Talk! with Marie Presents Mass Poetry Festival, Headliners Rita Dove, Richard Blanco & More

Mass Poetry Festival is taking place from May 1-3 in Salem, MA.  Listen to Talk! with Marie Show find out about the headliners, workshops and other fun activities at the festival.

About Mass Poetry Festival

The Massachusetts Poetry Festival showcases nearly 100 poetry readings and workshops, a small press and literary fair, panels, poetry slams, visual arts, and open-air performances. Panel topics range broadly from the state of poetry, poetry and gender, book publishing, and modernism in contemporary art, to the Common Threads Reading, where contemporary poets with Massachusetts ties discuss their literary connections. More than 150 local and nationally known poets engage with thousands of New Englanders each year.

Poetry Reading at Fantasy Faire in Second Life

RedGoddess and Michael Romani were featured poets at this year's Fantasy Faire. We read original poems, stories and selective works from fantasy writers. One of the poems that I shared was "Red Daughter by Alena Sullivan. Prior to the event, I searched for various authors whose work reflect the theme of the event. In addition, I included Lillith and Art by Poet Morgue McMillan. I also took the opportunity to share a few short stories from the Adventures of Lola series.

After an hour of reading, we open the floor to hear from the audience. We had a wonderful audience of fellow writers and those who enjoy the spoken words. Angeljade Writer (hosts a weekly open mic poetry reading at 10 am slt) read a Maya Angelou poem. Bonchance Longfall also read some classic poems. Saffia Widdershins, one of the Faire's organizers also read a piece during the event. For those who were too shy to read aloud, I was happy to read for them. Overall, it was a fabulous event. We hope to return next year with more poems and stories. Special thanks to the organizers and sponsors of Fantasy Faire.

About Fantasy Faire

Fantasy Faire 2015 is the largest gathering of fantasy designers, enthusiasts, roleplayers and performers in the virtual world. From Thursday, April 23 to Sunday May 3, treat yourself to eleven days of shopping, live music concerts, auctions, hunts, events and roleplaying as thousands of Second Life residents and creators bring their own visions together to support the American Cancer Society’s vision of a world without cancer.

Open Mic Poetry Reading at Four Bridges Celebrates 3 years

This May, the Open Mic Reading & Live Music events at Four Bridges Project celebrate its 3rd year in Second Life.  We kicked off the anniversary early during NaPoWrimo (April). It's been a busy past month with all the poetry festivities in RL and SL. I attended Mass Poetry's Inspired Leadership in Boston. I then traveled to Salem, MA to participate in the Mass poetry festival which has been such annual treat for me. It was quite a trek from Boston but well worth it. I met a lot of great poets during the sessions that I attended. It's such a gift to be able to mesh my work in RL with the open mic poetry readings at Four Bridges. You never know who's going to teleport over. On May 25, Angeljade Writer joined us and read a few poems. Any1 took a gorgeous photo (see above) of AJ while lounging on the couch at SpeakEasy.
I'm proud of and grateful for our three years in Second Life! I'm eager to plan more programs this summer and share the joy of poetry. You have an open invitation to visit us anytime at the Four Bridges Project.

Mass Poetry & National Poetry Month

On the eve of National Poetry month, I attended Mass Poetry's Inspired Leadership event at The Huntington Theatre in Boston. It was a well-balanced mix of leaders from Governor Deval Patrick to a throat surgeon and one of my favorite readers of the night, a Dean and Spoken Word Coach from Codman Academy.  It was glorious to among a crowd of 400 on a rainy Monday night, listening to poetry. A rare experience to say the least. I commend Mass Poetry for bringing leaders together to share their favorite poems. More importantly, I'm grateful for their innovative approach to making poetry accessible to the masses. For more information about Mass Poetry, check out their website.
Join us every Sunday at Four Bridges/SpeakEasy, 11am slt for our Open Mic Poetry & Story Reading.