Looking back at the NCPS Sam Ragan Poetry Festival, March 18

March 18, 2017
Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities
Southern Pines, NC

Road trip! Up to the North Carolina Poetry Society program with friend and SC poet laureate Marjory Wentworth. Friday afternoon in the charming town of Southern Pines and dinner at Rhett's.

All day Saturday at beautiful Weymouth, featuring a morning reading by Peter Makuck--poet, writer, and founding editor of Tar River Poetry. Followed by
open mic and a box lunch.

Afternoon reading by Marjory. Loveliest of days!

Honorable Mention for the Brockman-Campbell Book Award

Congratulations to Charmaine Cadeau, who won this year's Brockman-Campbell Book Award for her collection Placeholder, published by Brick Books. Joseph Bathanti, author of Concertina (Mercer University Press) and I were selected for Honorable Mention. The Brockman-Campbell is awarded by the North Carolina Poetry Society each year to a poet whose book is judged to be the best collection of poetry by a North Carolina resident or native published in the preceding year.This year's judge was Joanna Klink, author of three poetry collections and professor of creative writing at the University of Montana.

On September 20, the winner and finalists were asked to read for the North Carolina Poetry Society at Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines, NC. Unfortunately Joseph couldn't be there, but I enjoyed hearing Charmaine read from her winning book, and I was honored to read from My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass (Cider Press Review).

Saturday, Jan. 20: NC Poetry Society, Southern Pines

NC Poetry Society meeting
10 a.m., registration starting at 9:15 a.m.
Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities
555 East Connecticut Avenue
Southern Pines, NC
Free & open to the public

Morning workshops:
1) Exploring Japanese Poetry--Tom Heffernan
2) T. S. Eliot: Slicing Through Time and Space--Ron Bayes
3) Present Tense Poetry--Robin Greene

1 p.m. Open mic

1:30 p.m. Jacki Shelton Green, reading

2:30 p.m. Open mic

The North Carolina Poetry Society: www.ncpoetrysociety.org

Jun 17: Sam Ragan Poetry Festival in Southern Pines, NC

Saturday, June 17, 2006
Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities
555 East Connecticut Avenue
Southern Pines, NC

I'm looking forward to this annual event, held by the NC Poetry Society:

— A day-long festival filled with poetry, music, celebration, and fun.
Registration starts at 9:30 a.m., and festivities will last until about 3 p.m. You can order a box lunch for $8.50 or bring your own.

— Featured poets and performers: Margaret Baddour will MC in the morning, which includes performances by Gibbons Ruark, Michael Beadle, Bill Blackley, Donald Thompson, and Bill Griffin. In the afternoon, Sara Claytor will MC activities, which include performances by Stephen Smith, Shelby and Linda Stephenson, and Gilbert Abraham.

— Open mic readings will be held throughout the day, so bring a poem (limit one poem/one page please so everyone may have an opportunity to read).


--Free & open to the public.