The Center for Poetry, an organization I use to work for (and still tweet for) are having a poetry chalking next week on the 29th, from three to five, on the Lansing River Trail behind Shaw Hall.
Poetry chalkings are always fun. It is really satisfying to be able to write a poem down. You are welcome to bring your own poem, but poems will be provided, so do not let your uncertainty about poetry stop you from going.
Showing posts with label Center for Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Center for Poetry. Show all posts
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Irene McKinney Comes to MSU
Irene McKinney, the amazing Appalachian poet, is coming to MSU next week. McKinney is the author of multiple books of poetry, including The Girl with a Stone in Her Lap and has been featured on radio shows, including Daily Verse. She was the Poet Laureate for West Virginia in 1994.
The Center for Poetry and the MSU Museum are going to be hosting some events featuring her. They're both free and open to the public, so you should go. She will be giving a free poetry reading on the 14th at 7 pm in the basement of Phillip Snyder (for those of you who go to Poetry Center readings, this is where they almost always are.) She'll also be hosting a writing workshop on masks at the MSU Museum on the 16th at 7 pm. Workshops are free but have limited space, so if you want to go, please register by emailing the them (cpoetry@msu.edu) ASAP.
Hope you make it out and have a lovely time.
The Center for Poetry and the MSU Museum are going to be hosting some events featuring her. They're both free and open to the public, so you should go. She will be giving a free poetry reading on the 14th at 7 pm in the basement of Phillip Snyder (for those of you who go to Poetry Center readings, this is where they almost always are.) She'll also be hosting a writing workshop on masks at the MSU Museum on the 16th at 7 pm. Workshops are free but have limited space, so if you want to go, please register by emailing the them (cpoetry@msu.edu) ASAP.
Hope you make it out and have a lovely time.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Summer Reading Program
Like all book junkies, I love a good library. And, like so many things, you never forget your first.
The local library that I grew up in has a lot of memories for me. I went to storytime here as a kid. I ran around the garden. I saw my first butterflies up close when a woman came in to do a show about them. I surfed the Internet back in the day when people were still using that phrase.
When I got a little older, I started volunteering at the library. As a kid, they had a Summer Reading Program, and I participated. It only seemed fair, at around twelve or fourteen, to start helping out, since I had enjoyed it back then. Over the years, I've gone back on occasion to put some more time in, since this library has sentimental value and because it's a good way to get a sense of what's happening in YA literature.
I signed up for a few times to volunteer this summer. I'm reluctant to take too many times, as of right now, since a lot of teenagers use the volunteer time to get into things like NHS. But I signed up for a few times throughout the coming weeks.
Year to year, not much changes at the Summer Reading Program. The idea of the program is to reward and encourage reading by elementary school kids throughout the summer. Volunteers man a table and record each student's reading. Every time they come in, they get at least one prize. Usually prizes are something small, like a yo-yo or a toy unicorn or temporary tattoos. For an adult, this would just be junk, but for a small child, this is a big deal. These kids then want to work for more prizes and keep reading. At the end of the program, we tally up the information. Kids who read the most get an extra prize. And we record what schools have the most kids participate and which schools read the most.
I do a couple of things. I man the desk and talk to kids about their books (we're suppose to ask them if they liked what they read.) Sometimes I work on Wednesdays, when there's a special guest, and the library is packed, and extra volunteers are needed to deal with everything. And then, this last summer, they asked me to find a way to combine all the data we got.
Easy, I thought. And it was. I just made a spreadsheet. After all the time I've spent at the Offbeat and the Red Cedar Review and the Center for Poetry, spreadsheets are a perfect way to organize data. So I've done that now for them too.
We talked last year about making a zine for the teens, but none of the teens were interested in writing or anything like that. Maybe we'll try again this year. Or we'll find something else fun to do. I've been wondering if they would like to make book trailers, which have become popular, or even start a blog.
The local library that I grew up in has a lot of memories for me. I went to storytime here as a kid. I ran around the garden. I saw my first butterflies up close when a woman came in to do a show about them. I surfed the Internet back in the day when people were still using that phrase.
When I got a little older, I started volunteering at the library. As a kid, they had a Summer Reading Program, and I participated. It only seemed fair, at around twelve or fourteen, to start helping out, since I had enjoyed it back then. Over the years, I've gone back on occasion to put some more time in, since this library has sentimental value and because it's a good way to get a sense of what's happening in YA literature.
I signed up for a few times to volunteer this summer. I'm reluctant to take too many times, as of right now, since a lot of teenagers use the volunteer time to get into things like NHS. But I signed up for a few times throughout the coming weeks.
Year to year, not much changes at the Summer Reading Program. The idea of the program is to reward and encourage reading by elementary school kids throughout the summer. Volunteers man a table and record each student's reading. Every time they come in, they get at least one prize. Usually prizes are something small, like a yo-yo or a toy unicorn or temporary tattoos. For an adult, this would just be junk, but for a small child, this is a big deal. These kids then want to work for more prizes and keep reading. At the end of the program, we tally up the information. Kids who read the most get an extra prize. And we record what schools have the most kids participate and which schools read the most.
I do a couple of things. I man the desk and talk to kids about their books (we're suppose to ask them if they liked what they read.) Sometimes I work on Wednesdays, when there's a special guest, and the library is packed, and extra volunteers are needed to deal with everything. And then, this last summer, they asked me to find a way to combine all the data we got.
Easy, I thought. And it was. I just made a spreadsheet. After all the time I've spent at the Offbeat and the Red Cedar Review and the Center for Poetry, spreadsheets are a perfect way to organize data. So I've done that now for them too.
We talked last year about making a zine for the teens, but none of the teens were interested in writing or anything like that. Maybe we'll try again this year. Or we'll find something else fun to do. I've been wondering if they would like to make book trailers, which have become popular, or even start a blog.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Two Poetry Events, One Day
Just a friendly reminder that the Center for Poetry will be having a poetry chalking on Thursday the 29th from 2:30 to 4:30 in front of Phillip-Snyder. Basically, you bring yourself and chalk a poem. You don't have to bring a poem, though you are welcome to do so. Hopefully, the weather will be beautiful.Also, yes, it is indeed Poem in Your Pocket Day this Thursday as well. :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Ruelaine Stokes Reviewed
Ms. Stokes came to read tonight as the last poetry reading this Spring for the Center for Poetry. I really enjoyed her work and listening to her read. I really like her voice. She always sounds like a librarian or a preschool teacher when she talks. She also choose great material when writing, like a poem about how her mother was dating the Catholic priest.
Midway through the night, she had one of her students read some poems in Arabic. She teaches English to non-native speakers, and she explained that usually in the summer that there's a talent show for these students. One of them was game to work with poetry, and they ended up working together on a project where he read famous Arabic poetry and she would read the English translation.
If I had to pick a theme for this semester's poetry festival, I would say we've been doing humor in poetry. Steve Healey was a riot a few weeks back, and there was a sense of fun in so much of Christine Rhein's work. Ruelaine Stokes was also funny. My friend Mark (a fellow worker for the Center) mentioned that good stories are always in the details, and Ms. Stokes definitely did this. She had a great story about a high school English teacher who used Songs of Myself as a doorstop. That's the kind of thing that stays with you.
Midway through the night, she had one of her students read some poems in Arabic. She teaches English to non-native speakers, and she explained that usually in the summer that there's a talent show for these students. One of them was game to work with poetry, and they ended up working together on a project where he read famous Arabic poetry and she would read the English translation.
If I had to pick a theme for this semester's poetry festival, I would say we've been doing humor in poetry. Steve Healey was a riot a few weeks back, and there was a sense of fun in so much of Christine Rhein's work. Ruelaine Stokes was also funny. My friend Mark (a fellow worker for the Center) mentioned that good stories are always in the details, and Ms. Stokes definitely did this. She had a great story about a high school English teacher who used Songs of Myself as a doorstop. That's the kind of thing that stays with you.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Poetry PSA
For those of you in the Lansing area, I just want to remind you that tomorrow Ruelaine Stokes we'll be reading at the Spring Poetry Festival and that next week Thursday they'll be a poetry chalking in front of Snyder-Phillips. You should try to come to both, since these are the last events of the Center for Poetry before the end of the term.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
More Upcoming Events
As promised, I have another set of upcoming events that are happening in and around MSU.
April 14 The Poem as Vehicle 3 pm Snyder Hall Common Area
Christine Rhein, who is reading next week, will be giving a talk about the poem as a vehicle. Ms. Rhein will be talking about the elements that work together to make an effective poem and show the audience the kind of trial and error that goes on it creating poems, making it easier for the audience to engineer poems.
April 14 Nineteent
h-Century Women Crusaders and Poets 7 pm C204 Snyder HallThis is the presentation that I keep mentioning here on the blog. I'm going to be talking about some activist women poets who wrote about politics. I'll be focusing on Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Ann Plato, Eliza Lee Cabot Follen, Sarah Louisa Forten and Francis E.W. Harper. I'll be discussing their poetry and the racism and sexism that they both fight and accidentally defend.
April 22 Red Cedar Review Issue Release Party 7:30 pm Scene Metrospace
The Red Cedar Review, the nationally-known literary magazine here at MSU, will be celebrating the release of it's next issue. Everyone is welcome to come by to hear some of the author's of the new issue read.
April 29 Poetry Chalking in front of Phillips
The Center for Poetry often has poetry chalkings in the Spring. Basically, you can just bring yourself and the Center will give you a poem and chalk to decorate the sidewalk with. (You're allowed to bring your own poems, if you'd like, but you're not required.) I've always had a great time at these kinds of events, especially if it's a beautiful day.
Like before, all these events are free and open to the public, so make sure you stop by for some of them.
Ten Mississippi
Tonight, Steve Healey read as part of the Center for Poetry's Spring Reading Series. I really loved it. Dr. Healey has a great sense of language and beat. It was easy to see the influence of a lot of poets, particularly the New York School Poets. (Which was unsurprising, given that he once talked to be about Frank O'Hara.) I was also surprised to discover that his poetry is funny. There's a wonderful imagination there, one that sees things so differently. I was really impressed with the reading and the work.
He read mostly from his forthcoming book, Ten Mississippi. I liked that he had science poems, like "Terminal Moraine." My recent poetry seems to be filled with science metaphors (like "On Why Bureaucracies Work the Way They Do.") He gave a great reading. It's too bad that he'll be leaving MSU soon. He's been a great professor and I think he's been a wonderful addition to the school.
He read mostly from his forthcoming book, Ten Mississippi. I liked that he had science poems, like "Terminal Moraine." My recent poetry seems to be filled with science metaphors (like "On Why Bureaucracies Work the Way They Do.") He gave a great reading. It's too bad that he'll be leaving MSU soon. He's been a great professor and I think he's been a wonderful addition to the school.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Upcoming Poetry Readings for April
In the next couple of weeks, there are going to be a ton of things creative writing related going on around MSU. Everyone should definitely check some of this out, because it looks like it's going to be tons of fun. I'm planning on going to some, but probably not all, of these events, just because I have lots of schoolwork that I'm supposed to be doing.
April 6 Steve Healey 7 pm RCAH Theatre
Dr. Healey was one of my professors last semester, and I can guarantee that he is one of the nicest and mellow people around. He was a wonderful professor, and I'm really sad I'm not in his class anymore. I'm excited to hear his poetry because everyone tells me that his book Earthling is amazing.
April 13 Christine Rhein 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've read two of her poems (both about the second World War). I'm partial to prose poems and poems based on family history, so I'm looking forward to hearing her.
April 20 Ruelaine Stokes 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've interacted with Ms. Stokes a few times around campus, mostly during Center for Poetry events. She's a great technical writer and I hear she's also a good teacher.
April 23 Diane Wakoski and Jerome Rothenberg 4:30 pm MSU Library
I've seen Ms. Wakowski give poetry readings and lectures, and both were tons of fun. One of my favorite things to hear about is her interactions with other poets, so I'm interested in seeing her read with Mr. Rothenberg. It's hard for me to pick out a favorite Wakoski poem, but I love "Blue Monday." It's a perfect break-up poem.
All of these events are free and open to the public, so even if you're not currently a Spartan, you can hear these poets read. There are some other events going on this month that are poetry or creative writing related, and once I get a chance, I'll try to post some information. Hope to see you around.
April 6 Steve Healey 7 pm RCAH Theatre
Dr. Healey was one of my professors last semester, and I can guarantee that he is one of the nicest and mellow people around. He was a wonderful professor, and I'm really sad I'm not in his class anymore. I'm excited to hear his poetry because everyone tells me that his book Earthling is amazing.
April 13 Christine Rhein 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've read two of her poems (both about the second World War). I'm partial to prose poems and poems based on family history, so I'm looking forward to hearing her.
April 20 Ruelaine Stokes 7 pm RCAH Theatre
I've interacted with Ms. Stokes a few times around campus, mostly during Center for Poetry events. She's a great technical writer and I hear she's also a good teacher.
April 23 Diane Wakoski and Jerome Rothenberg 4:30 pm MSU Library
I've seen Ms. Wakowski give poetry readings and lectures, and both were tons of fun. One of my favorite things to hear about is her interactions with other poets, so I'm interested in seeing her read with Mr. Rothenberg. It's hard for me to pick out a favorite Wakoski poem, but I love "Blue Monday." It's a perfect break-up poem.
All of these events are free and open to the public, so even if you're not currently a Spartan, you can hear these poets read. There are some other events going on this month that are poetry or creative writing related, and once I get a chance, I'll try to post some information. Hope to see you around.
Friday, March 19, 2010
“Your war drums ain’t louder than this breath.”
One of the many things I do in my spare time is work for MSU’s Center for Poetry. I love it. It’s been a good opportunity to meet a lot of talented people, and I think it may have rubbed off on me.
Tonight, we had Suheir Hammad perform for us. We don’t do a lot of slam poetry at the Center, but it’s always a nice change of pace.
Hammad was amazing. I’m always impressed by a good slam poet (I’m looking at you, Shane Koyczan and Mos Def). I love that she was not afraid to by funny or silly. And I loved that she wrote poetry about women. Slam poetry, at least in my mind, is a male dominated art, and sometimes I see slam pieces that hate on women (And for that, I’m looking at you, Kanye.) Her last poem in particular, she asked us, as an audience, to imagine “the feminine.” I imagined my Feminism class, how we’re reading French Feminism that talks about that. And I thought about women. The poem was about women who are broken, and I couldn’t help but think about every woman I’ve seen make her body up like she’s her own doll, and how every time she comes home she doesn’t feel any better.
If you ever get a chance to see her, do it. You’ll be glad. You’ll walk out feeling stronger.
Attached are a few videos are her. This one is incredible. Political poetry is so hard, but she totally pulls it off.
This next one is the poem she opened up on. I loved it. Again, such great alliteration. It’s a perfect combination.
“Your war drums ain’t louder than this breath.”
The only thing I would say about these videos is that she is much more intense live. I was sitting less than three feet away from her, and when she looked into my eyes, I know she saw everything.
Tonight, we had Suheir Hammad perform for us. We don’t do a lot of slam poetry at the Center, but it’s always a nice change of pace.
Hammad was amazing. I’m always impressed by a good slam poet (I’m looking at you, Shane Koyczan and Mos Def). I love that she was not afraid to by funny or silly. And I loved that she wrote poetry about women. Slam poetry, at least in my mind, is a male dominated art, and sometimes I see slam pieces that hate on women (And for that, I’m looking at you, Kanye.) Her last poem in particular, she asked us, as an audience, to imagine “the feminine.” I imagined my Feminism class, how we’re reading French Feminism that talks about that. And I thought about women. The poem was about women who are broken, and I couldn’t help but think about every woman I’ve seen make her body up like she’s her own doll, and how every time she comes home she doesn’t feel any better.
If you ever get a chance to see her, do it. You’ll be glad. You’ll walk out feeling stronger.
Attached are a few videos are her. This one is incredible. Political poetry is so hard, but she totally pulls it off.
This next one is the poem she opened up on. I loved it. Again, such great alliteration. It’s a perfect combination.
“Your war drums ain’t louder than this breath.”
The only thing I would say about these videos is that she is much more intense live. I was sitting less than three feet away from her, and when she looked into my eyes, I know she saw everything.
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