We’ve been doing a great many virtual Zoom workshops which I’ve come to really enjoy. A couple of weeks ago we finished the first series of Mature Adult Workshops where people produced exceptionally fine work and I was incredibly happy. We start the next series of workshops in late February and March. What I love about them is how enthusiastic people are about them and the way that we can bring people from a long distance into the workshop. We have people from California, Canada, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Because of this, I have decided that although we are starting in-person workshops again in March, continuing forward I will do one in-person workshop and reading and one virtual workshop and reading each month. In this way, I hope to expand the reach of the Poetry Center and to give more people opportunities to participate.
I want to remind everyone that the Paterson Prize for Poetry books and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People is open. Go to our Contests & Awards page for submission information.
I also want to invite people to subscribe to the Poetry Center’s YouTube channel. We have been uploading new content every day since the start of the year. We hope to put as much of the video made from the past 42 years of readings available. Subscribers will see what is new on the site when they visit. For me, it’s a trip down a poetic memory lane to see readings by poets who have since passed away and see myself at a younger age.
I want to notify everyone that the Laura Boss Narrative Poetry Book award competition for an unpublished manuscript is open The submission rules are on the Laura Boss Poetry Foundation website. I encourage poets to submit. There is a $5000 award, publication of the book and a reading at the Poetry Center for the winning manuscript.
We have our first return to in-person workshops and readings in March. This certainly has been a trying couple of years but I count on poets and our audience to be resilient and resourceful. It will be wonderful to be together again. Our apologies that we’re not able to offer food and or drinks for this session due to remaining COVID restrictions.
Finally, I hope that you’ve been writing and enjoying poetry throughout these trying times. It has lifted me above this pandemic and I hope we can give you renewed energy and joy in writing and in sharing our writing.
Maria