Hearing master poets a sheer pleasure at Jacksonville’s Southeast Library

Sunset over the St. John's River.

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Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of reading poetry with some of Jacksonville’s finest writers. The library’s Southeast Branch organized the “Meet the Poets” event, with Michael Platzer coordinating for the library. A driving force behind the event was Florida poet Bonny Barry Sanders (Touching Shadows, 2005) who helped assemble the poets and publicize the event.

We had great attendance. Part of the reason I think involved the sheer number of participating poets, 9 in all, each of us with a different voice and different approach to style. The whole evening was pleasurable, but some phrases and poems stuck in my mind. Sanders had a poem about wood smoke, comparing it to the scent of cinnamon. Dr. Charles Feldstein had a line where he juxtaposed the cage and the canary motif. Jean Shepherd in one of her poems likened walking into a rain forest to walking into a fig. Dorothy Fletcher (Zen Fishing and Other Southern Pleasures, 2005) took a unique approach. All the poems she read started with the letter, “L”, including one poem about a beauty queen descending on Florida from the Midwest. Michele Leavitt read a wonderfully constructed sonnet. And those are just the parts that come to the forefront of my brain—all the poets presented interesting work.

I read poems from my new collection Notes from a Florida Village, including an aubade I wrote for my husband.

As I sat there listening, I thought how this same scene might have played out in ancient times, only instead of sitting at a table with a mic, and sipping mini-bottles of water, our ancient bards would’ve been grouped around a fire, with drums thumping an undertone as the stories were told. Last night was like a gathering of the tribes. It was amazing to witness the talent in that room. The whole audience stayed; no one left early.

That tells you the poets were doing something right. And kudos to Michael Platzer for utilizing talent close to home as a poetry resource.

Steven Ratiner’s book a window into the soul of poets like Donald Hall

I recently had the pleasure of doing an interview with former U.S. poet laureate Donald Hall for The Writer. In the preliminary stages of setting up my questions, I searched for books and articles about Hall, who happens to be one of my favorite writers. I came across the book ‘Giving Their Word, Conversations with Contemporary Poets,’ by Steven Ratiner. In addition to interviews with Hall, Ratiner includes interviews with Mary Oliver, Charles Simic, Seamus Heaney, Marge Piercy and a number of other poets. Ratiner’s methods of questioning enable the reader to feel as though you’re sitting on a sofa watching an incredible conversation take place.

I’ve added this book to a small list of works I recommend to aspiring writers. Although the focus is on poetry and poetics, the insight inherent in each article is applicable to good writing in general. One of my favorite responses came from poet Mary Oliver. Ratiner asked her about a person who may be a “pivotal figure” a writer remembers.

“No,” Oliver responded, “I truly feel that the pivotal moments for me were reading poems. I can remember the original excitement when I read poems and thought, my goodness, these are not chronological—these do not happen on Wednesday and finish on Thursday. These happen over and over…And I want to do this too.”

Oliver says she didn’t even publish until her late 20s.

I’d highly recommend this book for writers at all levels. It’s perfect for teaching creative writing in the classroom. Ratiner seems to know exactly what to ask these accomplished writers in order to elicit the best, most helpful responses. The answers aren’t just great; the questions are as well.

Note: Read my interview with Donald Hall in the December issue of The Writer.

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Join me and other poets including Bonny Barry Sanders, Dr. Sharon Scholl, Michele Leavitt and others for "Meet the Poets" at the Jacksonville Public Library, Southeast Regional branch in Deerwood Park on Tuesday, November 6, at 7:30 p.m.

FCCJ’s International Education Week in November to feature poetry readings from acclaimed writers

Florida Community College’s Downtown Campus will host two acclaimed writers during International Education Week this November.

In celebration of International Education Week, the Downtown Campus of Florida Community College at Jacksonville will host Celia Lisset Alvarez and Marisella Veiga on November 19, 2007. Both writers will read selections from their works. A reception and book signing will follow the readings. The event is free and open to the public.

Ms. Alvarez is an award-winning poet, the author of two poetry chapbooks (Shapeshifting, Spire Press, 2006 and The Stones, Finishing Line Press, 2006) and an educator. She resides in Miami where she is Interim Director of the St. Thomas University Writing Center in Miami. Ms. Alvarez has held teaching positions at several Florida institutions including St. Thomas University, the University of Miami, Miami-Dade College and Florida International University. Her poetry, essays and reviews have been widely published and anthologized. Her reading will begin at 8PM.

Ms. Veiga’s writing includes news reporting, short fiction and poetry. She has written on a freelance basis for the past six years for clients such as the Washington Post, Hispanic Link News Service, Women’s Independent Press and Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. Ms. Veiga’s writing has been recognized with several honors including a Pushcart Prize Special Mention in Short Fiction (1996) and the Evelyn La Pierre Award for Journalism (2004). She has taught at Georgetown University and other colleges in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. She will read from her work beginning at 7PM.

Historically known as the “International” campus for its large multicultural student body, FCCJ’s Downtown Campus will celebrate International Education Week with a number of fun and educational events in concert with activities held at the College’s other campuses. The guest poets’ reading will climax the celebration of International Education Week.

FCCJ’s Downtown Campus is located at 101 West State Street in Downtown Jacksonville. The campus has been undergoing modernizations and the event will occur in the newly-renovated Auditorium on the First Floor.

The appearance of the two poets is made possible through an FCCJ Learning Communities Mini Grant.
(from FCCJ news release)