River Poets -
River Poets will return to the Bloomsburg Public Library
the first Thursday of the month, September 2022 through May 2023
poetry outdoors from June through August 2023
One Calendar of Poetic Stuff, Information, and Miscellany
with a nod to some of our friends.
When? - beginning at 7:30 PM on the 1st Thursday of the month
Where? - the Bloomsburg Public Library, Comminity Room – 2nd floor
River Poets will follow the event location’s guidelines regarding Covid caution.
The community room is a small space so
bring and wear a mask and social distance as much as possible.
Happy New Year.
January 5, 2023
Theme: “Wild nights – Wild nights!” with Emily Dickinson & Friends…except this will be one night instead of many. Join us to celebrate this American poet’s words, and share you favorite Emily poem(s).
7:30 pm to 9 pm MC: Danny Robinson
The weather outside is frightful. Shovel your sidewalk, or crawl back into bed? (only you can decide that). Meanwhile, we will decide the fate of River Poets’ future. Join us on the planning committee
Bloomsburg Public Library – Community Room, 2nd Floor
January 19, 2023 6:30 – 8 PM
2/2/2023 - Jerry Wemple
Theme: Halfway There ~ Are you inspired by Tommy & Gina? How far must one travel before they are coming and no longer going?
7:30 PM to 9 PM
MC: TBD
Jerry Wemple ~ Jerry is a poet, nonfiction writer, and editor who writes frequently about central Pennsylvania, a place parts of his family has lived since the 1700s. He is the author of three poetry collections. His first was selected by Pulitzer Prize-winner Yusef Komunyakaa for the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award. He is co-editor, along with Marjorie Maddox, of the anthology Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania. They are at work on another PAfocused poetry anthology. Wemple is also editing an essay anthology focused on rural Pennsylvania. He is a professor of English at Bloomsburg University.
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 Andira Dodge at wordrummager@gmail.com . 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 2021 and April 2022. 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 April 2022 reading or e-mail it as an attachment to Richard Brook at richardb@ptd.net and copy to wordrummager@gmail.com.
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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