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 ***
Theme: Masks/Unmasked
Do you don a mask and tights to let your inner super hero shine? Do you mask-up to help keep each other safe?
MC: Richard Brook
Direction to Bloomsburg Town Park: From Bloomsburg Public Library, follow Market Street south approximately one (1) mile, at the very end of Market Street, face eastward and you will see us.
Theme: Flawed and Ordinary ~ Chet’la Sebree is the author of Field Study (FSG Originals, June 2021), winner of the 2020 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets.
Chet’la Sebree is the Director of the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts and an Assistant Professor of English at Bucknell University. She is the author of Mistress (New Issues, 2019), selected by Cathy Park Hong as the winner of the 2018
New Issues Poetry Prize. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from American University and has received fellowships from the Delaware Division of the Arts, Hedgebrook, The MacDowell Colony, the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, the Stadler Center, the Vermont Studio Center, and Yaddo. Her work has appeared in many journals—including wildness, Poetry International and The Account.
MC: Linda Dietrichson
Direction to Bloomsburg Town Park: From Bloomsburg Public Library, follow Market Street south approximately one (1) mile, at the very end of Market Street, face eastward and you will see us.
Theme: Whatever floats your boat
Kocher Park is a nature lover’s home away from home, join us creek-side as we share our words.
MC: Steven Concert
Directions to Kocher Park: From Bloomsburg, go north on Route 487 approximately 3.5 miles, park entrance is on the left.
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).
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