Where Does Poetry Come From? Julia Shipley Writing Class April 30, 2015 Cobleigh 7-9pm

Cobleigh Public Library

For writers at any level, this program explores the various springs of poetic inspiration and can help provide a rope bridge over the abyss of  “I don’t know how to write a poem ” into “Oh, would you look at that!”

We’ll hear the “backstory” behind several poems and then, instead of merely hoping for inspiration to strike, we’ll play with new ways to launch a poem using five different writing exercises. This is a generative workshop, hence giving and receiving and extensive feedback will take a back seat to the act of generation.

Whether you’ve just published your ninth volume of poetry or never written a poem at all–join us for a fun romp through words, ideas, images, sounds and surprises. Bring: curiosity, writing materials.

Julia Shipley is the author of Adam’s Mark, (Plowboy Press, 2014), selected by the Boston Globe as a 2014 Best Book About New England. Her poetry collection, The Academy of Hay won the 2014 Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize and is forthcoming from Bona Fide Books in August. She is also the author of four poetry chapbooks, One Ton Crumb (CC&B, 2014) First Do No Harm (Honeybee Press, 2014), Herd (2010), winner of the Sheltering Pines Press Chapbook Award and Planet Jr. (2012) winner of the Hazel Lipa Environmental Chapbook Award from Flyway Journal of Writing and Environment.

Her essays and poems have been included in Wildbranch: an Anthology of Nature, Environment and Place-based Writing (University of Utah, 2010) and Fields of Learning (University Press of Kentucky, 2011), as well in variety of journals including Alimentum: The Literature of Food, CutBank, FIELD, Fourth Genre, Green Mountains Review, Hunger Mountain, Orion, Poetry, Poet Lore, Poetry East, The Rumpus, The Toast, Taproot, Terrain.org, USA Today, Verse Daily and Yankee Magazine.

She is a two-time recipient of grants from the Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Arts Council and has also received fellowships from the Frost Place (NH) and the Center for Books Arts (NYC) and The Studios at Key West (FL). She raises animals and vegetables with her husband, and hosts writers in her farmhouse studio rental in Craftsbury.

Her website is: www.writingonthefarm.com

WHAT: Where Does Poetry Come From? class with Julia Shipley
WHERE: Cobleigh Public Library, 14 Depot Street, Lyndonville, VT  05851
WHEN: Thursday, April 30, 2015 from 7 to 9 pm
WHY: To get to "Oh, would you look at that!"
HOW: Free
INFO: Cindy Karasinski, Library Director, (802) 626-5475

Poetry Fine Tuning at Catamount Arts

In preparation for PoemTown St. Johnsbury, an April celebration of poetry in the Northeast Kingdom that debuts in 2015, Catamount Arts will offer several “Poetry Fine Tuning Sessions”. Bill and Sharon Biddle and Sarah Bengston, seasoned writers, will be on-hand to help poets polish their poetry for potential submission to PoemTown.

Sessions for adults and teenagers will be held on Friday, January 23 and Monday, January 26, both at 7pm. A session designed just for elementary and middle school students will be offered on Sunday, January 25 at 1pm. All will be held in the classroom space in the Catamount Arts Center at 115 Eastern Avenue in St. Johnsbury, and are free of charge.

Advance reservation is requested; please call 802-748-2600, extension 108, or e-mail Anne Campbell at acampbell@catamountarts.org.

Catamount Arts, the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum and St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce are collaborating on PoemTown St. Johnsbury, which will celebrate poetry by posting poems on business site windows; offering poetry readings, poetry slams and writing workshops; and more. PoemTown St. Johnsbury is inspired by Montpelier’s PoemCity, which celebrates National Poetry Month in April each year.

Entries for PoemTown St. Johnsbury must be submitted to Catamount Arts by February 15, 2015. Submission guidelines may be reviewed at the Catamount Arts website or picked up in the Catamount Arts Center lobby. They may also be requested by calling 802-748-2600, extension 108,

PoemTown St. Johnsbury welcomes all Vermonters, of any age and level of experience, who wish to have a forum for their writing.

Poetry Workshops Wednesday Nights @ Barton Library: free (with food)

Poetry 180 Events:
Poetry Workshops:

Wednesday, July 17 6:30-8:30 pm

Wednesday, July 24 6:30-8:30 pm

Wednesday, July 31 6:30-8:30 pm

Open Poetry Night:Wednesday, August 7th

Poetry 180 Book Discussion:
July 30 in Glover
August 14 in Barton

Barton Public Library

100 Church Street
Barton , VT 05822
(802) 525-6524
Bartonpubliclibrary@yahoo.com