North Carolina Poetry Society Event Calendar 2005


Poetry Event Calendar - 2005
This page lists information about poetry events sponsored by the NC Poetry Society, the Poetry Council of NC, the NC Haiku Society, and the NC Writers' Network. The NC Writers' Network maintains a more comprehensive calendar of literary events. To go directly to the NC Writers' Network calendar, click here: NCWN Calendar.

2005 Calendar Event links will be added below as details become available. Jan. 15 North Carolina Poetry Society — Winter Meeting Featuring: Internet Publishing panel, Betty Adcock reading Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities Apr. 2 Carl Sandburg Poetry Celebration Featuring: Poetry Alive! [a poetry performance group] Flat Rock, NC — Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Apr. 2 NC Writers' Network Workshop — Birdwatching and Writing Workshop Leaders: Bill Griffin, Janice Moore Fuller Salisbury, NC — Catawba College Center for the Environment Apr. 9 Walking Into April Poetry Day Featured Poets: Cathy Smith Bowers and Al Maginnes Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — Eastern NC Shelby Stephenson, East Region Distinguished Poet for 2004-2005 Wilson, NC — Barton College's Ragan Writing Center Apr. 16 Poetry Day in Greensboro Featured Poets: Betty Adcock, Gerald Barrax Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Central Library Apr. 23 North Carolina Writers' Network — West Conference Featuring: Kathryn Stripling Byer, George Brosi, Lantz Powell Haywood County, NC — Lake Logan Conference Center Apr. 26 Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — Western NC Keith Flynn, West Region Distinguished Poet for 2005 Brevard College — Paul Porter Center for the Performing Arts Apr. 30 Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — Central NC A. Van Jordan, Central Region Distinguished Poet for 2005 Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Central Library Apr. 30 North Carolina Haiku Society — Haiku Holiday Featuring: Jim Kacian, Lenard Moore, Ron Bell, Curtis Dunlap Chapel Hill, NC — Bolin Brook Farm May 15 Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — Western NC Keith Flynn, West Region Distinguished Poet for 2005 Statesville, N.C. — Iredell County Public Library — 2:00 p.m. and Elkin, N.C. — Elkin Public Library — 5:00 p.m. May 21 North Carolina Poetry Society — Spring Awards Day Meeting Featuring: Pinesong Awards 2005 with readings by Contest Winners Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities May 21 North Carolina Writers' Network — Spring Conference Featuring: Grey Brown, Georgia Winfree & Katherine Jones Raleigh, NC — Peace College June 25 North Carolina Poetry Society — Sam Ragan Poetry Festival Featuring: the NCPS's annual poetry contest anthology dedicatees Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities Sept. 17 North Carolina Poetry Society — Fall Meeting Featuring: Shelby Stephenson, Valentina Gnup, and Tony Abbott Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities Sept. 24 Poetry Council of North Carolina — Awards Day Salisbury, NC — Catawba College Oct. 15 North Carolina Poetry Society — Mountain Gathering Featuring: Tony Abbott and Claire Bateman Mars Hill, NC — Mars Hill College Oct. 22 North Carolina Poetry Society — Poetry Workshop Featuring: Al Maginnes Jacksonville, NC — Council for the Arts Nov. 4-6 North Carolina Writers' Network — Fall Conference Asheville, NC — Crowne Plaza Hotel Nov. 12 North Carolina Poetry Society — Poetry Workshop Featuring: Ruth Moose Sanford, NC — Lee County Arts and Community Center Nov. 19 North Carolina Poetry Society — Poetry Workshop Featuring: Marie Gilbert Greensboro, NC

Poetry Event Details (when available)
Saturday, January 15, 2005 — NCPS Winter Meeting Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center, 555 East Connecticut Ave. Event Overview — What do a religion major, an artist, a mystery-suspense editor and a former dental technician have in common? They are all poets and publishers who will talk about how the Internet has changed publishing. Bring your questions about Internet publishing to fuel the discussion. — There will also be a display of handmade books, and in the afternoon, Friends of Weymouth are sponsoring a reading by Betty Adcock, one of our outstanding North Carolina poets. Event Schedule 09:30 Registration Pay for Lunch (cut-off time is 10:15) 10:00 Business Meeting 10:10 Sharon Sharp — Personal Touch Books 10:20 Publishing in the Internet Age Panelists: Sara Claytor, M. Scott Douglass, Jonathan R. Rice, Robert Rutherford 11:00 Open Mike 11:15 Panel Discussion / Questions 11:50 Open Mike (one poem, one page) 12:00 Lunch: buy a box lunch (see below) or bring your own 01:00 Open Mike (one poem, one page) 01:15 Stephen Smith — Friends of Weymouth 01:25 Betty Adcock — Reading 02:15 Open Mike (one poem, one page) 03:30 Approximate anticipated ending time Lunch Orders — Please help us get an idea of the number who plan to order lunch by emailing your lunch reservation to patriviereseel@yahoo.com (you can pay at the meeting). — Box lunches are $8.50 (tax included), with a choice of chicken salad sandwich, or tuna salad sandwich, or vegetarian salad. Iced tea and dessert are included. — You can order and pay for lunch until 10:15. You will receive a lunch ticket. Area Lodging See Area Hotels for a Chamber of Commerce list of hotels in the Southern Pines area. Acknowledgement Thanks to Friends of Weymouth for joining NCPS for our winter meeting and sponsoring the reading by Betty Adcock.

Saturday, April 2, 2005 — Carl Sandburg Poetry Celebration Flat Rock, NC — Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Co-sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society Event Overview — This is the second year that NCPS has co-sponsored the Carl Sandburg Poetry Celebration. — This event is free, but pre-registration is required for the workshop and open mike. — The events run from 1:00 p.m. until approximately 3:30 p.m. — Poetry Alive! is the featured group. Members will perform and conduct a poetry workshop Event Schedule Noon – Open Mike 1:00 p.m. – Performance by Poetry Alive! 2:00 p.m. – West Henderson High School Fiddle Group 2:30 p.m. – Workshop presented by Poetry Alive! Bring a poem and explore how to get your poetry from the page to the stage. All events are free, but pre-registration is required for the Open Mike and Workshop. Registration and Questions — For more information and to register: E-mail: Carl_Administration@nps.gov Phone: (828) 693-4178 [the Carl Sandburg House] — Website: www.nps.gov/carl Lunch — Although there is no lunch break, participants are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy during the music.

Saturday, April 09, 2005 — Walking into April Poetry Day Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — East Wilson, NC — Barton College's Ragan Writing Center Sponsored by the NCPS, Barton College, and the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series Event Overview — The third Walking into April Poetry Day is free (except for lunch - see below). — Cathy Smith Bowers and Al Maginnes are this year’s featured poets. Bowers and Maginnes have each published three books of poetry. Her latest is A Book of Minutes and his is The Light in Our Houses. — Shelby Stephenson is the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for 2004-2005. He has published seven chapbooks and the poetic documentary Plankhouse. Event Specifics — Cathy Smith Bowers will kick off the morning reading and share her thoughts on the creative process. — Al Maginnes will follow with selections from his work and discussion of the process of creative writing. — Shelby Stephenson will introduce the 2005 Gilbert-Chappell East Region Student Poets: * Middle School: Heidi Martin, from Whiteville, NC * High School: Sarah Servie, from Kill Devil Hills, NC * Undergraduate: Kimberly Hockaday, from Elizabeth City State University — The afternoon will include an open mike. Lunch Orders — Checks for lunch should be made to Barton College for $8.50. — Mail your registration and check to: Rebecca Smith, Barton College, Box 5000, Wilson, NC 27893 More Information — E-mail Rebecca Smith at rsmith@barton.edu or phone her at 252-399-6364. — See page 12 of the Spring Newsletter of the North Carolina Poetry Society.

Saturday, April 16, 2005 — Poetry Day in Greensboro Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Public Library — 219 Church Street Co-sponsored by the NCPS and the Greensboro Central Library Event Overview — This event is free except for an optional boxed lunch; bring your own lunch if you prefer. Please make reservations in advance for box lunches — see below for details. — This event runs from 9:30 to 3:00 and is open to the public. — Two North Carolina poets are featured: Betty Adcock and Gerald Barrax. Betty Adcock's latest book is Intervale: New and Selected Poems. Gerald Barrax's latest book is From a Person Sitting in Darkness. Event Schedule 09:30-10:00 Registration, coffee, lunch purchase (optional). Book tables are open. Bring your books for sale. 10:00-12:00 Dialog and questions on the theme "What are poems for?" featuring North Carolina poets Betty Adcock and Gerald Barrax 12:00-01:00 Lunch 01:00-02:00 Readings by Adcock and Barrax 02:00-03:00 Open Mike Lunch Reservations: — Make reservations for lunch: either turkey, roast beef, or vegetarian sandwiches. These box lunches also include potato salad, fresh fruit, brownie, and beverage. — Make lunch check for $8.50 to: Greensboro Friends of the Library Send lunch check to: Leon Hinton, 4618 North NC 62, Burlington, NC 27217 More Information: — See page 7 of the North Carolina Poetry Society Spring Newsletter. — Contact Janice Sullivan, North Carolina Poetry Society, at JanLSull@aol.com or telephone (336) 282-4032 — Contact Beth Sheffield, Greensboro Central Library, at beth.sheffield@greensboro-nc.gov or telephone (336) 373-3617

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 — Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — West Brevard College — Paul Porter Center for Performing Arts — 7:00 p.m. Event Description — Reading by Keith Flynn, Gilbert-Chappell West Region Distinguished Poet for 2005, author of several books of poetry, and founder and managing editor of The Asheville Poetry Review. — Reading by the Gilbert-Chappell West Region Student Poets mentored by Keith Flynn: * Middle School: Ben Smith, from Statesville, NC * High School: Natalie Vaders, from Elkin, NC * Undergraduate: Shelly Mae Simmons, from Brevard College More Information — Ken Chamlee, e-mail kchamlee@bellsouth.net or phone 828-890-1906 — Libby Campbell, e-mail libcame@statesville.net or phone 704-878-9129

Saturday, April 30, 2005 — Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — Central Greensboro, NC — Greensboro Public Library — 219 Church Street — 10:00 a.m. Event Description — Reading by A. Van Jordan, Gilbert-Chappell Central Region Distinguished Poet for 2005, author of Rise and M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A, winner of the Whiting Writers' Award. — Reading by the Gilbert-Chappell Central Region Student Poets mentored by A. Van Jordan: * Middle School: Whitney Chamblee, from Greensboro, NC * High School: Courtney Baker, from Greensboro, NC * Undergraduate: Edwin Arnaudin, from Greensboro College. More Information — Alexis Gines, e-mail agines@earthlink.net

Sunday, May 15, 2005 — Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series — West Statesville, NC — Iredell County Public Library — 2:00 p.m. and Elkin, NC — Elkin Public Library — 5:00 p.m. Event Descriptions — Reading by Keith Flynn, Gilbert-Chappell West Region Distinguished Poet for 2005, author of several books of poetry, and founder and managing editor of The Asheville Poetry Review. — Reading by 2 of the Gilbert-Chappell West Region Student Poets mentored by Keith Flynn: * Middle School: Ben Smith, from Statesville, NC * High School: Natalie Vaders, from Elkin, NC More Information — Ken Chamlee, e-mail kchamlee@bellsouth.net or phone 828-890-1906 — Libby Campbell, e-mail libcame@statesville.net or phone 704-878-9129

Saturday, May 21, 2005 — NCPS Spring Meeting Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center, 555 East Connecticut Ave. Event Overview — Annual Awards Day for Student Contests and Adult Contests. Winners of the Poet Laureate and McDill contests and Student Contest winners read in the morning. The other Adult Contest winners read in the afternoon. — Dedication of Pinesong Awards 2005. Each year the NCPS dedicates this annual publication that contains the winning poems to a member who has contributed many years of outstanding service to the NCPS. Event Schedule 09:15 Registration and annual dues payment * You may order lunch @ $8.50 each until 10:15 AM (see Lunch Orders below) * Coffee and tea on the patio 10:00 Business meeting: — Election / Installation of Officers * Pat Riviere-Seel, President * Carolyn Norris, 1st VP, Programs * Margaret Parrish, 2nd VP, Student Contests * Guy & Carolyn York, 3rd VP, Membership * Sue Farlow, Recording Secretary * Ed Cockrell, Corresponding Secretary * Bill Griffin, Treasurer * Joann Bishop, Member at Large * Sara Claytor, Member at Large — Adoption of revised Constitution and Bylaws * Committee Members: Sharon Sharp (Chair), David Manning, Janice Sullivan 10:20 Pinesong dedication ( by Sharon Sharp, Dedication Committee Chair) 10:30 Contest winners read — Poet Laureate & McDill Adult Contest winners (by Lee Ann Gillen, Adult Contest Chair) — Student Contest winners (by Margaret Parrish, Student Contest Chair) 12:00 Lunch 01:15 Contest winners read — All other Adult Contest winners (by Lee Ann Gillen, Adult Contest Chair) Lunch Orders — Because so many attend this meeting, *we need to have lunch reservations by May 6. You may order a catered box lunch for $8.50 each (including tax). * Choose from chicken salad sandwich, tuna salad sandwich, or vegetarian salad. * All lunches include potato salad, dessert and iced tea. * If you would like to order a box lunch catered by 195 Eclectic Cuisine, send your choice of lunch and check for the correct amount to Pat Riviere-Seel, 107 Maple Drive, Asheville, NC 28805. Please be sure to make your check to 195 Eclectic Cuisine and NOT to the NCPS. — You will be able to order and pay for lunch on May 21 between 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. — You may bring your own lunch. *Please help NCPS serve you better by making advance lunch reservations. Area Lodging* See Area Hotels for a Chamber of Commerce list of hotels in the Southern Pines area. Questions For more information, contact Pat at: patriviereseel@yahoo.com or (828) 298-5413

Saturday, June 25, 2005 — Sam Ragan Poetry Festival Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center, 555 East Connecticut Ave. Event Background — The festival is named after Sam Ragan, North Carolina Poet Laureate from 1982 until his death in 1996. Attendees often wear bow ties and straw hats to the festival in memory of Sam, who helped create it. — Each year the Poetry Society dedicates its annual Pinesong poetry awards anthology to a member who has devoted years of generous service, inspired great interest in the study of poetry, and nurtured novice poets. Event Description — This year the Poetry Society will celebrate poetry by saluting its Pinesong Dedicatees. At least 10 of the 19 dedicatees are planning to attend and to share their poems, music, and memories: Margaret Baddour Ron Bayes Sally Buckner Ray Dotson Marie Gilbert Leon Hinton Ellen Johnston-Hale Dave Manning Sallie Nixon Shelby Stephenson — Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and festivities start at 10:00 a.m. Bring your own poems to share (musical accompaniment encouraged!) because open mike will be sprinkled throughout the day. Pull out your bow tie, don your most festive straw hat, and join in the poetry, music, and fun. Area Lodging See Area Hotels for a Chamber of Commerce list of hotels in the Southern Pines area. Note: Usually the Sam Ragan Poetry Festival is held on the third Saturday in June. However, this year it will be on June 25, the fourth Saturday, because the Weymouth Center is involved in festivities surrounding the United States Open Golf Tournament.

Saturday, September 17, 2005 — NCPS Fall Meeting Southern Pines, NC — Weymouth Center, 555 East Connecticut Ave. Schedule 09:30 Registration / pay for lunch 10:00 Business meeting 10:15 Mary Belle Campbell Award: reading by Valentina Gnup, this year's winner for her collection Sparrow Octaves. Introduction by Tony Abbott. A break is planned for 11:00. 11:10 Tony Abbott will speak on poetry, followed by an Open Mic until lunch. 12:00 Purchase box lunch (see below) or bring your own 01:00 Brockman-Campbell Book Award: reading by Shelby Stephenson, this year's winner for his book Possum. 01:45 Book signings (dessert will be served) 02:30 Open Mic Box Lunch A box lunch may be purchased at the meeting from 9:30 to 10:15 for $8.50. Choices of sandwiches are: chicken salad, tuna salad, or vegetarian. All lunches come with iced tea, side dish, and dessert. Area Lodging See Area Hotels for a listing of hotels in the Southern Pines area.

Saturday, September 24, 2005 — Poetry Council of North Carolina Annual Awards Day — Catawba College — Salisbury, NC Event Description — This year's guest poet and featured speaker is Sally Buckner. — Winners of the Poetry Council's annual poetry contests will read their award-winning poems as published in the 2005 edition of *Bay Leaves, the Poetry Council of North Carolina's annual poetry contest anthology. — The 1st & 2nd place winners of the Poetry Council's annual Oscar Arnold Young book award for books of poetry by North Carolina poets will be recognized. — The location is the Crystal Room on the campus of Catawba College. Registration begins at 9:30, the awards at 10:30, and lunch at 12:30. The event is free except for lunch. — Any questions, e-mail Janice Sullivan, PCNC President, at JanLSull@aol.com or telephone her at (336) 282-4032. Book Awards* Book award winners for 2005 are Lucinda Grey for The Woman Who Has Eaten the Moon and Janice Moore Fuller for Sex Education.

Saturday, October 15, 2005 — NCPS Mountain Gathering Mars Hill, NC — Mars Hill College Co-sponsored by the Mars Hill College English Department and the NCPS Event Description The third annual Mountain Gathering features poets Tony Abbott and Claire Bateman. "Finding the I of the Poem" is the theme. Abbott and Bateman will present the morning program. After a lunch break the two will read from their works and open mike time will follow. Event Registration All events are free, but pre-registration is requested. For more information and to pre-register, contact: Gail Williamson, NC Poetry Society gwilliamson@randolph.k12.nc.us (336) 472-5759 or Hal McDonald, English Department hmcdonald@mhc.edu (828) 689-1234 Area Lodging October is a popular month for tourists in the North Carolina mountains, so if you’re planning to stay overnight, make reservations as soon as possible. See Mars Hill Area for information about the Mars Hill College area, including area motels and B&B's, along with phone numbers, web sites, and approximate distances from the college.

Saturday, October 22, 2005 — Poetry Workshop Jacksonville, NC — Council for the Arts, 826 New Bridge Street Sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society Workshop Leader: Al Maginnes Al Maginnes is the author of three books: Outside A Tattoo Booth (1991); Taking Up Our Daily Tools (1997); The Light In Our Houses (2000), which won the Lena Miles Wever Todd Award; and a new book, Film History, that will be out any day now. His poems have been published in numerous journals including Poetry, The New England Review, The Georgia Review, Quarterly West, Antioch Review, and Mid-American Review. He received his BA from East Carolina University and his MFA from the University of Arkansas. He earned a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, and he now teaches at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, where he lives with his wife, Jamie. Workshop: "Weaving Narrative Strands" Sign-in and coffee will be from 9:30 till 10:00. The workshop will begin at 10:00 with Mr. Maginnes reading some of his poems, and then he will teach about the weaving of stories into poems. Bring pen and paper (no computers, please) since we will be doing some work at that time as well. We will break from 12:00 till 12:30 for lunch, so bring yourself a bag lunch. Drinks/coffee will be provided. From 12:30 till 3:00, Mr. Maginnes will lead the critiquing of the poems sent in with registration. Registration Details 1) Pre-registration is required. You must register by October 6. 2) Send a check ($15.00 for NCPS members, $25.00 for non-members) payable to NCPS. 3) Also send one poem (no longer than one page) for the afternoon critique. 4) Mail to: Nancy Tripp King, 402 Decatur Rd., Jacksonville, NC, 28540. For more information call 910-346-3877.

Saturday, November 12, 2005 — Poetry Workshop Sanford, NC — Lee County Arts and Community Center, 507 North Steele Street Co-sponsored by the Lee County Arts Council and the North Carolina Poetry Society Workshop Leader: Ruth Moose Award-winning writer Ruth Moose has published five collections of poetry including To Survive, Finding Things in the Dark, and Making the Bed; and two short story collections, The Wreath Ribbon Quilt and Dreaming in Color. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals. Among her many awards she counts a North Carolina Writers Fellowship, three PEN awards for syndicated fiction, awards from Yankee magazine for poetry, the Carl Sandburg Award, and a McDowell Fellowship. She has worked as a reference librarian and teacher at Pfeiffer College, has taught Poetry in the Schools and numerous workshops, and for the last ten years has worked with the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Workshop: "Concrete vs. Abstract" Ms. Moose will discuss the writing process and field poetry-related questions. She will also lead the group in a series of workshop exercises where participants can create new poetry. Registration Details 1) Registration deadline: October 20, 2005 2) Workshop cost: $15 for NCPS members, $25 for non-members 3) Make checks to: Lee County Arts Council 4) Mail to: Lee County Arts Council, P.O. Box 2615, Sanford, NC, 27331-2615 Other Details Lunch: plan to treat yourself to lunch with the group at La Dolce Vita immediately following the workshop. Books: books by Ruth Moose will be available for purchase. Questions: for more information, call the Lee County Arts Council at (919) 774-6139.