Welcome!

Upcoming Events

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns about gathering in inside places, River Poets will not be at the Bloomsburg Public Library until things return to a relaxed and better status. We hope to return to the library soon.

As we move forward with a modified schedule we ask you to please understand that…

locations will change from the library to other places,

times may vary from what used to be normal especially if we are having an event outdoors,

and finally information may change and any cancellations that need to occur may be late –

so check back close to or on the day of the event to make sure time, location, and event are confirmed

We are currently nomads but offer the following:

One Calendar of Poetic Stuff, Information, and Miscellany 

with a nod to some of our friends.

When? - most* at 7:00 PM on the 1st Thursday

Where? - temporarily* at various outdoor locations

                                       due to Covid-19 restrictions

*Some poetry is elsewhere or begins earlier or later

*** Face masks and social distancing guidelines will be followed *** 

*** Dress accordingly for these outdoor events ***

Reyna Grande via Zoom, presented by Big Dog Reading Series

March 3, 2021 7:30 pm

Bloomsburg University – Big Dog Reading Series presents

     Reyna Grande, March 3, 2021, at 7:30 pm.

     via Zoom at https://bloomu.zoom.us/j/91346260663

 

Big Dog Series information is updated on www.riverpoets.com as events are known.

Poet Laureates via Zoom

March 4, 2021 7:00 pm

Theme: Poet Laureates.  From small towns to  national inaugural events, poets inspire us with words.  Bring poems that honor your favorite Poet Laureate.  Or just share some of their inspiring work with us.  Zoom room opens 7PM, reading starts at 7:30PM

Join via the link at www.fpcbloom.org

MC: Tara Holdren

Submit poems for a display experiment: Word about Town

March 5, 2021 8:00 am

Word about Town

River Poets would like to place poems in store front windows of [willing] businesses in a project called ‘Word about Town’.  Poems should be viewable from April 1 through April 30,2021.

Poetry should be submitted to: rpapril2021poems@gmail.com as a Word attachment or pdf.

Deadline for submissions is March 25, 2021.

  • Single letter-page [8 ½ x 11 inch) length poems are strongly encouraged for ease of presentation and display. A maximum of three [3] poems per poet may be submitted.
  • The poem(s) should have the poet’s name at the lower right corner of the page. Contact information (name, address, email, phone number) must be provided in the email with the submitted poem[s].
  • Poems will be accepted with the understanding that all copyrights belong to the creator of the poem. Poems will be returned to the poet unless River Poets is instructed otherwise.
  • Not all poems submitted may be placed or displayed. There is no fee required and no payment offered in this project.

Announcements

Nothing at the moment.

Disclaimers and Possible Grains of Truth Department:

Connecting with the RIVER POETS – Due to Covid-19, our power of ESP has dissipated, the responsibility rests solely in your hands to make contact with us.  You could show up and track us down at any of our scheduled events; however, if you are not the “stalking” type, you can contact any of the following members:

            Mike DeMarco at mdmep@ptd.net or telephone him at (570) 387-0920

            Susan Brook at scbrook@ptd.net or telephone her at (570) 784-8363

            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 jlocke@bloomu.edu.  Did we mention that you can visit our website? It is a mouse

click away at www.riverpoets.com.

We also publish our very own Booklet – Here is the catch, you must be heard to be seen.  Poems published in our annual River Poets booklet must have been read aloud at one of our readings between May 2020 and April/May 2021.  Show up, enunciate, invoke elocution and SUBMIT!  There is a limit of two typed pages of poems per poet. You may bring a paper copy of your poetry to the May 2021 reading or e-mail it as an attachment to Richard Brook at richardb@ptd.net and copy to jlocke@bloomu.edu.

The plan is for our booklet to be assembled and ready for distribution by June’s reading and you may buy at least one (a ridiculously low price for these original works, too).  If you miss this year’s booklet deadline (as you are new to the River Poets, or just woke from a coma), 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, 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 a 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, a lie or two. River Poets is 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 or outdated) at this web place www.riverpoets.com. No Facebook™, no Twitter, [check Wikipedia eventually] but there are random links to other people, places, and things. 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).