Westland Adult Poetry Group

New Website Up and Running

2010-10-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

Just to remind everyone, our new Writers Workshop blog is being hosted on Westland Library's new website. The address is the following:

http://www.westlandlibrary.org/read/workshop

Join us over there for more great local news regarding writers and writing in the Westland area. Cheers!

We're moving!

2010-09-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Westland Adult Poetry Group blog is moving to the safe havens of the new Westland Library website. We will also be taking on the new name of Writers Workshop blog, but we will posting information relevant to both the Writers Club and Writers Workshop (ohh, I just had an idea- maybe we should call it the Writers Blog, since it caters to both groups- I'll see what I can do). I will post the new address as soon as the website goes live (likely a week from Sunday).

Writers Workshop

2010-09-22T15:07:00.001-07:00

The 1st official meeting of the Writers Workshop met on Tuesday, Sept. 14th and was a small success. We had 5 members attend, 3 brand new to any of our Writers groups in the library. In attendance were John C., Jesse (both Fiction Group attendees), Dan, Jackie, and Remi.

We spent the first half of the meeting discussing the new guidelines of the Workshop, some of which include:

· 10 members maximum
· Any genre, any type of writing accepted
· All levels--experienced or inexperienced
· Who is our audience? This group!
· We are here to offer encouragement and to help improve and polish our work. If each piece is a baby, we're here to help it grow up and go out into the world.

If you would like more information about the Writers Workshop or the Writers Club (led by Cheryl Vatcher-Martin), stop by or call the library and ask for me, Andy.

The next Writers Workshop is scheduled on Wednesday, October 12th from 7-8:30 p.m. (Meeting Room C) Ask Andy for copies of the submissions if you have not yet received them.

The next Writers Club is this coming Monday, September 27th from 7-8 p.m. (Meeting Room B) Bring your submissions along with you.

Kerrytown Bookfest- Ann Arbor

2010-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd pass along this link for those of you interested in meeting Michigan authors and reading books about Michigan, the Kerrytown Bookfest happening on Sunday, September 12th.

http://www.kerrytownbookfest.org/

Mystery authors Steve Hamilton and Loren Estleman (this man spoke at my graduation from EMU- he is warm and funny and he knows his Detroit history) will be there, presenting and receiving awards, as well as talking, and poet Keith Taylor (who presented to our poetry group a year or so ago) will be interviewing author/poet, Thomas Lynch (whose life as a funeral home director provided much of the backdrop for the HBO series, "Six Feet Under"), among many other activities, including kids stuff.

Best of all, it is free and set in a pleasant area of Ann Arbor, off of campus but near some really great restaraunts and shops. Hope you can make it.

Elmore Leonard 's 10 Rules of Writing

2010-08-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

I came across this today and thought anybody who writes, poets or fiction writers, would find something useful in the crime and western writer's rules toward writing (even some things we've covered in our Fiction Writers group, like overuse of adverbs and extra long paragraphs):

http://www.elmoreleonardliteraryartsandfilmfestival.com/10rules.html

Cheryl at the Westland Borders

2010-08-26T12:54:00.001-07:00

Local author/instructor Cheryl Vatcher-Martin is having a book signing at the Westland Border's this Sunday , 8/29, starting at 1 p.m. Stop by and say hi to Cheryl, if you get a chance (she will be leading our new Writers Club, so this will be a good opportunity for newcomers to get a feel for her and her style).

I will not be able to make it as I am taking my way to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids to see a Dale Chihuly (glass artist) exhibit for her birthday (i'm not saying which one). Enjoy your weekend!

Members publishing books

2010-08-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

One of our poetry group members, Julie Moffitt, put together a book on blurb.com If you get a chance, check it out- it's gorgeous. It's called Winter Song (click the title to see the book).

I also recently saw that John Smolinski published a book at Jafansta press based on his favorite poetic form, the pantoun. It is called We Fight to Remember.

Great to see so many of our poets publishing their work (not to mention our Fiction Group, with John Capraro publishing many of his Science Fiction stories recently, as well as getting his YA book looked at by St. Martin's Press).

We've got some talented writers here!

August BBQ

2010-08-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

We had a small but engaged turn-out for our 2nd annual Writers BBQ (we included the fiction writers even though they tend to be a little long-winded- just kidding, ladies and germs). Pat once more manned the BBQ, spray-bottling and turning the chicken and the corn into a succulent mass of food. Everyone was beyond satisfied and satiated. Andy brought deserts (popsicles and fudge-pops) and the rest of the crew brought poems to read and share. In all, Cheryl and her husband, Gerry, Julie and her husband, Diana and a friend, Jesse (our fiction group representative), Pat, and myself were in attendance.

After sharing poems, I discussed the new writing groups for the fall (replacing our Fiction and Poetry Groups) with more/less critique oriented groups:

Writer's Club (a more casual, come when you can, bring what you have group led by Cheryl)

Writer's Workshop (more comprehensive critiques for improving your writing led by Andy)

Check the library or email me for updated schedules and times for each of the groups.

July Meeting

2010-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

We had a full group for our latest Poetry Group meeting: Patrick, Diana (plus one friend), Cheryl, Julie, Don, and Rundell. We even had the Detroit Creative Writing Examiner, Erica Martin, attend and participate in group critiques (see Erica's article on our program in the previous blog post).

Not everybody brought poems but Julie and Patrick brought enough for everyone :) Julie has begun writing haiku with Cheryl's direction and produced a prodigious amount in the short time she has started writing them. She also brought in her own more philosophical work (brought on by an incident at work) as well as an updated version of her haunted house poem.

Cheryl was so excited by Julie's new work that she read a few of her new haiku inspired by Emily Dickinson and tomatoes as well another of her works. We spent some time talking about Dickinson's life, as Julie is also a big fan of her work.

We read two of Patrick's poems that he had submitted earlier in the month, but he surprised us with two new poems, one titled "handsome" and all about what hands do (or don't do). This 5 pager was engaging and full of witty wordplay (as Patrick's poems are wont to do). The second poem was a short ditty about a goat with a longer story behind the work.

The group even conjured up an exquisite corpse poem. Don came in toward the end of our session but was still able to contribute some linesl. Talk to Andy if you'd like to see a copy of the project.

The Poetry BBQ has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 4th from 6-8 p.m. We are thinking about holding it at the park we had it at last year or another close by (to hopefully avoid mosquitoes) . We are inviting our friendly Fiction Group attendees, too, so if someone breaks into a story, you'll know where they came from. If you're interested in attending, please give me (Andy) $5 as Patrick will be buying the goods and cooking them up for us again. If you have something you'd like to BBQ yourself, just bring it along. Any questions talk to me. We'll also be talking about the fall sessions and a few changes taking place for the Fiction and Poetry groups.

Interview with Detroit Creative Writing Examiner

2010-07-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was interviewed by the Detroit Creative Writing Examiner, Erica Martin, regarding our Writing Programs here. She posted a brief article about our program at this address:

http://www.examiner.com/x-50963-Detroit-Creative-Writing-Examiner

If you're interested in reading the full interview/article, let me know and I will give you a copy at our next meeting. I will see about posting it on our website, too, in case it is easier for folks to look up that way.

June meeting

2010-07-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

I neglected to post for our last meeting until nearly the time for our next meeting (next Wednesday, 7/7 from 7-8 p.m. Geez, 7's sure seem lucky there, maybe one of us will win the lottery). Sorry, blame it on music and movies and Summer Reading Program business on my part.

We had 6 members attend, including Patrick, Cheryl, Diana, Julie, and Don, as well as one new member whose name has been lost to a month of library (and 1 year old) activity. I apologize sincerely to above-namelessed poet, but will be sure to catch all names next week.

Patrick, being his usual prolific self, brought in a number of works for us to peruse (I say "peruse" b/c we often move speedily from one to the next). Don did not bring in any poems but recounted a lengthy evening at the Westland July 4th fairgrounds with his nephew. Diana, as I recall, did not bring in any new works, but offered her opinion on many subjects from police/medical neglect to sheer wonder. Julie brought in new works- her natural poems offer much equanimity.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

2010-06-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

A really eye-opening article about the services libraries provide for all of us:

Opportunity and Access: The power of today's public libraries

Just thought I would pass this along in lieu of recent events instigated by the city's desire to charge the library rent.

Gathering of Writers

2010-06-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

"A Gathering of Writers" celebrates its 8th anniversary of open mics and poetry readings by hosting Amy Gerold of Grand Rapids on Thursday, June 17th starting at 7:30 (open mic to start, featured reader to follow) . Readings are held at the Plymouth Coffee Bean (884 Penniman Ave. in Plymouth)

Long time, no post

2010-05-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I sincerely apologize for not posting more lately. Running all these programs has me lacking on some of my more enjoyable duties. But I do have lots of good news to report like ...

and also this ....

This was the turn-out for our "Westland Writes" Poetry Reading last night. It turns out that almost 60 people showed up to hear our poets read their work- and the audience reviews were raving (well, that sound too close to "stark raving mad", but suffice to say their were excited). We ran out of chairs, people overflowed into the aisles- and the food was great! 14 of the 19 poets who contributed to the book came to read their works, which was delightful. To actually hear the poems in the poet's voice is something beautiful. If you could not make it, you missed out.

Next week we're having our first Poetry Group of the summer, Wednesday June 2nd at 7 p.m. While it would be great if we had 60 people show up to that one, we'd probably have to have find a new format :) Hope to see you all there!

Chico's Muse and Blues

2010-03-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is from our buddy, Chico Hernandez. Hope you all can attend.

------------------------------------------------------

Friends,

My Irish friends tell me St. Paddy's Day fun does NOT end on the 17th.

Come celebrate some more on the 27th. Several of the finer Blues Performers from the Metro area will entertain us. As always, we feature an Open Mic / Open Jam, where all Writers, Musicians, Singers, etc., ALL, Performers are welcome.

Our new venue is at City CoffeeHouse in Allen Park just west of Southfield Road on Allen Road.

Actual start time is 7 PM [ flyer states 8 but it is in error ]

see you there

Rogelio "Chico" Hernandez

ARTSPEAK

April Poetry Book

2010-03-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

In celebration of April being National Poetry Month ...

Anyone interested in getting their poems published in the second annual "Westland Writes ... Poetry" book, should contact me when they get a chance. Starting April 1st, we will have a box out by the 15 minute Internet stations near the Reference desk for anyone to drop off poems. If you can't make it in, you can just email them to me (which is generally easier for me since I don't have to type them).

The deadline for submissions to this book will be: Saturday, April 24th at 5 p.m.

We will have a reading in May for all who contributed (date/time TBA).

March Group Meeting

2010-03-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

We had a small crowd this time around, but that just meant more time was spent discussing the poetry (which I enjoy). Patrick, Diana, and Don shared their work with us.

Don started out by discussing a poetry group he used to belong to here in Westland, which was run out of a coffee/gift shop, but eventually the shop had to close down. He brought in copies of the anthology they created (though Don didn't add any poems to the anthology, he did add his workman's aesthetic to the construction of the book, which, instead of being held together with binding clips, was held in place by nuts, bolts, and washers. It looked really great). The coffee shop part got me to thinking about having our summer group over at Biggby on Ford Road, since they have a patio (though the patio is right on Ford Road).

Patrick brought in two poems, one a direct response to my email query for blues poems, the other a philosophy of poetry. Both poems were infused with Pat's characteristic humor and subtle subversion ("Boss Man Andy" was referenced in the blues poem). In his "Philosophy" poem, Pat posited: "IT IS HOW IT IS PUT / IT IS HOW IT IS SAID / LITTLE OF TONGUE / MOSTLY OF HEART / BUT / CRAFTED, A BIT ..." We all liked that one a lot.

Diana tried the other exercise I sent out, automatic writing (an old Beat Generation trick to get a lot of writing down with spontaneous energy to it). Diana succeeded at this in creating a work about her grandchildren eating out with her, a great setting for spontaneous, contradictory energy. A favorite line: "she is a tomboy and a tumbler so whatever he throws her way is okay with her."

Don performed two of his works and we talked a fair amount about how to best memorize your poems. Rhyme certainly helps, I suggested, and Don agreed, as most of his poems are written this way (though not his birth dream poem, which he began to recite to show us). The man has an incredible memory.

February Group Meeting

2010-02-24T15:19:00.001-08:00

I apologize for getting to this so late- it kind of slipped out of my mind and set up residence in a small dustball by my memoir writing folder, but it finally snuck back in. So here we go: we had many of our usual suspects bring new work in as well as 2 newcomers who showed artful eyes for detail and commentary.

Diana, Patrick, Don, and Cheryl were our regulars. Diana, as usual, brought along her skewering wit (at least for those she's had relationships with). Patrick showed off his unusual flair for witty short verse. Don brought down the house with a couple more of his performed poems (one was his JonBenet work, which always brings sympathy and cringes). Cheryl brought more of her vivid haiku, which flow right out of her pen as easily as breath.

Elsa was one of our newcomers and she brought domestic poems happening both in and out her house. One was about how her dog always seems to be everywhere you are, even tho she didn't see/hear him coming. I cannot remember our 2nd new group member's name at this time, but she did go beyond the superficial in commenting on both Don and Patrick's work- and an honest, thoughtful critique is always appreciated.

New Writing Group

2010-01-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

This posting came to me via Ann E. Horvath, from the Plymouth Gathering of Writers series.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to write but never joined a writing group? Are you already writing memoir/ travel pieces/essays and/or poetry? Want to start new work or get published? This class is right for you! Spend six stimulating evenings with us. Winter won’t seem bleak anymore! Participants receive prompts/reading material, write a piece each week, receive feedback from the class and guidance from the instructor --Zilka Joseph, an award winning, Pushcart- nominated writer.

WHERE: At the Valley Ranch Apartments Clubhouse, 1315 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. (Behind Meijers on Ann Arbor-Saline Road.)

FEES: Non members -- $150. Members -- $100
Metro Detroit Writers’ Membership fee --$40. You will receive a monthly newsletter and free entry to an annual contest, readings and performances, special rates for workshops by visiting writers, and discounts for the Springfed Writers’ Retreats in Harbor Springs.

CONTACT: Director of Springfed Arts, John D. Lamb at www.springfed.org
email johndlamb@ameritech.net
Phone 248-589-3913.Register early! Space limited.

*Zilka Joseph, teacher and writer, has been published in journals such as Review Americana, Rattle, the MacGuffin, and the Connecticut River Review, andnominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her chapbook of poems Lands I Live In, wasnominated for a PEN America Beyond Margins Award in 2007. She was awarded a Zell Fellowship to pursue an MFA at the University of Michigan, where she won the Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship and a Hopwood award.Currently, she is circulating a book of poems, collaborating on a project with a photographer and a dancer, and working on a memoir.

Action for Earth

2010-01-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

If anybody knows Westland families with kids in K-8th grade, here's a great environmental/art program happening at the library:

Action for Earth is an innovative environmental and art program combining the hands-on science of the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, the art of area children, and a community-wide environmental event to raise awareness in the Westland community of environmental awareness.

Families with children in K-8th grade that sign up will need to commit to 4 events (all on Saturdays), all held at the Westland Public Library except for the March 20th event:

Jan. 30th, 1-2 p.m.: Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Workshop titled "Good Earth, Great Food" (more info on these workshops on the website);
Feb. 27th, 1-2 p.m.: Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Workshop titled "The Uninvited" (about non-native plant species);
March 20th, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.: Community Event involving seed-planting for the new Westland Community Garden (event held at the Bailey Center); and,
March 20th, 12-5 p.m.: Environmental art creation and collection at library (don't have to stay for full 5 hours, only as long as art is created). All pieces of art work will be incorporated into a mural/mosaic that will be donated to the library.

There are 5th and 6th events on Earth Day that we would love the families to attend, but are not requiring them:

5. April 22nd, 4-5 p.m.: Grand opening of new Westland Community Gardens (will be located near AT&T building on Cherry Hill and Hix); mayor will be there, press, etc. Should be fun.
6. April 22nd, 6:30-8 p.m.: Earth Day concert at the library featuring the Biakuye Percussion Ensemble. All children who create art for the March 20th event will receive a free poster of the library mural so they can show off their artwork to family and friends.

Feel free to pass out my email (andy.schuck@westlandlibrary.org) or call me if people have questions which are not answered here. Thanks!

Rent-a-reviewer

2010-01-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

I came across this today as I was reading another poet's poem: it's a writing service through Dzanc Books in Ann Arbor where you can email your work to a professional reviewer and they will give you an honest opinion about where it needs work.

The rates are totally reasonable (20 bucks for an hour, 30 bucks for two hours) and go from Fiction to Poetry to Novel-writing. Plus all the proceeds go to the non-profit organization's writing program. Almost too good to be true. I am intrigued.

Anybody who tries let us know how it goes (if I don't beat you to it first!). Here's the website:

http://www.dzancbooks.org/creative.html

Gathering of Writers- Plymouth

2010-01-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

I normally send these to everyone in an email but thought that since I received so early I might as well put it in a place where it couldn't be erased. Come February, check out the Gathering of Writers in Plymouth at that awesome little coffee shop that could (and can- and will), the Coffee Bean. Here's the featured author info, c/o Ann E. Horvath (email me if you would like her email address):

A GATHERING OF WRITERS FEATURES: MARY JO FIRTH GILLETT

(PRESENTER: OLGA KLEKNER)

Thursday, 02-18-2010 at 7:30 P.M Mary Jo Firth Gillett poetry book Soluble Fish, won the Crab Orchard Series First Book Award and she's also published three prize-winning chapbooks: Not One (The Writer's Voice of Metro Detroit), Tiger in a Hairnet (Small Poetry Press), and Chandeliers of Fish (Poetry West Press). She co-edited with Diane DeCillis an anthology of Mona Lisa related poetry titled Mona Poetica. A Gathering of Writers Meets at the Plymouth Coffee Bean, 844 Penniman Avenue, Plymouth, MI and is associated with the writing group -- A Gathering of Writers Write. Instructor: Ms. Lisa Rye, MFA, Vermont College and assistant Co-Host. Hosts: Jane Saylor, Donna MeMeyer. - No cover charge. Open Mic. All are welcome. Direct questions to Director Annie Horvath CLOSED JANUARY, JULY, AND AUGUST.

Favorites of 2009

2009-12-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would put a shout out to all my favorite books and CDs of 2009:

Favorite Fiction book (adult): Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago
Favorite Non-Fiction book: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Favorite new Poetry Book: My Index of Slightly Disturbing Knowledge by Paul Guest
Favorite newly re-discovered poet: The Dream Songs by John Berryman
Favorite non-fiction book about poetry: Close Calls with Nonsense: Reading New Poetry by Stephen Burt
Favorite Rock CD (tie): The Bootleg Series, no. 8: Tell Tale Signs by Bob Dylan; Microcastle by Deerhunter; and Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Favorite Jazz CD: The Bright Mississippi by Allen Toussaint
Favorite Young Adult Fiction: Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
Favorite Young Adult Non-Fiction: Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose

Please add your favorites in the comment section.

Hope you all have a great holidays- see you in the new year!

Winter 2010 Meetings

2009-12-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe 2010 is already here, but I have scheduled our Winter meetings for January through April (tho it better not be winter here come April).

All of our meetings fall on the first Wednesday of the month, so even if you forget the dates, it should be easy enough to remember. They go as follows:

Wed., January 6th from 7-8 p.m.
Wed., February 3rd from 7-8 p.m.
Wed., March 3rd from 7-8 p.m.
Wed., April 7th from 7-8 p.m.

Keep up the writing and check out some of our poetry books if you get a chance. The Best American Poetry for 2009 just came out. I haven't had a chance but it looks to include some oldie but goodies (Michigander Phillip Levine, Mary Oliver, Bob Hicock, John Ashberry) and some darn impressive newbies (Matthew Zapruder and Kevin Young- even he tho he appeared in last year's). It's in the New Non-Fiction section in front of the Reference Desk.

Favorite Lines from last night's meeting

2009-12-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Instead of recapping like I normally do, I thought I would put some of my favorite lines from last night's session (I won't include the complete poem, just in case some were worried about others copying their work). If anybody would like to add their favorite lines or comment on my favorites, please feel free.

Patrick: "The disturbing part / Is that it sometimes itches / And it sometimes pains / Man it can pain / So it's not very fair / Especially at the first / To gave that spooky tense scare ..."

Teri: "I've worked / hard enough / it's funtime / that's overdue."

Cheryl: "Husband retires / Lots of free time ahead ..."

John S.: "Like the Walmart Greeter on meds / Dressed in vest of retail red / Grins ear-to-ear showing teeth / Between the consumer the addiction / And the cheap imported relief ..."

Diana: "I could barely catch my breath at the conclusion / I was in a state of shock and mild confusion."

Plus Don did a spoken word performance of one of his poems and also read one that he had revised from last month's meeting.

All in all, it was great to see everyone and hear what they've been working on. Diana said she might even bring lemon bars next month- that would be the price of attending!

November meeting

2009-11-10T09:43:00.001-08:00

Our meeting this month was accentuated by a very special treat. John K. saw a recent article in the Westland Observer about how the library has to do more with less and decided to take it upon himself to make desert for all Poetry Group participants. This wasn't a box of donuts or store-bought cake, either (nothing I would shake a stick at), but chocolate chip waffles with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, all topped with chocolate sauce (I had to ask where the cherries were, but of course I was only joking). After our group meeting, John made the leftover batter into treats for tempted staff members and patrons. It was delightful! Thanks, John.

Onto the meeting, ... I was plenty sugared-up to tackle this month's work. We had received two poems prior to the meeting, one each from John S. and Diana. John's abstract work was the result of his time spent on the phone with an ex-, who was in a poor relationship. It had a great, opposable, tangled up energy to it with many succinct images. He talked afterwards about his interest in Language and Post-Language poetry and suggested an article from FlashPoint for those who didn't have a clue re: what he was talking about:

http://www.flashpointmag.com/postlang.htm

Diana brought her usual sense of humor and individuality to the meeting, symbolized by the two works she brought and read. One was about the seniors she lives with (she is also one) who seem to have lost their vigor and creativity, cajoling (some would even say reprimanding) them to take a new look at their lives. She also wrote a humorous poem about her ex (we had a theme going, i guess) called "Ode to Load". Great work, Diana.

John K. brought a couple of mythic works in which were engaging for all; Patrick brought his usual good humor but also a short play from he was requisitioned to do for his church (with lots of interesting yet subtle symbolism). Don also recited some of his work (he got in the habit of memorizing it and presenting it b/c he feeds off the energy people bring to their listening, but he had to read this one and still did a wonderful job).

Looking forward to next month's meeting on December 2nd @ 7 p.m. We have an Open Mic this week, too, on Thursday, November 12th. Show up and read some poems or whatever you're working on. See you in the library.

Treveling to see the Poetic Travelers

2009-10-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Diana, Patrick, and myself went out to fine Ferndale to listen to one of our very own Poetry Group members give a career retrospective of his poetic work. John Smolinski was asked to join the Poetic Travelers after an open mic at the Scarab Club in Detroit. The art was intriguing- i saw some great lithographs and even a book created out of only lithographs (which was pretty cool since this is a medium my wife works in). Things got started with an open mic and the Westland Poetry Group showed up strong with Patrick and myself giving the Ferndale art crowd a taste of just what it is we do out here. Then the main readers got started, with John starting off and a great, social Detroit poet, Nathaniel Scott bringing his musical eye to the stage.

John's work ranged from the list poem to the descriptive meal poem (we all got hungry hearing him talk about pork chops) to the ethereal and abstract work of his patouns and other form poems. It was funny that all the formality of those works actually gave John a chance to explore more expansive and less concrete themes- and was a perfect follow-up to the rich description he offered in his earlier poems. This man has lived and experienced so much- everyone who was there got a little sense of that.

If anybody ever gets a chance to see/hear Nathaniel Scott, you must make your way out. The man builds a great ear for rhythm with a great eye for detail to make some of the most engaging poems you've heard. Reading them is one thang- hearing them (and Nathaniel's uncompromisin, no nonsense attitude) are worth the venture out.

See you all next month (11/4 at 7 p.m.).

Cheryl's book signings at Border's

2009-10-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm happy to announce that one of our group members, Cheryl Vatcher-Martin, will be signing her book at a number of different events throughout October. See below for more information or contact me for her email address and she will send you information directly (message below).

------------------------------------------

Hi Andy,

I just thought I'd say hello..............I've written three novels over the past three years during NaNoWriMo. I've participated since 2004 and it is a great way to write!!

I'll be dropping off my artwork for my second solo art exhibit at the Flat Rock Library Wednesday evening, so I may not see you at the poetry group.

I do have an upcoming Borders Express book signing on Sunday Oct 18th at the Westland store from 1-3pm. On Sat. the 17th I'm at the Southgate Borders Express store in Southgate from 2-4pm. On the 31st I'll be at the Borders Express in Livonia, from 1-3pm.

For my complete schedule of events for Borders and Barnes & Noble, please send me an e-mail for dates.......

Best,

Cheryl

Maxwell's Artist Refuge (Garden City)

2009-09-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing a lot of great things about this open mic and place for artists, Maxwell's in Garden City. they often have an Open Mic. I think it would be a great place for those of us to make connections to other artists and mediums (you never know who/what will show up and how they will inspire your work). Take a look:

http://www.lawrencestreetgallery.com/

Newest Poetic Traveler comes from Westland

2009-09-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

Contrats to John S., who has been asked to be a member of the Poetic Travelers, a group of performing poets out of Detroit. He had been asked to join the group after a stirring performance at the Scarab Club (Detroit) Open Mic last month. Way to go John! Here is a link to the Ferndale joint PT is based out of:

http://www.lawrencestreetgallery.com/

Apparently they read every 3rd Friday of the month. John said he might be reading in October.

September Meeting

2009-09-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

We had another great turnout for our September meeting, including two newcomers, Don and ... (sorry, I'm blanking on his name as it's been a couple of weeks). We were treated to not only gritty, hard-earned lessons and metaphors, but also great stories of the past leading up to the present words they had for us. Don read one and then performed called "Centerpoint". This second one is a stirring story about, among other things, a tree. If you don't believe a tree can be stirring, then you should hear Don perform this beautiful, harrowing, and image-filled poem (with a larger room and a bigger audience, he did just that at last night's Open Mic). Our other newcomer gave us a real life rendition of a Johnny Cash- and transcended that. Stories of a rough life and rough lessons, all set to a great song-like rhythm. Thanks guys for the breath of fresh (though not in the "fresh" way most people think) air- and we hope they keep writing and keep coming back.

We had the rest of the usual suspects show up to give us a look/listen at their current work: John S. (new, rhythmically based works), John C. (a tightly wound mystery poem), Patrick (a plethora of madcap works), Diana (family ode), and Cheryl (our master haiku artist). Diana and Don even came to the library Open Mic last night to spread the wealth to others. Great job, everyone. Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 7th at 7 p.m.

See you then!

Poetry BBQ

2009-08-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who made last night's meeting/BBQ such a big success! Patrick, whose great idea this was, made the extra-large effort in scoping out the meeting place, planning the menu, cooking for the hungry, BBQ-eatin' poets, and even writing a few poems for everyone to read and listen to. He said he's become much more prolific in his writing recently (thanks in small part to the group), but how he pulled it all off and still had the time to right, no one knows. Thanks, Pat!

John S. read a legend about the werewolf of Grosse Pointe (it had a catchy French name which I can't remember right now, except the first part was "lupo", which as John C. pointed out is derived from the latin for "wolf"). He picked up the book for a dollar in a local used book store in Dearborn- there are so many treasures out there and these stores (or your library!) are great places to find them.

Connie read a couple of her latest, including one about her newfound passion, working out, which has already found its way onto her gym's bullet board. When she is moved (literally and emotionally, now), she writes. Great work, Connie!

Diana read two new pieces. One fun, abstract teaser which jumped consciousness from animal to animal, while still holding onto D's personality. The other was an adaptation of the assignment for last month's session, though I might have still been chewing on my brownie to remember all that it was about.

An oldie but newbie member, Nandi, signed up quick for this when she saw BBQ was part of the program, though her poems about the deaths of her grandmother and father were so touching and so real, everyone was moved. She has a way with speaking, too, that draws everyone in; a voice of such certainty, you believe everything she writes (b/c in person, she's awfully nice).

Patrick had a number of works for everyone to read, and while we couldn't get to them all, the highlight was a lampooning of John C.'s recent news of getting one of his SF stories published. Everyone laughed and felt the good-natured ribbing- though John was not quite ready to don the cape and cigar and high-falutin attitude.

I read a poem I turned up from years back that i had re-tooled recently. It is set to a walk to the lake with my sister's dog. It was somber and the last poem of the night, so everybody rushed to help Patrick pack up and escape the mosquito attack we had been trying to thwart.

John S. made a small book of pantouns on Lulu.com. If anybody is interested in self-publishing their own books, they should have a look at his and talk to him more. (I can talk to you about Blurb.com, if you're interested)

Photos from the Universal Circles concert, 7/16/09

2009-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

John and Sean working some improvisational soundscapes. Check out all of John's instruments. He came ready to play!

What a great setting for some ambient space tribal music! It was transcendtal, guys.

July meeting

2009-07-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

Our July 1st meeting brought out 8 poets who braved the torrential rain and circumnavigated around the city parade to get to us and share their work and ideas. John C. ("i'm not a poet but I write darn good rhymed poetry") started the meeting by telling us he had a story published in Down in the Dirt magazine. You can read the online version at http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/framesmain.pl?writers and pick up a paper version in December. Way to go, John!

Diane started with her object poem about a table her sister, now deceased, made. It was a touching tribute full of feeling and loss. Bernie then read a poem about her daughters from her published book. She preceded her reading with an extended explanation of the events surrounding the poem. For some, this took away from her reading which was unfortunate b/c it was such a beautiful poem.

A spirited discussion began after a new member, Dan (?) talked about the rawness of some poetry and how it is alive for the writer in the moment that it is written and that no amount of critique could change that raw energy and spirit. John S. countered that some poems need a certain amount of emotional distance from the writer in order to better convey to an audience the emotion in the poem. Dan suggested that poems he wrote he wrote for himself and it was important to be able to say the things he did- and not have anyone judge him for those. We agreed that there is value in that, and only added that we were here to help others write their poems through support and positive critique.

John S. and Patrick read longer works of theirs, John's based on some objects he found on a spirit hike through New Mexico hills, and Patrick's about the anxiety of waiting for a date that never showed. Connie brought in a poem of hers that she wrote for a co-worker having a hard time (she finds her inspiration in writing for others and has been exploring how to share her works in the greeting card industry).

Next month's meeting will be on Wednesday, August 12th at 7 p.m. Contact me (andy.schuck@westlandlibrary.org) if you would like a copy of the writing assignment handed out at the July meeting. As usual, the writing assignment is there just to get you started, it is not required.

Keep writing and see you at the library!

June meeting

2009-06-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, this was the meeting we were all waiting for! Basking in the light of our recent poetry reading, there was a total of 10 poets who showed up to read and critique poetry and discuss publishing routes for prospective poets and writers.

It was a bang up night with everyone contributing at least one or more poems. There were so many highlights, it is hard to know where to start: Patrick read a bunch of great haiku and (Bob) Dylan-esque poems and word play; Cheryl read a number of her master haiku; John S. read some earlier poems and offered plenty of useful critiques; John C. read some poems in the midst of creation and offered some useful help for those wishing to publish; Bernadette brought in her book of poems and read a few touching excerpts; Linda resolved to hunker down on her writing during these trying times (and everyone seconded that!); Connie got information about submitting her poetry to greeting cards; and so much more.

Everyone had fun and felt encouraged to keep on writing. I handed out an exercise using description about an object brought home from travel (email me if you would like a copy- andy.schuck@westlandlibrary.org).

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, July 1st from 7-8 p.m. Keep writing and hope to see you there!

Westland Reads Poetry!

2009-05-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of the writers who made our 1st annual Westland Writes Poetry book a huge success. Thank you as well to all of the contributing writers who came out to read their work. It was a lot of fun to hear the poems in each of the author's voice (especially for me since i spent so much time formatting the publication and reading and re-reading poems to make sure they came out looking as spectacular as they came in).

It was also fun to meet all of the writers and see them all interact after the reading (it was as if we all collectively thought, "there's more of us here than i thought"). There were many happy faces at the sight of the book and the author's name and words in print- family and friends enjoyed it, but the authors were certainly the proudest.

We even had the added bonus (some might say nerve-wracking or hair-raising bonus) of WLND filming the event and promising a production DVD for the library and also to air on cable access. So look for it in the library soon- and I promise to let you know as soon as I do when it will come out on cable. (if you would like to check the WLND site yourself, you can do this at: http://ci.westland.mi.us/communityrelations/32.html

I hope this event serves to propel the monthly poetry group forward and upward. I really feel like there is so much talent that can be shared and nurtured here that it'd be a shame for us to keep it to our individual selves. Our next poetry group is scheduled for next Wednesday, June 3rd (Meeting Room C, maybe we can explode out of our tiny space there).

There has been talk of creating a Fiction writing group here. If anybody else is interested, please email me (at andy.schuck@westlandlibrary.org) or add a comment here.

Westland Writes ... Poetry reading date set

2009-05-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

We will be hosting a poetry reading for the Westland Writes ... Poetry book. It will be in the library on Thursday, May 21st at 6 p.m. (if the library looks like it is closed, that is true. This will be a special "after hours" event for all of our poets and their families and friends)

I am trying to get all of the contributors to confirm (so far, I have 12 and am waiting on 8 others). Everyone who has contributed will receive a book, too- if we get to hear you read it, so much better!

Hope to see you Thursday!

p.s. If you're looking for a new book of poetry to read, I would recommend two recent ones that I have read: Patricia Smith's "Blood Dazzler" which takes on various personas involved in the Hurricane Katrina disaster and puts them to beautiful ends in mainly rhyming poems; and Paul Guest's "My Index of Slightly Horrifying Knowledge", which reads like a cross between the Beat poets (Ginsberg kind of but closer to Ferlinghetti and Corso) and the New York poets (O'Hara's off the cuff, first-person sentiments with Ashberry's abstractness). Check them out!

Westland Writes ... Poetry

2009-05-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished editing for our annual poetry month book, "Westland Writes ... Poetry". Everybody who contributed a poem or two (at least 20 of you) will be receiving a copy of the book I created on www.blurb.com

If you want to take a look at it- or buy a copy b/c you forgot to submit a poem, but want a copy for your home- just go to the blurb website and type in our book name. We will be hosting a reading for those contributors (reading date TBA), but everyone is invited to come and listen. Keep your eyes and ears open for the date, which will hopefully happen before Memorial Day.

btw, the "Westland Writes ..." name is written like that b/c it is our hope to do books other than poetry in the future (memoirs, short fiction, etc.) and we can easily substitute the genre part after the "Westland Writes" part. Just fyi, if anyone wanted to know.

See you at our next meeting on Wednesday June 3rd from 7-8 p.m.

Ann Arbor Writer's Conference

2009-04-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

As part of the Ann Arbor Book Festival, the Ann Arbor Writers' Conference is hosting a whole slew of events for writers (mainly fiction, some non-fiction) who are looking to publish and improve their craft. Check out this website for more information:

http://www.aabookfestival.org/HTML/writers_conference_2009.htm

Most of the events require a fee and registration, so be sure to check on that before deciding to go. Cheers.

John's music

2009-04-04T09:17:00.001-07:00

here's a message from and link to John's latest musical foray (leave a comment on this page if you view it):

....Okay it's Monday morning and I'm back in the reality of the mundane world after journeying to the lower and upper realms of the netherworlds and non-ordinary reality. That pretty much describes AJ's Music Cafe at 2:00 in the morning through about 4:30 when I finally loaded out and made the still naturally musical performance high drive back home whence I cracked a beer to help ground me and finally crashed about 6:00 a.m...

For all ya'll who were present in Spirit, here are some highlights of our stae performance on You-Tube

Chow!

http://www.youtube.com/universalcirclesband

April is National Poetry Month!

2009-03-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody, we're celebrating National Poetry Month with a couple of great opportunities for you to show off your poetic chops- and even get yourself published.

The library is putting out a book of poems by Westland Library community members. Submit them to me at andy.schuck@westland.lib.mi.us or bring me in a paper copy by the end of the month (we may even post some weekly submissions at our display by the Reference Desk). See the library display for more information and fun, interactive poetic things to do in the library (yes, everyone whose poem is selected will receive a copy of the book and we will try to fit in everyone who submits).

We are also having a Teen Poetry Slam combined with an All Ages Open Mic on Friday, April 24th from 6:30-9 p.m. to give everyone a chance to read their poems out loud for a live audience. This one will not be taped by WLND, so those of you who are a little camera shy won't have to worry about being filmed.

Let me know if you have any questions at andy.schuck@westland.lib.mi.us or 734.326.6123.

Percussive John

2009-03-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

John, one of our Poetry Group stalwarts, is also a master percussionist and has passed along some music as well as the date of a show he is participating in in the next month. Check him out if you can in his various incarnations!

-----------------------------------------------------------
The 'Ambient-Percussive-Space' music project I (John Smolinski) am playing with 'Universal Circles' is playing the Assembly Line Concert at 2:00 a.m. March 28th (What better time for Space Music?) at AJs Music Cafe. The Assembly Line Concert is a tribute to the American Auto Worker. Shawn and I will be at AJs by midnight the 27th...For those who can't make it, but are denizens of the night, this event is being streamed on the internet:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-assembly-line-concert

For those who can make it, please reply to Ronda's (Shawn's lady) evite below, (tie-dye is optional though Ronda is hyping it for the video-taping, they seriously had to flatter me to get me to wear it, and I will be wearing a very muted tie dye...)

As well for the REAL late night (early morning?) crowd there is an after-gig party. Get those naps in on Friday!

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~shawndel/Universal_Circles_Band.html

Family, friends, co-workers, fellow musicians, supporters,

I re-entered the studio over this past weekend for session two with guitarist Shawn DeLoach of Ann Arbor, to explore more musical expressions within our project 'Universal Circles'. More complete and polished then session #1, which was our first collaboration and meeting and a rough mix, we did six recordings. Click on the link to hear the first three. These even have titles! Hope you enjoy these musical offerings.

John 'Juan' Smolinski

---------------------------------------

kudos also to John for his great performance at the March Open Mic at the library. They sounded great!

March Poetry Group

2009-03-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Cheryl Martin, who commandeered the last Poetry Group meeting for us! I didn't get a lot of details about the program but it sounded like Cheryl had a lot of fun with those who made it. Keep up your writing and hope to see you at the next Open Mic (this Thursday- 3/19- from 6:30-8 p.m.)

Blues and Muse

2009-03-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, here's a posting for another Open Mic in the area. It's happening Tuesday, March 23rd from 7-11 p.m. Sounds like fun:

Blues and Muse (hosted by Clay and Chico, AKA Los Desgraziados)
@ Maxwell's in Garden City
32416 Industrial Road
phone: 734.427.5300 ext. 7

Readings, gatherings

2009-02-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

A couple of events listed below (I used to teach and take classes at EMU in case you were wondering how I came across this). Annie Horvath runs a local writer's group in Plymouth that meets at a coffee house there. She has attended a couple of events here at the library to support our efforts and would love to have any of the Westland writers come to their events. Steven Dolgin, editor of The MacGuffin at Schoolcraft College, is their featured writer in March (not sure about February listed below).

*****************************************************

Please join us in welcoming Nicole Brossard to EMU Creative Writing Program's

BathHouse Events

NICOLE BROSSARD
March 2, 5:30 PM
Carillon Room, Halle Library
Eastern University
NICOLE BROSSARD was born in Montreal (Quebec). A poet, novelist and essayist, she published her first book in 1965. In 1965 she co-founded the influential literary magazine La Barre du Jour and in 1976 she co-directed the film Some American Feminists. She has published eight novels including Picture Theory, Mauve Desert, Baroque at Dawn, an essay "The Aerial Letter" and many books of poetry including Daydream Mechanics, Lovhers, Typhon dru, Installations, Musee de l'os et de l'eau. She has won the Governor General award twice for her poetry (1974, 1984) and Le Grand Prix de Poesie de la Foundation les Forges (1989 , 1999). Le Prix Athanase-David, which is for a lifetime of literary achievement, was attributed to her in 1991. That same year she received the The Harbour front Festival Prize. In 1994, she was made a member of L'Academie des Lettres du Quebec. Her work has been widely translated and anthologized. In 1998 she published a bilingual edition of an auto- fiction essay titled She would be the first sentence of my new novel/Elle serait la premiere phrase de mon prochain roman(1998).

Links to her work can be found here:
http://epc.buffalo.edu/authors/brossard

********************************************************
Title: A Gathering of Writers at the Plymouth Coffee Bean

Date: February 19, 2009

Description: A Gathering of Writers meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:30p.m. at the Plymouth Coffee Bean. Director Ann..."e" Horvath, Co-hosts: Lisa Rye, with selected guest hosts. Monthly features and an OPEN MIC. All are welcome. There is no charge. Email questions to Ann..."e" Horvath at poetanne40@aol.com

Address: 884 Penniman Avenue
Plymouth, MI 48170

February 2nd (Groundhog day) meeting

2009-02-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we keep drawing new folks to our poetry event, adding our first two "Johns" to the list, but we only had one of our regulars show up. Perhaps because we had it in a new room (Meeting Room C) and I did not have a chance to call others with all our programs going on during African American History Month. It's even taking me almost 2 weeks to post minutes to the meeting, so I apologize for that (but the AA History Month programs have been great!).

John and John (not related, but both musicians) brought some new perspectives to our poetry group. John (or "Juan") the percussionist gave us some great Native American vision quest poems written is his favorite form (not a sestina, but if you come to the next meeting you can ask him yourself). They both have a lively musical quality to them as well as excellent natural and, sometimes, supernatural images. John the singer/songwriter, who is more of a novelist than a poet but wanted to get some perspective on the poems he has written, showed us a couple of his poems. One depicted an ancient hex on a sailor in a dark and disturbing way; the other showed a loving, melancholy longing for youth and the times he had. Great efforts all around, guys!

Diane, our lone regular, brought a couple of her poems including one about a rascally squirrel and her bird lady neighbor. She's always finding characters to write about and bring to life through her rhymes and this was no small effort of hers.

Thanks to all who showed- we hope you all can make it for the Open Mic on 2/19 from 6:30-8 and our next Poetry Group on 3/2 from 7-8 p.m. Keep writing!

Valentine's poems

2009-02-12T05:08:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, I thought i would post this link to some great, non-Hallmark type cards you could give to loved ones on Valentine's day (using, of course, quotes from famous poems or poets). Check it out:

www.poets.org/valentine

Also, I will post a recap of the last meeting in a couple of days (i.e., when I am not at home). I have been in charge of a bunch of programs at the library this month and have fallen a little behind in my blogging. :)

Lift Up My Voice! poetry showcase

2009-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is participating in a poetry reading/open mic type of night scheduled below for African American and Gay poets. His name is Victor Walker and he will also be leading discussions of our two African American film series movies ("A lesson before dying" and "The Pact") this month. Check out the library events page for more information: http://westland.lib.mi.us/events/index.php

Here is the information about the poetry event:

Hello Community,Please share this info with your community members. For more information, please visit the links below. Thanks! Victor Walker

The Affirmations Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center celebrates Black History Month 2009 with "Lift Up My Voice!" A poetry showcase that highlights the diversity within the Black community through spoken word. A series of special and featured guests will perform poetry and spoken word that highlight the diversity, cultural relevance and significance of the black experience in America.Open Mic to follow.

This FREE event will be held Friday, February 20th from 6-9PM at Affirmations 290 West Nine mile Road Ferndale, MI. For more information, contact Knoll Larkin at 248-398-7105.

more Open Mic photos

2009-01-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

We have our host, Dave Boutette, playing during his turn in the round above, while Jael, resident teen poet and budding songstress listens. There is Katie to the left jamming a totally fun version of Pat Benatar's "Hit me with your best shot." Damon and Flair (right) played some lovely island music with jazzy, virtuosic flourishes. If you missed the first Open Mic, you definitely don't want to miss the next ones. We are sure to grow with talent like this showing up.

Open Mic - January

2009-01-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

Check it out! Well, those of you who weren't able to make it to our first Open Mic missed a great evening of poetry and music. We had 5 guitarists/singers show up, not including our wonderful host, Dave Boutette, a couple poets (including me), and a few interested audience members, including the Library's Director, Cheryl Napsha (who was impressed by attendance at this, our first, OM). You can see Dave playing one of his originals above, with Damon on accompaniment. There is Chris singing an old, haunting folk/country tune (Man already has his chops!) Exciting stuff- and more to come in February (Thur, 1/22 from 6:30- 8:30 p.m.) Bring your friends and family to the next- with poems!

January meeting

2009-01-21T08:58:00.001-08:00

Hi folks and thank you to all who showed up and brought poems to read and listen to. It seems the 7 o'clock hour is a better fit for most of our folks, so we're going to run with it through the spring. Connie, India, and Diane brought their work in featuring some lively rhymes and tender emotions.

We had a great discussion about feminist issues, dealing especially with abusive boyfriends and the victim's inability to break free of the relationship. A difficult issue, to be sure, but one which needed to be aired and discussed. Hope to have more discussions- and poetry!- dealing with this (and other issues you or your friends are encountering) in our future sessions.

Remember to show up for the coming Open Mic, if you can, to show support for the library and your fellow writers and artists. It should be a lot of fun with singer Dave Boutette

(http://www.myspace.com/daveboutettemusic) emceeing the event. January 22, 2009 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

In the mood for Christmas and Poetry ...

2008-12-17T07:09:00.001-08:00

Hi folks, if you're in the Christmas mood, I've found a couple of links for poems to read and share. Check them out (and be the literary life of the party!):

http://poets.org/page.php/prmID/403

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/tool.poem.occ.1.html?id=27

Hope you all have a fine holiday season with your family and friends. If you don't have much money to spare, remember you can always give the gift of poetry (your own or one of your favorites on some nice stationary). See you in the new year! (at our new meeting time)

Winter meetins

2008-12-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, I've finally figured out our winter schedule and we're going nocturnal! Yep, we're going to try one Monday night a month to see if attendance rises, because while I've enjoyed my time with each and every one who has attended, we could really use larger numbers- for the sake of everyone involved. So the Winter dates will be the following:

Monday, January 5th: 7-8 p.m.
Monday, February 2nd, 7-8 p.m.
Monday, March 2nd, 7-8 p.m.
Monday, April 13th, 7-8 p.m.

And don't forget about the monthly Open Mics the library will hold after hours on:

Thursday, January 22nd: 6:30-8 p.m.
Thursday, February 19th: 6:30- 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 22nd: 6:30 - 8 p.m.
and our first ever Teen and Adult Poetry Slam, on Friday, April 24th: (time TBD)

The January and March Open Mic sessions will be emceed by singer-songwriter Dave Boutette (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=27390844), a witty and fun entertainer in his own right. The February session will be emceed by singer-songwriter, John Latini (http://www.myspace.com/johnlatini).

VOLUME Youth Poetry Project

2008-12-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Fresh off the press, check it out if you're around.

PRESS RELEASE

The VOLUME Youth Poetry Project at the Neutral Zone presents the eight annual Poetry Night in Ann Arbor on Thursday, December 11, 2008. This year’s electric celebration of written and spoken word features nationally renowned poets Marty McConnell and Tim Seibles (See below for more information on the poets) plus a special return guest appearance by Paco, the 2003 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Champion, a former U-M Poetry Slam Champion and Ann Arbor Citywide Grand Slam Poetry Slam Champion now teaching mathematics in New York City. In addition, the night will showcase vaunted writers from the Neutral Zone’s nationally recognized VOLUME Youth Poetry Project and collegiate poets from the local spoken word troupe Ann Arbor Wordworks.

The show will take place in the Rackham Auditorium @ 915 E. Washington St. Doors open at 6:15pm. Show starts at 7pm.

Event: Poetry Ni ght in Ann Arbor VIII

Date and Time: Thursday, December 11, 2008 @ 7pm. Doors open @ 6:15.

Location: Rackham Auditorium at 915 E. Washington St.

Tickets: $5 for students of any kind in advance; $7 at door

$10 for general public in advance; $12 at door

· contact Jeff Kass @ eyelev21@aol.com or 734-223-7443

to reserve tickets at advance price.

Contact info: Jeff Kass (event organizer) 734-223-7443 or eyelev21@aol.com

December group meeting

2008-12-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, it hardly seems like it's been a month since our last poetry meeting- but that's what Thanksgiving and the holidays will do for you. We had one new member show, Gerry, and one new member from our last session, Linda, there as well.

Linda brought one of her pieces "Considering ..." which she wrote about a former co-worker whom she doesn't see anymore. It brought up a lot of discussion about expectations for women, both self-imposed and culturally imposed, and how they can get beyond wants (what culture tells us we're supposed to have in our lives) and take a hard look at what they need (having a good, strong conversation with ourselves and identifying what- and who!- is good for them). A lesson all of us can take something from- Thanks, Linda!

Gerry showed off some of his storytelling skills by recounting a story of his humorous, hardscrabble, Irish grandfather. In it, he tricks the little boy (Gerry) into drinking a sip of whisky b/c the grandfather has told him that is only way he can get the "little man in the bottle" to speak. Of course, grandmother knows what's up and when little Gerry comes into the kitchen, she picks him up by the scruff and gets a whiff of the hard stuff. I can't remember what happened to grandpa after that (sorry, Gerry) but I'm guessing he made a spirited run out the front door.

Looking forward to our next sessions. I'll keep you abreast when I figure out the dates. We're going to try night sessions this time around- maybe the cool weather will force more to come in for camraderie and good conversation about poetry.

2nd October Meeting

2008-10-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know, we had a second October meeting last Tuesday because the election falls on the date of our regular meeting day, and I thought making time in your schedule to vote was more important than making time to write poetry.

So we had three folks show up, one new person, which means we have 12 people on our poetry group list now- if we could only get them all in the same room sometime! I wanted to talk about "place" and the details (sound, sight, smell, tactile) that bring the place (or people in that place) to LIFE.

Before we got into the writing portion, everybody had a chance to read something they had previously written. Diana, who had a couple of short stories recently published in an anthology on Detroit, read from the book (one on old Tigers Stadium, formerly Briggs Stadium, parts of which have been recently torn down, and her uncle who took her there; and another story on Belle Isle, which evoked some great memories for another member, Linda). India, who happily told us she is getting married in a month (congratulations!), read a poem she had written for her single who raised 4 kids, the first coming when she was 14. It was a beautiful work, and India happily pronounced that it been selected as a finalist for a competition at Poetry.com. Linda was more content to listen, but after we did a group reading of a Stephen Vincent Benet poem ("Portrait of a Baby"), she gave a stirring rendition of "My Soul is Awakened" by Anne Bronte. Well done, group!

We concluded with a writing exercise on place, starting with the phrase "I remember ...". Everybody read from their work. I forgot to get somebody to submit something for the next meeting, which isn't until 12/2. I may try to do that one at night, to see if we get a better turnout. Hope you're all well. Please comment here or send me an email (andy.schuck@westland.lib.mi.us) if you have any comments or questions.

calling all poets ...

2008-10-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Diana from our adult group has agreed to come in a few days before our meetings to give each of our group members reminder calls. She'll be calling from the library here, so it won't be an unusual number. Maybe a fresh voice will help gather up the troops ...

Cheryl Vatcher-Martin

2008-10-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

One of our local poets, Cheryl Vatcher-Martin, has written a new book "Cheryl's Musings ...". There was recently an article in Hometown Life about her. If you're interested, you can view it at:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081009/NEWS03/810090610/1020/NEWS03

While the library does not at this time have any of Cheryl's books, if you are interested you can contact the Border's Express in the mall as I know Cheryl has done book signings there in the past.

Keith Taylor reading/workshop

2008-10-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

A good time was had by all at our latest workshop, a combined effort of Teens and Adults (9 total including 2 brave, totally new members).

To begin the workshop, our guest leader, Keith Taylor (www.keithtaylorannarbor.com) walked us through some interesting exercises regarding (of all things) syllable counting. He showed how poets like Marianne Moore and Kenneth Rexroth (and even himself) have used this method to create unique forms to their poems. Some poets strictly used a certain number of syllabes for each line (say 8), except for a line or two that they wanted to stand out and these were given a larger (usually) number. It depends on what you want the poem to accomplish. I thought this type of poetry writing would lend itself well to poems associated with a specific date (anniversary, birth, death). Maybe we'll explore this in our next poetry group. ;]

For the second half of the workshop, Keith led us through 2 of our group members' poems (since he received them before the workshop he had more to say). He noted how one work, "Seniors Dancing," used its rhyming nature quite well since it was set to a piece of music. The other work, "Just like her," had a great form to it, focusing with repetition both verbally and imagistically on the title words. Everyone had a chance to read their poems out loud and received a few comments on them from Keith and other group members.

For his reading portion of the event, Keith took to one of our big and comfy chairs in the Faust/fireplace area and let his hair down on an informal yet fun trip of poems new and old, from early memories of his mother's hair (since his family was religious, the women never cut their hair) to remembrances of days as a poor expatriate in the French countryside with his first lover. Exciting stuff!

We hope to keep events like these going at the library, but we need our poets to keep writing and showing up. Hope to see you at the next adult workshop on 10/28 from 3-4:15 (note: there is not November event, since our normal day would fall on Election Day and I think it better to give everybody a chance to do their civic duty, rather than their poetic).

music and translations

2008-09-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to at least try making this a real blog where I chat/blather about things I'm interested in and if anybody in our poetry group is interested, well they can read and comment.

I came across Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's new album, "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" recently at the library. Since I am such a big Bob Dylan fan, I am always excited to hear new singer-songwriters. Nick Cave takes Dylan and one-ups him in the sinister and sexy department, which may not be everybody's cup of tea, but he certainly has his literary hat in these 11 songs. And his band, the Bad Seeds, turn out some wonderful sounding songs, from the barnyard stomp of the title song to the trippy keyboards on the 2nd-to-last song and the steady roll of the album closer. I was surprised at first by the variety of sounds, from punk to pastoral pop to the aforementioned stomp, but I read that Cave got his chops in a punk band, so we know where that comes from and he has also written a western (set in his homeland Australia) called the Proposition (worth seeing if you have the stomach from some grisly parts). Anyways, I thought I would pass that along.

Also came across a Poetry site which collects translations from all around the world. It is aptly titled "Words without borders" and you can find translations from Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Far East. Pretty exciting to have this sort of exposure. A really great opportunity to explore other lands without having to leave your computer screen. The address is:

http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/

happy reading and writing.

Poetry on the down low

2008-09-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well, after a promising start it looks like our poets have been spending time working on their own stuff (and living their own lives, b/c, well, that takes up the most of our time and, frankly, we need it to be good writers). It would be really great if we could get more people to come out and share their own poems and work on creating some new ones. It doesn't take me a whole lot of work to put together a program, so it's not wasting that much work time for me (don't tell my boss, though). I am just hoping to make this a regular thing at the library and it's been hard to get people to come out.

If you have changes/suggestions in how the programs are presented/organized, or the times/days they are presented or even where they are presented (we could have it off-site in a coffee shop, if you want), please post them here or email me (andy.schuck@westland.lib.mi.us) or call (734.326.6123) or just stop by and give me a shout.

I really want to keep this going, though we may have to go on a hiatus for a little while and start back up in the spring when everybody has written their great work and then has cabin fever. I'm looking forward to reading/hearing what you've got when you get here.

Fall Poetry Schedule

2008-08-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the summer sessions have been fun if lightly attended. Let's see if we can get a few more folks out for our fall sessions. The dates are as follows (note the new day!):

Tuesday, 9/9: 3-4:15 p.m.
*Monday, 10/6: 6-7 p.m.
Tuesday, 10/28: 3-4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, 12/2: 3-4:15 p.m.

*Special workshop with UofM poet and instructor, Keith Taylor (check out his website at www.keithtaylorannarbor.com). Keith will lead our combined workshop with the Teen Poetry Group from 6-7 p.m. and then offer a reading of his own work in our lovely Faust Area from 7-8 p.m.

We're meeting twice in October because the only other available day in November is 11/4 and that is Election Day- and i don't want to give anybody a reason not to go and vote! :)

Summer events, readings

2008-06-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Anybody who wants to publicize a reading or event they are in or are attending can do so here at our blog. Good spots to look for readings and art events include www.metrotimes.com (detroit metro area) and www.ecurrent.com (ann arbor area- June's page includes links to their poetry and fiction winners for 2008).

Poetry websites to check out

2008-05-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a few cool poetry sites you can lose a few hours in:

www.poetryfoundation.org

www.poets.org

www4.ipl.org:8080/index.php/WordPlay (great for poetry writing exercises- don't let the "teen" label fool you)

www.webdelsol.com (compilation of contemporary online journals)

Add any new ones in the "comments" area below.

Opening Blog

2008-05-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

I am happy to start the first official blog for our Westland (MI) Poetry Group. We had our first meeting on Monday, 5/5, and though not everybody could make it, we had some spirited discussions and even wrote the first poems of this group (some "silly" as Diana said). Check future posts to view a couple.

I will be posting meeting minutes here, but the idea of the blog is more for you to do a number of things. Among them:

Post your own poems and receive comments from other group members on them;
Post links to websites you think are great (i'll post some as well);
Comment on other people's poems from the group;
Participate in group writing activities (more on this later);
Post poems of published poets you really like;
Recommend books that you've enjoyed or found challenging;
and more ...

I hope you all find this useful. Outside persons may view the work here, so if you want to show friends what you're doing, they can view it at the above address. If you are a little shy about posting your work, remember that unless you're really looking for this site (and looking hard for it), it is not likely going to pop up (except on the 100th or so page, and by then the seeker will be onto something new).

Enjoy!

p.s. if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me at the library (734.326.6123) or email me at: andy.schuck@westland.lib.mi.us

Title:	A Gathering of Writers at the Plymouth Coffee Bean
Date:	February 19, 2009
Description:	A Gathering of Writers meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:30p.m. at the Plymouth Coffee Bean. Director Ann..."e" Horvath, Co-hosts: Lisa Rye, with selected guest hosts. Monthly features and an OPEN MIC. All are welcome. There is no charge. Email questions to Ann..."e" Horvath at poetanne40@aol.com
Address:	884 Penniman Avenue Plymouth, MI 48170