National Poetry Month

 

By C.S. GILBERT

 

April is National Poetry Month and it really does seem that more things poetic are happening than in years past. For starters, look to the Key West Poetry Guild, which originated around 70 years ago with Sunday salons hosted by Jessie Newton Porter at the Heritage House on Caroline Street when her friend, Robert Frost, was visiting in the 1940s. It has met without fail on the first Sunday of each month at least since Richard Marsh and friends formed an official organization in the mid 1970s.

 

 

True to form, the guild kicked off National Poetry Month 2015 on April 5 with its traditional lightening round of original poems introduced by a brief—too brief, some of us felt—reading by featured poet Elizabeth Elliott. The too-modest Elliott is a published poet and retired professor of uncommon gifts. She and her husband are snowbirds who live in Tavernier half the year and they actually come down to Key West regularly for guild meetings, taking the opportunity, she explained, to make it an occasion for an overnight in the city. It was a lively meeting upstairs at Blue Heaven, with 32 in attendance and 17 reading, according to guild record-keeper J.M. Varela who, as a young woman born and raised in Key West, was a member of the guild when it got organized in the 1970s.

 

 

Then came the City Commission meeting on April 7 when by proclamation longtime, much lauded and much published guild member Rosalind Brackenbury succeeded Kirby Congdon as Key West Poet Laureate.

Florida Keys Community College has hosted a reception, reading and open mic in celebration of poetry month for years and has invited “all poetry writers, aficionados, and fans in the community to its Poetry Reading on Thursday, April 16, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the library on the Key West Campus.  Led by Professor Hilary Parmentier’s poetry writing class, the eighth annual event is themed ‘memories.’  The open mic program will feature recitals of classic, contemporary, and self-crafted poems by students, faculty, staff, and community members.  Refreshments will be provided by the FKCC Book Club.” So if you get the paper on publication day, join the celebration.

 

 

Also in celebration of the month, The Studios of Key West announced a Robert Frost Poetry Competition for middle and high school students and, in cooperation with the guild, offer an evening for the love and sharing of poetry on April 20 at 7 p.m., when the guild takes the stage at 533 Eaton Street, presenting selected works spanning eight decades of poetry (1930s-2015) to honor ten deceased (or now physically departed but historically significant) guild poets.

 

 

The program, entitled Dead Poets Speak, will present the works of Jody Adams, Elizabeth Bishop, Capt. Edwin “Blinky” Crusoe, Robert Frost, Beverly Horlick, June Nelson, Richard Marsh, Capt. Sandy McKinney, Tennessee Williams and Carolyn Wonson. Current guild members, who will read and then present a sample of their original poetry, include Edgardo Alvarado, Nance Boylan, Rosalind Brackenbury, Tortuga Jack Hackett, Shawn Maddox, Varela and your Culture Vulture.

 

 

The community is, of course, invited. Like guild meetings, there is no charge.

 

 

And it’s not all poetry, but there’s sure to be some poets among the several dozen (32 last year) authors at the 6th annual SeaStory Press Book Fair on Saturday, April 18, 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. at the Oldest House at 322 Duval St. Just in case a bit of space is still available, folKs with books to see should contact Nance Boylan at [email protected] or 908 591 5566. Y’all come!

 

 

This is probably the time to announce that my alter ego Constance Gilbert’s second book of poetry, with support from the 2014-15 Anne McKee Artists Fund, should be out from SeaStory Press late this spring or early summer. It’s called Key West Time(s). Enough said.

 

 

That’s all for now. Gotta fly!

 

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