meeting Room 7 (333 Main Street)
Crystal S. Gibbins, editor of Split Rock Review, hosts a literary reading featuring several contributors from Waters Deep: A Great Lakes Poetry Anthology. Moderators include Michelle Menting and Casey Thayer. Readers include Issa M. Lewis, Connor Yeck, M. Bartley Siegel, Phillip Sterling, Milton Bates, Rachel Morgan, Janna Knittel, and Emily Stoddard. (Click names to see an example of their work.)
With/In With/Out Place: A Poetry Reading with Crystal S. Gibbins and Michelle Menting
Sunday April 28, 2019 10:00am – 11:30am
St. Brendan’s Inn – Waterford Room (234 S Washington Street)
Poetry collections by Crystal S. Gibbins and Michelle Menting explore and complicate the traditions of nature poetry. Each poet will read form their books and, as editors of the place-based magazine Split Rock Review, offer what they look for in submissions of contemporary nature poetry during the anthropocene.
Saturday, April 27 • 6:00pm – 7:30pm
The Tarlton Theatre, 405-409 Walnut Street
(There are tickets required for this event – $30 for priority seating; general admission is free.)
One of the most celebrated and successful poets of the last two decades, Andrea Gibson began their career in 1999 with a break-up poem at an open mic in Boulder, Colorado. Cut to 2008, Gibson leapt into the forefront of the national spoken word poetry scene when they won the first ever Woman of the World Poetry Slam. Gibson is the author of four previous books of poetry and has release seven spoken-word albums. The honesty of Gibson’s work makes audiences and readers feel welcome as they are. To learn more about Gibson, and for links to some of their work, see UntitledTown’s #AuthorTalk.
This is a ticketed event – please secure tickets here. (General Admission $0; Priority Seating $30)
Moods of Poetry: Romance to Revenge
Saturday April 27, 2019 2:00pm – 2:45pm
KI Convention Center – Board Room, 333 Main St
Join Denise Low in a discussion and workshop discusses demonstrates which forms enhance the moods of your subjects, including types of elegies, love poems, humor, riddles, whimsy, nature reflections, and more. Prose writers who wish to hone their style are welcome as well as poets at all stages. The overall emotional impact of any writing is what readers remember. This session gives sure-fire techniques and tips.
Sculpting Poetry with Christine Swanberg
Sunday April 28, 2019 10:00am – 11:00am
Rise & Grind Conference Room (Third Floor, Brown County Library Central Branch), 515 Pine St
A favorite among poets at last year’s conference, Sculpting Poetry looks at ways to enhance the visual impact of a poem on the page, which often results in a more energetic and interesting poem. Stanza shaping of various kinds will be discussed, and participants will experiment with re-shaping and poem or beginning a new one with shape in mind. We’ll take a peak at the sonnet as well.
See the full UntitledTown 2019 Festival Schedule for all our great events!