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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-09 Poet Laureate Committee Minutes North Andover Poet Laureate Committee MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, October 9, 2019 7:00 PM, Reeve Room, Stevens Memorial Library Attendees: Mark Boehrer, Gayle Heney, Jill Barker, Karen Kline, Marie McAndrew-Taylor, Jessica Furtado, Latika Karnani Gayle welcomed all members including two new Committee members,Jessica Furtado and Latika Karnani. Gayle suggested that we go around the table and introduce ourselves, giving a brief bio and sharing our connections to poetry. During her comments, Gayle mentioned Eco Art and the Glow Gala on November 14 (online links: https://www.groundworlclawrence.org/glow and https://groundworklawrence.org/ecoart). This fundraiser hosted by the City of Lawrence helps provide funds for disadvantaged Lawrence students and empowers people through environmental, economic and social programs. During Karen's introduction, she remarked on the Frost Hoot that took place last night (10/8/19) at Cafe Asteca in Lawrence. She briefly described the Robert Frost Foundation and its poetry contest* as well as the Hoots in general to the new members. Her remarks were followed by the new members' introductions. Latika, who is new to the workforce, is a data analyst and works nearby. She is originally from India where she was a debate team winner and basketball player and coach. She wanted to develop her English language skills and science studies and ultimately chose to study abroad matriculating at Merrimack College. At the College she focused on expanding her English and particularly philosophy. She excelled at her studies and was asked to present the Valedictory remarks at graduation. Preparing for those remarks transformed her relation to speaking poetry, evolving into performance poetry. Jessica is also a Merrimack College graduate who is a small business entrepreneur, photographer, writer, children's librarian, and poet. She is planning on publishing her poetry chapbook which she has been currently working on. *(One of our members reminded her—and others—about submitting poetry to the Robert Frost poetry contest which should reflect this year's theme: "Insights". The submission fee is a $8 per poem entry. First prize is $1,000 and deadline is February 15, 2020.) Mark's opening poem was To a Poet Yet Unborn by Abbie Huston Evans (Collections,, 1970): To a Poet Yet Unborn Attempt what's perpendicular. Scale what's impossible. Try the knife edge between two voids; look into both abysses. Bring back some word of wordlessness if strength enough is in you. Write doggedly of dizzying things; with small implacable digits Delimit space to fit the brain, that it may bulk and be. No one but you can help us much. Subdue what blasts. Dare do it. Ride formlessness, word wordlessness. Be not aghast. Be poet. Mark then commented on Tuesdays4Poetry (including summer "gigs" at the Stevens Estate), National Poetry Month, performing poetry for various occasions as the North Andover Poet Laureate, including performing poetry at the NAHS home football games. He hopes to be able to continue this poetry "interlude" at football games again this year. He talked about the concept of pop-up poetry in town or around, perhaps at the Farmers Market and Artisan Fair. He solicited our ideas for such a project. (This discussion was elaborated on later in the meeting.) National Poetry Month will be celebrated at the Stevens Memorial Library again this spring (April). Gayle suggested asking the Library Director Kathleen Keenan for time in March or April (March because last year North Andover students had a poetry display for the entire month of April). There was a discussion about what kind of poetry event we could create that would involve more of the community and reach more people than only having an event at the Library. One idea was based on Montserrat College of Art's Improbable Places Poetry Tour which would involve "impromptu" poetry happenings in various places and establishments in the community. Gayle suggested having four or more places display poetry/present readings on different days and then combine them all together for a big presentation at the Library. We wanted our own catchy title for these poetry events around town and after some suggestions we chose calling this "rolling event" Pop-up Poetry, maybe even promoting that event title with "pop-up" food, ice cream, or cupcake trucks. There was a discussion about when and how this would happen—probably in late March? Ideas included approaching various businesses in town, perhaps focusing on new businesses such as the ones in the new shops at the old Bradstreet School site. Evenings could involve a pop-up event at a food establishment, with a poetry happening or perhaps just something as simple as Pop-up Poetry event calendar/notices on the tables. Local poets would submit poems to be considered for presentation at Pop-up Poetry sites. There would be two categories: Jr and Sr (i.e., kids and adults). Poets would submit their poems to Poet Laureate Mark via email or Facebook (North Andover Poets Corner) who would then review them. Mark will share the submitted poems with the PLC who will then sort and select poems for various Pop-Up Poetry locations. A Pop-up Poetry live event could be 30 minutes or less and we would bring microphones for the poet presenters. There would be an 8-10 poet limit for each event which would happen on different days, but, for continuity sake, probably on the same day/time each week, limiting the Pop-ups to one per week. Several locations were suggested for a Pop-up happening, such as Panera, Tripoli, organic butcher shop, Dawg City, Hot Yoga, YMCA, ice cream parlor in new building across from AM on Main Street. It was recommended that if anyone had connections with local businesses, that could help interest in our cause. Karen suggested possibly contacting Conte Funeral Home. Mark mentioned Wine Lab and Rolf's. Each member agreed to contacting a local business to induce them to participate in this local poetry project. Gayle chose Table Top Gaming; Karen, Conte Funeral Home; Jessica opted for Bulger's instead of Dawg City; Jill, YMCA; Marie, Good Day Cafe; Latika, Hot Yoga. Mark will create a blurb/promotional hand-out describing our Pop-up Poetry project, which each committee member can hand out when approaching business owners of potential Pop-up sites. There was a brief discussion of whether or not we should choose a project this year that we should submit to the North Andover Arts Council for funding assistance. Due to the impending Arts Council application date of October 15, it was decided there was not enough time to do a proper application this year but we will plan ahead for next year so we can decide on a project and submit a worthy and timely application then. Next there was a discussion of poetry happening at the North Andover High School, including the possible timing of an event on the Friday before spring vacation. According to Karen, the North Andover Jr. Poet Laureates at NAHS have a meeting every Tuesday when the high school Poetry Club meets because they head up the Poetry Club. Karen will give Mark the Jr. PL's emails to invite them, other NAHS Poetry Club members, and Ms. Derval Cleary-Bentley (NAHS Language Arts teacher and Advisor) to join poets young and old at the monthly Tuesdays4Poetry reads held at the Stevens Memorial Library. Regarding another Andover-North Andover PLCs get-together, Karen will speak with the Andover PLC about meeting up again but this year convening in Andover. Gayle handed out copies of the Boston Book Festival's One City, One Story entitled "Yvonne" by Ciera Burch, an Emerson MFA candidate. As a black, gay writer, Burch wanted to give voice to this story of inclusion. Groups are discussing this story at various meet-ups coordinated by the Boston Book Festival; interested parties should contact the BBF via email at 1C1S@bostonbookfest.org. Gayle recommended checking out the Boston Book Festival events online. Our next PLC meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7:00 PM in the Library's Reeve Room. Marie will ask the Library to reserve the room for us then.** The meeting closed with a reading of Andre Yang's "Off the Blossom Trail" from the American Poets journal Vol. 52, Is It You? Andre Yang is a published poet and a founding member of the Hmong American Writers' Circle. Spring, Everyfew years, miles of upturned fields skirtcity, &the rows of treessometimes grapevine lift their roots toward sky. No e else comes to pay tribute to this t you so you walk amongst the dying,the fallow, the sky turning over another , stop at some knotted stump &think out when y last come here with are is decades ago, posed with 1 ll fortheir camera, the voices of others ing beyond the mist of petals. e dark now gowns, renders a iliar shapes illegible. The stars reveal this threadbare night, the apogee of you from your car,but i 't feel quite right to make your return, you continueastray, leaving your ears as guide. The crickets chirp &you can almost decipher their monosyllabic words, let go fay pretending to be at one with, to understand nature, do as you' child: let the voices around you spreadis unknown, the valley walls so far off nothingback. reading,After the poetry i . "Note: Since these minutes were drafted, the November meeting date has been changed to Wednesday, Nov. 13, same time and location.