River Poets -
River Poets will return to the Bloomsburg Public Library
the first Thursday of the month, September 2024
One Calendar of Poetic Stuff, Information, and Miscellany
with a nod to some of our friends.
When? - Usually beginning at 7:30 PM on the 1st Thursday of the month
Where? - the Bloomsburg Public Library, Community Room – 2nd floor;
River Poets will follow the event location’s guidelines regarding Covid caution.
The community room is an indoor space.
At the October reading it is optional bring and wear a mask. However, social distance is encouraged.
| Dead Poets Reading – an annual event reflecting on the works of poets who have moved beyond this mortal sphere [there are a lot!].
Of course, we are looking for the unusual or obscure poems, Halloween or spirit-based poems, scary poems, poems with surprise endings, or even traditional poems but from the long or recently dead wordsmiths. Do some research and dig someone [or two] up. LIVE Guests: Susquehanna University Slam Poets! |
7:30 PM to 9 PM MC: Michael DeMarco
John grew up in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, and has dedicated fifty-seven years dreaming and the past five years to serious writing. From his teenage years, he has transformed his daydreams into poetry and prose. His passion for writing led him to earn a master’s degree in creative writing from Wilkes University, and he is currently pursuing his MFA. His first book of poetry, “The Cobblestones I Know,” has been released by Foothills Publishing.
MC: Deborah Filanowski
7:30 pm to 9 pm
| Theme: Minor Miracles – poems that celebrate the small things that afford us the strength to negotiate despair and sometime nudge us towards joy. David Allan Brooks is a poet, short story writer, and ardent essayist. His chapbook, “Right Livelihood”isTheme: Minor Miracles – poems that celebrate the small things that afford us the strength to negotiate despair and sometime nudge us towards joy. David Allan Brooks is a poet, short story writer, and ardent essayist. His chapbook, “Right Livelihood” is an award-winning booklet of original poems. A prolific writer and avid reader, many of David’s early poems were influenced by French Surrealist and the Beat poets.
David Allan Brooks was a close friend and correspondent of the late Karl Patten, professor of Literature at Bucknell University. David attended writing workshops conducted by Professor Sandra Kohler. He was a featured poet at The Stillwater Poetry Festival and The Joseph Priestly Chapel Series, in Northumberland, Pa. He is a member of the local chapter of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). The group has performed Shakespearean skits for First Night Bloomsburg and have had displays at the Lewisburg Arts Festival for many years. David published in numerous publications over the years including Bone & Flesh Literary Magazine and West Branch. He also writes a culinary column- Eat Wisely- for the SCA chapter as well as for a wide range of other literary correspondents. His wife, Kathleen Radspinner, is known as one half of the singing group Jerusalem along with Lester Hirsh. David and Kathleen reside in Hughesville, Pa. db801@windstream.net |
7:30 pm to 9 pm MC: Lester Hirsh
Connecting with the RIVER POETS – Still waiting for the world to right itself, our power of ESP has dissipated, so the responsibility rests solely in your hands to make contact with us. You could show up and track us down at any of our events; however, if you are not the stalking type, connect with us by contacting any one of these members:
Mike DeMarco at mdmep@ptd.net or telephone him at (570) 387-0920
Linda Dietrichson at lindadietrichson@gmail.com
If you are computer friendly and would like to receive reminders of poetry events, please send your email address to Janet Locke at janetmarielocke@gmail.com. Do not forget to mouse click your way to and through our digital home at www.riverpoets.com.
Publication Opportunity – Ours has a catch: you must be heard for you to be seen. Poems submitted for consideration in our booklet must have been read aloud at a River Poets reading between March 20 23 and March 2024. Show up, enunciate, invoke elocution, and then Submit! Submission limit is four typed pages of poems per poet. Your last chance to submit occurs at the March 2024 reading, bring hard copies of poems, or attach to an e-mail (only .odt, .doc, .docx, or .rtf file formats will be accepted) and send to Steven Concert at paperlesspoets@gmail.com with “River Poets submission” in the email subject header & copy to wordrummager@gmail.com.
The plan is for our booklet to be assembled and ready for distribution by the June 2024 reading and you may buy at least one (at a ridiculously low price for these original works). If you miss this year’s booklet deadline (as you are new to the River Poets), there will be future opportunities to submit. There are copies of earlier River Poets booklets if you are curious about River Poets progress, art, and production efforts over time. We know where they are and we are darn proud to be amateurs.
Please understand, we have reached tentatively into this century and continue to explore the junction of space, time, energy, and matter with varying degrees of success.
OTHER THINGS of importance somewhere. Our readings often feature a poet/reader and sometimes a theme; sometimes both a reader and a theme are present, and usually followed by an “open reading opportunity”. Although not strictly rule-bound, we do encourage a 3-poem or 5-minute time constraint on open readers (not open-ended) before we bring out the hook. Mostly we try to avoid having the audience wander away before the teapot makes a circuit or fall off their chairs while sleeping. All people and all works are welcome — bring original items, favorite works, songs, a story, even a complete fabrication or two. River Poets are an encouraging and supportive group of pilgrims, pioneers, and seekers of wisdom. Hopefully you will find us notoriously polite and not too preachy. Honestly!
open reading opportunity® is trademarked, copyrighted, and reserved by the River Poets of Bloomsburg (as far as we know and believe). People may use those words singly or in combination, but we would like some recognition or a citation that River Poets® (also copyrighted) was an early user and promoter of that particular order of letters. Thank You. (FYI — we do not claim these two words as original).
You may obtain similar information (possibly updated, hopefully not outdated) on our web page.
While there, you will find random links to other people, places, and things.
We may be coming soon to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, (check Wikipedia eventually). And yes, we are approachable in person.
THINGS TO KNOW – If you go you will return, so there is time to learn it all.
Please enjoy being here; choose to be happy (no, we can’t do that work for you).
www.riverpoets.com
©2007-2024 River Poets 
Contact Us
Site design by Argraff Design