Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Poets and Patrons August Workshop

August 23, 2014 - POETS AND PATRONS CRITIQUING WORKSHOP: EKPHRASTIC POETRY writing poems about other art
forms

Led By Donna Vorreyer and Cynthia Gallagher.
Ekphrastic poems are poems
written about works of art,
paintings, sculpture, or photo-
graphs. Most definitions include
poems about architecture, films,
novels, symphonies, operas,
and other arts as well. You can
find a large number of examples
of Ekphrastic poems side-by-side
with the works of art that inspired
them at
http://valerie6.myweb.uga.edu/ekphrasticpoetry.html.
Donna Vorreyer’s collection, A House of Many Windows, is available from Sundress Publications. Her work has appeared in many journals including Rhino, Redactions, Lablettter, Linebreak, Cider Press Review, Stirring, Sweet, wicked alice, and Weave. Her fifth chapbook, We Build Houses of Our Bodies was released in late 2013 by Dancing Girl Press and her second full-length manuscript Washed with Hymns and Singing is slated for release in 2016.
Cynthia Gallaher is listed on Chicago Public Library's "Top 10 Requested Chicago Poets." Her most recently published chapbook "Omnivore Odes: Poems About Food, Herbs and Spices" was published by Finishing Line Press (2013). She holds a degree in the History of Art and Architecture from UIC and is working on a new manuscript "Leaning Tower of Touhy and Other Ekphrastic Poems."
Join us for this Poets & Patrons Workshop Saturday, August 23, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 6N (on the third floor of the Harold Washington Library at 400 S. State Street.) NOTE: THIS ROOM IS ON THE THIRD FLOOR. LIBRARY STAFF MEMBERS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WERE WE ARE MEETING..
Some members will gather at Panera’s on the southeast corner of State and Congress (diagonally across the street from the library) between 11:30 and noon, to eat lunch or drink a cup of coffee or tea and socialize before the meeting. You are welcome to join us there.
Donna Vorreyer and Cynthia Gallagher
"Landscape with the Fall of Icarus"
William Carlos Williams (1962)
According to Brueghel when Icarus fell
it was spring

a farmer was ploughing his field
the whole pageantry

of the year was awake tingling near
the edge of the sea concerned
with itself

sweating in the sun that melted
the wings' wax

unsignificantly off the coast there was
a splash quite unnoticed this was
Icarus drowning

Upcoming Workshops:
October 25 at the Hinsdale Public Library: reading of winning poems from our annual contest, and a workshop on Haiku, led by Charlotte Digregorio.
Write! Chicago Workshop:
August 14, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Contact Caroline Johnson at twinkscat@aol.com or 708-839-1699 for more information.
The optional assignment for August is to write an ekphrastic poem, i.e., a poem inspired by a painting or another creative work. The poem can be free or formal verse. Poems submitted in advance will be critiqued at the meeting, if the author is present. You are always free to ignore the assignment and submit another kind of poem instead.
Members may mail their poems to Wilda Morris, 499 Falcon Ridge Way, Bolingbrook IL 60440, by August 13, or (preferably) email them to wildamorris@ameritech.net by August 17 (put P & P in the subject line). If mailing, send a check for $5 per poem submitted ($10 for non-members), made out to Poets & Patrons. (Non-members may attend a couple of meetings before deciding to join. Or send $20 for 2014 membership and $5 with a poem for critique). If you email your poem(s) bring your check to the workshop or mail it to Beth Staas at 1634 Barnsdale Road, LaGrange Park IL 60526. E-mail questions (or late poems) to Wilda. If you do not get a reply to an e-mailed poem, call Wilda at 630/739-2983 to be sure your poem was received. You may send a maximum of two poems for critique; the fee must be paid for each poem submitted.

Haiku Events

Haikuists


Please note two upcoming events and please RSVP:

Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Winnetka (IL) Public Library, 768 Oak St., Winnetka, there will be a three-hour critique. You can bring poems to share or just come to listen and learn.

There is free parking both at the Library and across the street in the Village Hall area. As the time gets closer, I will know how many people will be attending and how many copies of your poems you should bring.

Critique is always beneficial for attendees, and many report having gotten poems published that we worked on collectively.

Saturday, Aug. 23, at 8 p.m. at Madame ZuZu's Tea House, 582 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park, IL, I will be hosting a  poetry open mic. It is sponsored by Highland Park Poetry. Please attend and bring your best poems to share, whether haiku or other forms. (Read only tasteful poetry!) Madame ZuZu's has a nice ambiance, and many area poets and residents show up regularly.

Charlotte Digregorio
Midwest Regional Coordinator
Haiku Society of America

Write! Chicago August 14, 2014

Write! Chicago

Dear Poets,
Join us Thursday, August 14, for the next Write! Chicago outing as we venture up north to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for a fun-filled afternoon.
The museums hosts many exhibits.  Some include:
Nature's Struggle:
Survival & Extinction
Take a guided journey through the history of biodiversity in three distinct time periods: 1820, 1905 and 2014. Experience the difference in our environment over time, the causes of those changes, and the startling consequences of our everyday actions.
The Dreams of Martha
Watercolors by Kristina Knowski
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the last known passenger pigeon, fondly known as Martha. Knowski’s work invites us to uncover the mystery and fragile beauty of these long lost and threatened animals.
Judy Istock Butterfly Haven
The Judy Istock Butterfly Haven is the museum's internationally renowned signature 2,700 square foot greenhouse. Home to more than 1,000 butterflies (75 species), the haven is the perfect tropical retreat.

Other exhibits include “Prairie Splendor” (photography), “Rare Nature:  Endangered Species Print Project,” “Extreme Green House,” “Mysteries of the Marsh,” “Nature Trails,” “RiverWorks,” and “Birds of Chicago.”  If we can’t find a poem here, we are not poets!!

Thursdays are suggested donation days for Illinois residents. Normal admission is $9 for adults, and $7 for students and seniors (60+).
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is located at 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614, or just off of Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton Parkway.  It seems like driving is the best way to get to the museum, and free parking is available on Cannon and Stockton Drive.
 
We will meet at 11 a.m. by the entrance.  As usual, we will disperse to view the various exhibits individually, then convene to write and share and eat lunch.

To RSVP, e-mail Caroline Johnson at twinkscat@aol.com.  A group of us will be carpooling from the western suburbs, so if you want to join our group, let us know in your e-mail.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Write! Chicago July 12, 2014

Dear Poets,

Join us Saturday, July 12, for the next Write! Chicago event at the Chicago Historical Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago.  We plan to meet at 11 a.m. at the entrance of the museum, and depending on the number of people who attend, either have a self-guided tour or just view the exhibits individually. 

New exhibits include a photography exhibit on the nation's railroads (Railroaders: Jack Delano's Homefront Photography), a photography exhibit on Urban Chicago (Vivian Maier's Chicago), and an exhibit entitled "Lincoln's Chicago."  There are also many, many permanent exhibits about the rich history of Chicago and Illinois.

A visit to the museum could inspire you to write poetry about Chicago.  Remember that there are at least 4 categories in the upcoming Poets and Patrons contest dedicated to Chicago!

The normal admission price to the museum is $14 for adults (with audio tour), $12 for seniors and students. If we have at least 10 people going, we can organize a self-guided tour and the admission price will be $2 cheaper.  If you could RSVP to Caroline Johnson at twinkscat@aol.com by Tuesday, July 8, that would be great.


Directions
Address
The Chicago History Museum is located at the south end of Lincoln Park, on the corner of Clark Street and North Avenue,1601 North Clark Street.
CTA logo
Public Transportation
The Museum is easy to reach via public transportation. CTA buses 22, 36, 72, 73, 151, and 156 stop nearby. The Brown Line Sedgwick station and Red Line Clark/Division station are also located approximately one half-mile from the Museum.

Parking
Public parking is conveniently located one block north of the Museum at Clark and LaSalle Streets; enter on Stockton Drive.


Friday, May 9, 2014

Poets and Patrons Contest 2014

Dear Poets,

It's time again to start thinking about the Poets and Patrons contest, which is a unique national contest with a Chicago focus.  This year we have expanded categories for a total of 12--7 are open to anyone, and 5 are open to members only or those who live within 100 miles of Chicago. Several of those categories also have a Chicago-related theme.

If you are a member, you also get a discounted rate--$12 to enter one poem for each of the 12 categories ($1 per additional poem).  For non-members, it costs $15 to enter the contest, and $2 per additional poem.  See the attached contest guidelines.

Not a member?  Now might be a good time to join.  Our next workshop will be June 28 at the Harold Washington Library.  To join, send a check for $20 payable to Poets and Patrons to our treasurer, Beth Staas, 1634 Barnsdale Rd, #105, La Grange, IL  60526.

We hope you will join in the fun and spirit of crafting poems related to our windy city.

Poetically,

Caroline Johnson, President
Poets and Patrons of Chicago

Caroline Johnson
http://jupiter-caroline.blogspot.com

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Oak Park Library Sunday April 13 at 2 PM

Dear Poets,

Looking for something to do this Sunday?  Want an afternoon of poetry?  Why not come out to the Oak Brook Public Library to hear some great poets read their stuff.

ISPS is sponsoring a Juried Poetry Reading this Sunday, April 13, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Oak Brook Library, 600 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, 60523. A total of 17 readers will be reading.

The readers include: Joan Colby, Bill Marr, Jenene Ravesloot, Tom Roby, Curt Vevang, Debby Rohde, Pam Larson, Nancy Schaefer, Beth Staas, Judith Tullis, Joe Glaser, Marilyn Giese, Gary Ketchum, Dan Miller, Wendy Morris, Caroline Johnson, and Carolyn Hellman.

We are hoping to provide some light refreshments.  There will be time before and after for some socializing...Also, the room seats 100, so feel free to bring family and friends.  If you are bringing some people, please e-mail me at twinkscat@aol.com.  The librarian wants us to have some kind of tally.

Caroline Johnson
http://jupiter-caroline.blogspot.com

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Poetry Workshop with Tom Roby and Jenene Ravesloot

Today I attended the poetry workshop of Tom Roby and Jenene Ravesloot. It was amazing! There were several people who have written poetry for a while and also some complete newcomers. We used the hub and spoke method of putting ideas down. We freewrote for as long as we needed while Tom and Jenene walked around helping us. Then we tried to discern what the words were trying to tell us, with more advice from Tom and Jenene. I highly recommend you attend their next workshop on April 12, 2014 at the Sulzer Public Library from 1 to 3 PM. It's 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue and I learned today that the parking meters stop north of Montrose. Free on the street parking! Woot! How often does that happen? There is a good Pub on the corner on Montrose and Lincoln also. I had a good brunch with lots of interesting people to write about.