HomeMy WebLinkAboutNorth Andover Poet Laureate Committee 03-01/2021 Minutes for North Andover Poet Laureate Committee Meeting
March 1, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. Remote Meeting
Attendees:
Jill Barker, Mark Bohrer, Latika Karnani, Karen Kline, Marie McAndrew-Taylor, Jason O'Toole,
Bridget Rawding
Welcome and Opening Poem
Call to order at 7:05 p.m.
Jason read a haiku by Basho: "I don't know/which tree it comes from, /that fragrance."
Establish Rotating Schedule for Secretary Pro Tem
The rotating schedule for minutes taker will be as follows:
Jill Barker
Karen Kline
Marie McAndrew-Taylor
Bridget Rawding
Latika Karnani
Jason O'Toole
Update from North Andover Poet Laureate, Mark Bohrer
On February 5, Mark represented North Andover as the featured poet at Swampscott's First
Friday Open Mic with a theatrical presentation of his new poem, "That Restaurant Near the
Parthenon." He was joined in the performance by two North Andover high school students. The
full performance can be viewed on YouTube at: https:Hyoutu.be/K5oWzn9QUmE
The monthly North Andover Poets Corner events continue, and Mark is looking to line up guest
poets at future events. Please send your suggestions of poets to consider to Mark.
Mark continues to post updates on the Poets Corner Facebook page, posting a weekly poem
and other announcements. This page is a growing community, and Mark noted that others are
also welcome to share poems or announcements on this page.
Anne Bradstreet Poetry Contest
The committee reviewed the draft announcement that Mark had distributed. The following
comments and recommendations were discussed:
Committee decided not to commit to making this an annual contest just yet. After this year's
contest is complete, committee will assess and decide whether to make it an annual event.
Everyone liked the addition of"What is your dream?" to the contest theme, agreeing that having
a question to answer helps to frame the topic, particularly for younger poets.
The required info for each submission should also include "Category" (elementary school,
middle school, high school, or adult).
Remove the limitation on total lines for each poem submitted.
Allow attachments with submissions if needed to preserve formatting or line breaks.
There will be three awards per category: First, Second, and Third.
Flyer will include a Save The Date announcement for the award ceremony. This ceremony is
tentatively planned for Saturday, May 22, at an outdoor location, possibly Memorial Park or the
Common.
ACTION ITEM: Jill and Mark will investigate using the Common.
ACTION ITEM: Karen will inquire about using Memorial Park.
ACTION ITEM: Latika and Mark will work on developing a flyer this week, and Karen will send
them photographs of the actor who portrayed Anne Bradstreet at previous events.
Point person for each category:
* Karen - Elementary and Middle school
* Mark- High school
* Jill and Marie: Adult
Anyone with suggestions for possible judges should send them to the point person for the
relevant category.
Gift cards from local merchants will be awarded to First Prize winners. Second and Third Prize
winners will receive a certificate.
* ACTION ITEM: Jason will reach out to North Andover Merchants Association to inquire
about merchants willing to donate gift cards. Bridget will follow up with particular
merchants as needed.
All winners and anyone who entered the contest are invited to read their work at the award
ceremony.
Discuss Poet Laureate Committee
Encourage anyone you know who may be interested to consider joining the Poet Laureate
Committee. North Andover residency is not required.
Karen suggested possibly meeting with town P.T.O. to generate interest in committee activities.
Next Meeting:
Monday, March 29, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. Latika will take meeting minutes.
Meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bridget Rawding