Geraldine R. Dodge Festival Begins Today

The 4-day Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival begins tonight.

Now in it's 24th year, the biennial festival - the largest poetry event in North America - will be held for the first time in Newark, New Jersey, the state's largest city.

A Poetry Sampler reading on Thursday evening, October 7th, features 24 poets and launches the Festival.

Friday is High School Student Day.

The full Festival schedule is online as a printable pdf document, and a list of festival poets with biographies is also online.

Events will be held in venues accommodating anywhere from 100 to over 2,700 people. The evening programs will be held in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall - a world-class performance space.There are single and multi-day ticket options.

The Festival is accessible via Newark's mass-transit hubs, including an international airport, major bus lines, a light-rail system and PATH service from Manhattan.

The I Ching Poetry Engine

I am always a bit suspicious of electronic poetry and software that "generates" poems. Still, I am pretty tech-oriented and have dabbled in that area myself.

Poets Online posted its own poetry first line generator years ago at poetsonline.org/generator.html
and a second version at poetsonline.org/generator2.html

We used them as a prompt, so that a user might generate a line or two to get started.

There's an I'Ching Poetry Engine web site that gives you 64 uniquely generated states. If you're not familiar with the ancient I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes, it is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts.

It is a divination system for foretelling the future, somewhat comparable to Western geomancy. It is still used for that purpose in both Western cultures and modern East Asia in the same way that someone might use tarot cards.

The site's tech explanation is complex, but the best way to understand it is to just go to the site and play.

The site will gnerate "poems" of five lines each and approximately 30 words. Some poems enter a looping phase, creating much longer narratives.

After each poem generates and displays all of its words, the I'Ching interface returns, and the observer begins supplying the seeds for the next poem.

You can test drive it at http://www.levitated.net/exhibit/iching/and also see excerpts of generated poems

Thanks to Steve for sending us the site.

Poetry Writing Weekend Intensive in NJ

WRITING YOUR WAY HOME
a poetry weekend intensive
at an English manor house
in Mendham, New Jersey

Join poets Laura Boss and Maria Mazzioti Gillan on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
December 10, 11, and 12 at the St. Marguerite's Retreat House in Mendham, NJ for a poetry retreat that gives writers the space and time to focus totally on their own work in a serene and beautiful setting away from the pressures and distractions of daily life.

This writing intensive is open to all writers over the age of 18.

Saint Marguerite’s Retreat House is situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways that lend themselves to the serene contemplation of nature and nurturing of your creative spirit. The Retreat House is located at the convent of Saint John the Baptist, 82 West Main Street, Mendham, NJ.

Participants arrive before 6 PM on Friday evening, have dinner, settle into their rooms, and begin to retreat from the distractions of the world.

That evening, participants will be lead into creating new work. After each workshop, each participant will have the opportunity to read their work in the group.

After Saturday breakfast, participants will move into two groups for morning workshops, followed by free time for socializing and exploring the grounds.

After lunch, writing workshops will take place, followed by time to write. Each participant will have a chance to sign up in advance with Maria or Laura for one-on-one help with revision.

After dinner on Saturday evening, participants will be invited to read their poems to the groups, and the faculty will lead another workshop session on how to get published.

After Sunday breakfast, a final writing workshop and concluding reading by participants will serve as the “closing ceremony” to this inspiring and productive weekend. Lunch will provide a final opportunity for socializing.

The leaders envision this weekend as a retreat from the noise and bustle of daily life. They see this retreat as a spiritual and creative break from our usual lives. The setting certainly allows us to take some time to look at life in a new light, to listen for our own voices, and to create in stillness, in quiet, and in community. These are times of contemplation and welcoming the muse.

The workshops will concentrate on "writing your way home" and the way writing can save us, save our stories and our lives.

Participants should bring papers, pens, and the willingness to take risks. Please also bring previously-written work for one-on-one sessions and for the readings



NJ teachers may receive 15 professional development credits for attending.

The fee of $375 includes room, meals, and all workshops. (Deposit by November 1 of $225 with the balance due by December 1 for $150)
Early Bird Discount: Deduct $25 if paid in full by November 7, 2010
Full refund will be given prior to December 1, 2010.
Late registration will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Enrollment is limited. There are people already signed up for this workshop, so if you are interested, please sign up as early as possible.

To register and for additional information contact Maria Mazziotti Gillan mgillan@pccc.edu or call (973) 684-6555.

Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival October 7-10

The 4-day Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival is now just 3 weeks away. Marking its 24th year, this largest poetry event in North America will be held in New Jersey's largest city - Newark.

The hope is to create a “poetry village” in the heart of the city’s arts district around the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. They will be using not only NJPAC's state-of-the-art concert halls, but also intimate cabaret rooms and prime meeting spaces within nearby cultural institutions, museums, galleries and churches to ensure a rich, varied experience for all festival-goers.

Amiri Baraka

Billy Collins

A Poetry Sampler reading on Thursday evening, October 7th, launches the Festival.

Events will be held in venues accommodating anywhere from 100 to over 2,700. The evening programs, long the centerpiece of the Festival, will be held in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall: a world-class performance space for a world-class poetry event. As in the past, interludes of music and storytelling will underscore the spirit of community.

The relocation also makes the Festival more accessible than ever before. As one of the largest mass-transit hubs, Newark is home to an international airport, major bus lines, a light-rail system and PATH service from Manhattan. This will enable more visitors to leave their cars behind and further the Dodge Foundation’s ongoing commitment to creativity and sustainability as we plan toward a “greener” Festival.

The full Festival schedule is now posted online as a printable pdf document, so you can plan when and where Festival Poets will be reading, as well as what topics they will weigh in on, and who will be performing alongside them.

Rita Dove

Sharon Olds