POETRY NEWS: September 2010
Listings of readings
and performances in the Poetry News only include events in the greater
DC area (covering roughly the same area that the METRO public transit
system covers), although we include a larger geographic region for listings
of Competitions, Grants, Calls for Entries, Workshops, and Special Events
(covering all of DC, MD, VA, WV, and DE). To get listed in the Beltway
Poetry News, please send an email with full information (including a
phone number) any time during the month prior for readings and new releases,
and up to two months prior for Calls for Entries and Special Events.
We try to be as complete and accurate as possible. Listing here does
not constitute an endorsement, nor can we be responsible for changes
and additions made after the first of the month. Please check with sponsors
to confirm the accuracy of listings. Send your news to beltway.poetry@juno.com.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to some of our favorite
DC authors (past and present) in September:
...Larry
Neal, Clarissa Scott Delaney, Elinor Wylie, Georgia
Douglas Johnson, Reed Whittemore,
Andrew Holleran, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Alain Locke, and Rod
Smith.
NEW RELEASES
Rick Cannon,
Questions for My Father's Killer (chapbook, Pudding
House)
Thomas
Sayers Ellis,
Skin, Inc.: Identity Repair Poems (Graywolf)
JoAnne Growney, Red
Has No Reason (Plain View
Press)
Jon
Pineda,
Sleep in Me (University
of Nebraska Press)
Kim Roberts,
Lip Smack: A History of Spoken Word Poetry in DC (nonfiction
chapbook, Beltway
Editions)
Broadkill Review, Vol 4, No 4, July 2010. Edited by Jamie
Brown. Contributors include: Carolyn Cecil,
Nina Bennett, Lyn Lifshin,
Steven Leech. http://thebroadillreview.blogspot.com/
Innisfree Poetry Journal, Issue 11, Fall 2010. Edited by Greg
McBride. Contributors include: Martin
Galvin, Rod Jellema,
Ann Knox, Merrill
Leffler, Lyn Lifshin,
David McAleavey,
Patric Pepper, David
Salner, Andrea Wyatt.
http://www.innisfreepoetry.org.
Tidal Basin Review, Summer 2010. Contributors include: Ernesto
Mercer, Joseph Ross,
Andy Fogle, Tony Medina,
Truth Thomas, Brian
Gilmore, Sarah Browning.
Featured poet: Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
http://www.tidalbasinpress.org.
COMPETITIONS, GRANTS and CALLS FOR
ENTRY
8th Annual Dogfish Head Poetry Prize, for a chapbook-length
manuscript of poems by a resident of the Delmarva Penninsula. Mss. should
be no more than 40 pages, including title page, table of contents, acknowledgements
page, and author bio. Winner gets publication by Broadkill Press, $200,
two cases of Dogfish Head Caft Brewed Ale, and a featured reading at
the 12th Annual John Milton Poetry Festival in Milton, DE. No reading
fee. Deadline: Labor Day. Submit online as a Word attachment to dogfishheadpoetryprize@earthlink.net
or send ten copies by snail mail with SASpostcard for acknowledgment
to: Dogfish Head Poetry Prize, c/o John Milton & Company Books,
104 Federal St., Milton, DE 19968.
DC Commission on the Arts grants for the Young Artist Grant Program.
Grants up to $3,000 for artists between age 18 and 30. Deadline: Sept.
15. http://dcarts.dc.gov.
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, VA. Residencies of two
weeks to two months from February through May to writers on a 450-acre
estate at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns. 25 artists at a time,
separate working and living quarters, all meals. Daily contribution
($45 to $90). $25 application fee, deadline: Sept. 15. http://www.vcca.com.
The Writers Center, Emerging Writers Fellowship. Reading and stipend.
Open to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers with
one or two books. No entry fee. Deadline: Sept. 30. http://www.writer.org.
The Chesapeake Reader seeks poetry, fiction, and nonfiction
for the Spring issue. Special interest in literature that reflects the
region. Deadline: Sept. 30. http://www.chesapeakereader.com/.
2nd Annual Clarinda Harriss Poetry Prize,
CityLit Project, Baltimore. Winner gets chapbook publication, $250,
and 25 copies. Judge: Dick Allen. Mss. of up to 30
pages, $20 reading fee, postmarked October 1. http://www.citylitproject.org.
WORKSHOPS, EXHIBITIONS,
AND SPECIAL EVENTS
"High Wattage: Elements of Performing the Slam
Poem," led by Regie Cabico.
Two-part workshop: Sept. 5 and Sept. 19 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Class
explores vocal and physical techniques "to kick your verses in
the squint of the spotlight"; no prior experience required. Bring
a poem, no longer than a page long, comfortable shoes and clothes. $60
fee in advance; $70 at door. BloomBars, 32222 11th St. NW, DC. (202)
567-7713. http://www.bloombars.com.
The Writer's Center Fall Workshops in poetry, memoir, fiction, stage
and screen, songwriting, children's lit, and professional development.
Also offering classes for teens, military veterans, and independent
studies. Workshop leaders include: Deborah Ager, Sandra
Beasley, Kenneth Carroll,
Sean Enright, Laura Fargas, Nan
Fry, Bernadette Geyer,
Patricia Gray, Reuben
Jackson, David Keplinger,
Yvette Neisser Moreno, John
Morris, Mary Quattlebaum, Elizabeth
Rees, David Salner,
Anne Sheldon, Adele Steiner, Michele
Wolf, Anne Harding Woodworth. Open House event
on Saturday Sept. 11 from noon to 3:00 pm. http://www.writer.org.
Corcoran Gallery of Art, "Spencer Finch: My Business, with the
Cloud," sculptural installation commemorating Walt
Whitman and Abraham Lincoln. Opens Sept.
11 (through Jan. 23, 2011). http://www.corcoran.org.
Kennedy Center 15th Annual Multicultural Children's Book Festival,
Sept. 11, Noon to 6:00 pm. Free. Roof level, Kennedy Center, Foggy Bottom
neighborhood, DC. Readings, signings, performances. http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/bookfestival/.
"Poetic Art" Juried Exhibition at the Workhouse Arts Center,
Sept. 15 to Oct. 10, 2010, Lorton, VA. Featuring collaborations between
writers abd visual artists. Opening reception Sunday, September 19.
http://www.workhousearts.org.
Split This Rock hosts a Craft Workshop with Brenda Hillman,
Sunday, Sept. 19 from Noon to 2:30 pm. Participants should bring 17
copies of "a very fresh draft of a poem and one process-oriented
question about the poem." $25 fee; some scholarships available.
Institute for Policy Studies, 1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600, Farragut
Square neighborhood, DC. Info and registration: browning@splitthisrock.org.
Fall for the Book Festival, City of Fairfax, VA and George Mason University,
September 19-24. All events free. Readings, panels, family events, vendors.
Featured authors include: W. Perry Epes, Mark
Fitzgerald, Elisabeth Murawski,
Sonya Renee, Ramola
D, Roger Lathbury. http://www.fallforthebook.org.
Furious Flower Poetry Center presents a Tribute to Lucille
Clifton, Sept. 21 at 7:00 pm, James Madison University, Wilson
Hall Auditorium, Harrisonburg, VA. Free. 73 of her poems will be read,
one for each year of her life. Readers include: Elizabeth
Alexander, Kwame Alexander,
Amiri Baraka, Remica Bingham, Jericho
Brown, Rita Dove, Nikky Finney, Joanne
V. Gabbin, Nikki Giovanni, Michael
Glaser, Randall Horton, Dolores Kendrick,
Haki Madhubuti, Tony
Medina, Sonia Sanchez. http://www.jmu.edu/furiousflower/index.shtml.
Baltimore Book Festival, September 24 - 26. Free
admission to all events. Readings, performances, vendors. Includes "Baltimore
Celebrates Beltway Poetry" on the Festival Stage on Friday
evening. Mount Vernon Place, 600 block of Charles Street, Baltimore.
http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com.
National Book Festival, Sept. 25. On the National
Mall, DC. Featured authors include Elizabeth
Alexander, Marilyn Nelson, Isabel
Allende, Chang-rae Lee, Jane Smiley,
Scott Turow. Free admission. http://www.loc.gov/bookfest
Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts hosts a
Writer's Evening, Monday September 27 at 6:00 pm. Discussion on agents,
publishing law, followed by a networking reception. Panelists: Gail
Ross, Elaine English, Jeff Kleinman, and John Mason. $15 fee. International
Arts & Artists, Hillyer Gallery, 9 Hillyer Court NW, Dupont Circle
neighborhood, DC. http://www.artsand
artists.org.
Sotto Voce Poetry Festival, Shepherdstown, WV,
October 1-3. Featuring Edward Hirsch, Natasha
Tretheway, and Michael Collier.
Readings, workshops, panels. Some events free. http://somodocopress.com/sottovoce.
Capital BookFest, Saturday, October 2. Free admission
to all events. Readings, workshops, vendors. Includes "Portraits
of the City: Writing About the Urban Experience," a panel hosted
by Beltway Poetry Quarterly, featuring Fred
Joiner, Kenneth Carroll,
stevenallenmay, and Kim
Roberts. Other authors include Sonia Sanchez,
Haki Madhubuti, Tony
Medina, E. Ethelbert Miller.
The Boulevard at the Capital Center, Arena Drive, Largo, MD. (703) 371-4325.
http://capita2.bizland.com/Largo.html.
8th Annual James River Writers Conference, October
8-9, Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA. Readings, lectures, panels.
Fees charged. http://www.jamesriverwriters.org.
10th Annual West Virginia Book Fstival, Charleston
Civic Center, Charleston, WV, October 16-17. Readings, marketplace,
children's area, used book sale. Free. http://wvbookfestival.org/.
AREA READINGS and
PERFORMANCES
Wednesday, September
1 at 9:00 pm
HAIKU Open Mic, with featured reading by Delrica Andrews.
Hosted by Holly Bass.
$3 Admission. Busboys & Poets, 1025 5th Street NW, DC. (202) 789-2227.
Friday, September 3 at 8:00 pm
Plan B Press presents "The Poetry Lab": Bernadette
Geyer and stevenallenmay
Free. The Soundry, 316 Dominion Rd. NE, Vienna, VA (703) 698-0088.
Friday, September 3 at 8:00 pm
Story/Stereo: Aryn Kyle and Allison Benis White,
with musical guest John Davis of Title Tracks
Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda,
MD. (301) 654-8664.
Sunday, September 5 at 6:00 pm
Book Release reading by Thomas Sayers
Ellis for Skin, Inc.: Identity Repair Poems
Free. CAS/51, 510 Randolph St. NW, Petworth neighborhood, DC. No phone
listed.
Sunday, September 5 at 8:00 pm
Poetry on the Patio, featuring Joseph LMS, Love
the Poet, and Droopy the Broke Baller. Hosted
by 2Deep the Poetess.
Admission unclear. Busboys & Poets, 1025 5th Street NW, DC. (202)
789-2227.
Thursday, September 9 at 9:00 pm
Nine on the Ninth Series: Patrick
Washington plus open mic, hosted by Derrick
Weston Brown.
$3 Admission. Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Streets NW, DC. (202)
387-POET.
Friday, Sept. 10 at 7:00 pm
Steven B. Herrmann, author of Walt Whitman: Shamanism,
Spiritual Democracy and the World Soul. Sponsored by Washington
Friends of Walt Whitman
Free. Home of Neil Richardson and Karen Loeschner, 1873 Ingleside Terrace
NW, Mount Pleasant neighborhood, DC. Info and RSVP: neilrichardsondc@gmail.com.
Friday, September 10 at 11:00 pm (doors
open at 10:00)
11th Hour Poetry Slam
$5 Admission. Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Streets NW, historic U Street
neighborhood, DC. (202) 387-POET.
Saturday, September 11 at 1:00 pm
9/11 Commemoration: "Poems to Heal and Honor a Nation," featuring
Collective Voices: Sistah Joy, Brenardo Taylor,and
Ladi Di, with music by Doc Powell, Sydney March, Curly
Robinson, and Jason Okera Keene. Program includes the Posting of the
Colors by the Dunbar HS JROTC. Terri Allen hosts.
Free. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Black Studies Center, 901 G St.
NW, Gallery Place neighborhood, DC. (202) 727-1111.
Sunday, September 12 at 6:00 pm
Iota Series 16th Anniversary Celebration, hosted by Miles
David Moore.
Free. Iota Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Clarendon neighborhood,
Arlington, VA. (703) 256-9275.
Sunday, September 12 at 8:15 pm
Articles Press Hour, featuring Jennifer
Atkinson and Tex Vathing reading translations
of poems from Farsi. Hosted by Ethan Edwards.
Free. Iota Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Clarendon neighborhood,
Arlington, VA. (703) 256-9275.
Tuesday, September 14 at 8:00 pm
Speakeasy DC presents "The Underdog: Stories About Beating the
Odds" with featured performers and open mic
$10 Admission. Town Danceboutique, 9009 8th St. NW, DC. (240) 888-9751.
Thursday, September 16 at 7:00 pm
Intersections Series. Cave Canem and Letras Latinas reading, featuring:
Brenda Cárdenas, Paul Martinez Pompa,
R. Dwayne Betts, and Ines
P. Rivera Prosdocimi. Hosted by Fred
Joiner and sponsored by the American Poetry Museum.
$5 suggested donation. Charles Sumner School, 1201 17th St. NW, DC.
(202) 249-0253.
Thursday, September 16 at 8:00 pm
Cheryl's Gone Series. Hosted by Wade Fletcher.
Free. Big Bear Cafe, 1st and R Streets NW, DC. (202) 470-5543.
Friday, September 17 at 7:00 pm
HOME Series. Hosted by Fred Joiner.
$5 Admission. International Arts & Artists, Hillyer Art Space, 9
Hillyer Court NW, DC. (202) 338-0680.
Friday, September 17 at 7:30 pm
Cave Canem and Letras Latinas present: Gregory Pardlo,
Teri Ellen Cross, Brenda
Cárdenas and Paul Martinez Pompa.
Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda,
MD. (301) 654-8664.
Saturday, September 18 at 7:00 pm
Sulu Series: Hawah the Everlutionary, Bao Phi,
and Saymoukda Vongsay, plus the Phil Good Band and
dancer Shae Lim. With DJ Beta-G and host Michelle Meyers of Yellow Rage.
$10 Admission. Almaz Restaurant, 1212 U Street NW, DC. (202) 462-1212.
Sunday, September 19 at 4:00 pm
Sunday Kind of Love Series: Brenda Hillman
Free, but donations collected. Busboys and Poets, Langston Room, 14th
& V Streets NW, DC. (202) 387-POET.
Monday, September 20 at 7:00 pm
Cafe Muse: Dave and Janet Northrop. Hosted by Adele
Steiner and Laura Golberg, with classical
guitar by Michael Davis.
Free. Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase,
MD. (301) 656-2797.
Tuesday, September 21 at 5:30 pm
Book Release party for Lip Smack: A History of Spoken Word Poetry
in DC by Kim Roberts,
with guest performance by Regie Cabico.
Part of the Humanities Council of Washington's 30th Anniversary Showcase.
Event also features exhibits, readings, performances, film and an awards
ceremony. Followed by cake and champagne reception.
Free, but reservations required. Historical Society of Washington, Old
Carnegie Library, Mount Vernon Square, DC. (202) 387-8391.
Wednesday, September 22 at 7:00 pm
A Space Inside: Tribute to Sterling A.
Brown. Hosted by Dan Vera
and Michael Gushue.
Free. Riverby Books, 417 E. Capitol St. SE, DC. (202) 543-4342.
Wednesday, September 22 at 9:00 pm
Sparkle Series, featuring Liz Prescott and Stine
Bats. Hosted by Regie Cabico
and Danielle Evennou.
$4 Admission. Busboys & Poets, 5th & K Streets NW, DC. (202)
789-2227.
Thursday, September 23 at 7:00 pm
Poet-a-Tete, hosted by Cheryl Crockett
Free. Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, 201 F St. NE, DC. (202) 558-6900.
Thursday, September 23 at 7:00 pm
"Out of Denmark: An Evening of Danish Literature," featuring
Pia Tafdrup, Naja Marie Aidt, and
Simon Frueland. Presented in conjunction with the Fall
for the Book Festival.
Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda,
MD. (301) 654-8664.
Friday, September 24, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
"Baltimore Celebrates Beltway Poetry" at the Baltimore
Book Festival. Two back-to-back readings! A spoken word showcase at
5:30 celebrating the release of Lip Smack: A History of Spoken Word
Poetry in DC by Kim Roberts,
featuring Chris August, Patrick
Washington, Gowri Konewaran, and Twain
Dooley. Followed by a Beltway Poetry Tenth Anniversary
Reading at 6:45 featuring Reginald Harris,
Clarinda Harriss, Linda
Joy Burke, Kathleen Hellen, Deanna
Nikaido, and Lalita Noronha.
Free. Festival Stage, Mount Vernon Place, 600 block of Charles Street,
Baltimore, MD. http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com.
Saturday, September 25 at 8:30 pm
"Poe in Person": see actor David Kelso perform
an authentic recreation of Edgar Allan Poe's public
appearances and readings. Part of the Montgomery County Big Read program
Free. Pyramid Atlantic, 8230 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. (301)
608-9101.
Sunday, September 26 at 2:00 pm
Delmarva Review publication reading: Sue Ellen Thompson,
Anne Colwell, Amanda Newell, J.
Wesley Clark, Margaret Adams, and Sunil
Freeman
Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, MD. (301) 654-8664.
Monday, September 17 at 7:30 pm
Speakeasy DC presents "Top Shelf: The Best Stories of 2008-2010"
$25 Admission. Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW, Gallery Place neighborhood,
DC. (240) 888-9751.
Tuesday, September 28 at 7:00 pm
Warren St. John. Presented in conjunction with One
Maryland One Book and the Paul Peck Institute for the Humanities.
Free. Montgomery College, Silver Spring/Takoma Park Campus, Performing
Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.
Tuesday, September 28 at 7:30 pm
Edward Hirsch
$15 Admission. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE, DC.
(202) 544-7077.
Tuesday, September 28 at 7:30 pm
Beltway Slam: featured performer and competition
$5 Admission. The Fridge, 516 8th St. SE, rear, DC. (202) 664-4151.
Wednesday, September 29 at 7:00 pm
Kensington Row Series: Yvette Neisser
Moreno and Luis Alberto
Ambroggio
Free. Kensington Row Bookshop, 3786 Howard Avenue, Kensington MD. (301)
949-9416.
PLEASE NOTE: Open mic events are not listed on this
page. Please see our full listing of Reading
Series for more information.