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A Common Wealth of Poetry The newsletter of The Poetry Society of Virginia March 2009 www.PoetrySocietyOfVirginia.org Email address: PoetryInVA@aol.com ________________________________________________ From our President Greetings and best wishes, Everyone, As most of you know by now, we have experienced a profound loss in the death of our dear friend and colleague, Frank Craddock. In his short tenure as Vice-President for the Western Region, Frank contributed more to the Poetry Society of Virginia than some members (such as your President) contribute in decades. Not only did he provide us with inspiring and entertaining regional meetings, but his creative, ambitious concepts were a substantial part of the growth and energy that have been so apparent in the Poetry Society of Virginia during the last few years. It was Frank’s friendship that returned our beloved Eleanor Dolan to our activities. After the suggestion had been made that vice-presidents choose other active members in their regions as assistants or deputies, Frank and Warren Harris developed into a team with wonderful new ideas and activities within the Western Region. It was Frank who first suggested developing a handbook for vice-presidents, to make their transition into administration less difficult and confusing, and Frank who brought the Anne Spencer foundation to the attention of the Poetry Society of Virginia, and added to our contest categories a memorial to his mother. All the while, he made himself a friend to everyone who knew him, with his gentlemanly, gracious and considerate manner, and his stunning talent as a poet. We shall miss Frank deeply. Go with God, friend. You take a part of us with you. Several suggestions have been made regarding memorials to Frank, and are under discussion at the moment. Our new Western Region Vice-President is Wayne Brindle, who has distinguished himself within the region, and will be a worthy successor. Because of the expense involved, a decision was made to omit advertising in national magazines for the annual contest. This year’s volume was a little less, but the adult contest still had 1742 entries, plenty to keep our judges busy. The student contest also enjoyed a participation level comparable to previous years. Congratulations to Judi Bragg and Peg Crews, and their committees, on a fine job. I know everyone is looking forward to the March meeting on the 14th in Northern Virginia. I’ll be anticipating the smiling faces! Patsy Anne Bickerstaff ________________________________________________ FUTURE MEETINGS Apr. 18, 2009 Central meeting Please note this is the contest awards meeting. Deadline for newsletter Mar. 28, 2009 May 15-17, 2009 Our annual Festival in Williamsburg Deadline for newsletter Apr. 23, 2009 If you get a dues notice by email, please pay promptly. Email dues notices are one way of our trying to curtail spending. The current financial crisis has not been kind to our invested assets. Tax deductible contributions are also welcome. ________________________________________________ Poor Poets and the Windless Bony Dusk Barry D. Amis Recently I came across the word poetaster. It is a precise word that one would expect to see more frequently in the continuing lively debate about the current status of poetry. However, the word is like an old high school classmate for whom one still feels affection but with whom there has been no communication for many years. There are lost words and there are shunned words. Poetaster appears to fall into the latter category. It is impossible to say with any certainty why, but some posit that there is a general reluctance to criticize, honestly and constructively, a fellow poet and thereby suggest that he is a poetaster. Perhaps. A fear that one may not be published in certain journals or anthologies, invited to workshops, or be honored with a particular poetry prize could lead to this reticence. Whatever the case I am reminded of Mary Kinzie’s excellent poem “Lost Poems Like” that ends with the uncanny lines “the flame goes on rotting in the windless bony dusk” which may be a lament but is so lyrically expressed that we almost lose sight of the “lost” poems. Kinzie says the “windless bony dusk” is “an afterwards, not an apex. Nothing follows.” Is this a comment on the current state of poetry? Still, lost poems, like lost words, are never completely lost. Like poetaster they pop up in the most unlikely of settings to remind us of our uneasy relationship with public intellect. (How incongruous was it, for example, to hear disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich quoting Tennyson?) The abstraction commonly referred to as the public at times finds it difficult to grasp the tenor of intellectual expression. It often seems more comfortable with the Joe Six Pack persona of an effervescent Sarah Palin rather than with the intellectual sobriety, say, of a Fareed Zakaria. You betcha! Dana Gioia once asked why should anyone but a poet care about the problems of American poetry? I don’t believe that poetry is an indispensable component of life because there are many essential things - food, clean water, medicine, etc. - that people need just to survive. However, poetry as a means of expression has unique value. Once again we saw in the recent election campaign the power of words. People need to understand those words and discern their meaning. Poetry can help us do that. Poetry is an aesthetic interpretation of the world. The value of poetry cannot be measured by quantitative methods, but it will not have any value if it fails to address the interests of the public and is perceived primarily as an academic exercise. Still, even Palin said she considers herself an intellectual and, possibly, with the election of Barack Obama, we are about to see that it is possible to be both an intellect and cool. He is a known reader but also plays basketball. He listens to hip hop music but also reads poetry. And, most of all, he had the wisdom to invite a poet to read at his inauguration, which should hearten all of us poetasters. ________________________________________________ Conferences The 15th Annual West Chester (PA) University June 10-13, 2009. See www.wcupa.edu/poetry. Tinker Mountain Writer’s Workshop (Hollins University). June 14-19. See: Hollins.edu/tmww VCCA Workshops in France: June12-18: see www.vcca.com/2009_workshops.html Fredericksburg VA Annual Celebration of Poetry. March 28. See January newsletter for details. Poetry Society of Virginia festival May 15-17. see info in the newsletter and PoetrySocietyOfVirginia.org. ________________________________________________ A Common Wealth of Poetry The newsletter of The Poetry Society of Virginia March 2009 This page is in memory of Frank Craddock. IN MEMORIAM by Ed Lull The Poetry Society of Virginia lost a true friend and excellent poet with the death of Frank Craddock on January 13, 2009. While serving as Vice President, Western Region of the Society, he was also an active member of the Piedmont Literary Society. Frank was a retired teacher, having taught at high schools in both Charlottesville and Lynchburg. His experience in the field of antiques led to his significant expertise as an antiques appraiser - an estate specialist. Frank also dedicated his time and knowledge as a member of the Lynchburg Museum System’s Advisory Board. At the Point of Honor Museum he was an officer of the volunteer organization, with a total of one thousand, four hundred, eighty-five hours of service. At the Courthouse Museum he was a member of the Accessions Committee. At the Maier Museum he was a docent and coordinator of receptionists. At Westminster Canterbury each autumn for the past eight years Frank conducted a ten-week session with the group called Joy of Poetry. An intelligent, thoughtful, considerate man, Frank committed most of his life to the service of others. He touched the lives of many. The Quiet Leader by Ed Lull His gentle voice belied his inner strength; his boundless energy belied his age. He nursed his brother Vince at dying time but his own pain he never could assuage. Abhorrence for the war drove him to write those lines that struck the reader’s very heart. In tragedies of war, Frank found a voice as powerful as any in his art. The quiet leader shared his many skills, and influenced more lives than he could know. Commitment to his friends and his ideals gained him the admiration apropos. His loss - a blow to those who knew him best as well as those he helped along life’s way. This poet’s voice, now silenced, will live on, his spirit vitalizing us each day. Rest in peace, my friend. God bless! Editor’s Note: A memorial for Frank will be held on Thursday March 5 at 1:00pm at St. Andrews Catholic Church, 631 N. Jefferson St., Roanoke VA. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Eleanor Dolan sends us the following poem by Frank. He read it at the Piedmont Literary Society at its December 2008 meeting. It is the last poem Frank completed. Our Manger The living room mantle was cleared, cotton batting put down, the little wooden stable centered, also covered in white. Why we thought the Christ Child was born in snow, I don’t know. We never asked. Year after year the hand-painted German papier-mache Holy Family was placed in the stable, the Wise Men and Shepherds processed from the sides. A pink and blue angel knelt to sing good tidings and peace on earth. After the War two heavy plaster Japanese camels from Kress’ ten cent store joined the tableau. As the years passed, figurines were accidently dropped, glue began to fail, paint flaked, fuzzy sheep lost match-stick legs to lean against each other for support, one Wise Man had a hole down his side and listed to the left, the infant’s head was broken and repaired more than once. Eighteen little hands that helped often did much damage as they learned the meaning of Christmas. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - When Frank’s brother died a year or so ago, I shared this poem with him. It brought him comfort as it has for me when I lose a loved one. Stu Nottingham POEM FOR THE LIVING by Theodora Kroeber When I am dead, Cry for me a little. Think of me sometimes, But not too much. It is not good for you Or your wife or your husband Or your children To allow your thoughts to dwell Too long on the dead. Think of me now and again As I was in life At some moment which it is pleasant to recall, But not for long. Leave me in peace As I shall leave you, too, in peace. While you live, Let your thoughts be with the living. ________________________________________________ Poems by Members The New Day by Ed Lull With Sasha bouncing, hand-in-hand with Dad, and Malia gliding hand-in-hand with Mom, members of the new First Family had their day. Their joy was captivating - and real, endearing them to the adoring masses. Nothing could tarnish the brilliance of smiles nor the tears of fervor, from across the land, that said: “at last.” ________________________________________________ “For Seven-Year Olds” by Farin Mirvahabi Powell I read my poem to the wind, it blew away in anger, leaving dust in my eyes. I read my poem to the Sun, it moved behind a cloud. I read my poem to the clouds, it turned into rain, drowning me in a flood. I read my poem to an old crowd, their silence proved their confusion. I read my poem to college kids, they talked about its absurdity. I read my poem to the seven-year olds, they cheered and applauded. I felt happy, ignoring the class room sign which read: “Applaud”. ________________________________________________ News About Members James Gaines reports:I'm happy to report that I had a number of poems published last year: "Chicago Transit," "New Post," "Daybreak, Siyeh Pass," and "Sea Witch," all in Riverside Revelations (Infinity Pub. 2008); "An Appalachian Sculptress" in Xanadu; "Geography Lesson" in Tonopah Review; "Spirals" in The Bay State Echo; and "Motorman" in the 2008 Massachusetts State Poetry Society Anthology. Translations of a group of short prison poems by Guillaume Apollinaire, "Confined for Moral Health," were published in Languageandculture.com. Three of my poems also won honorable mentions in the NCSPS yearly contests. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Patricia Vermillion’s book, Lady’s Maid, has been released by Live Wire Press. In narrative poetry and prose it reveals the life of Virginia’s first English family. In 1608, Anne Burras accompanied Mistress Forrest to Virginia. Later she married a carpenter named John Layton. Their child Virginia was the first English child born in the colony. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Elizabeth Doyle Solomon reports that she will judge the prose entries for University of Virginia’s Writer’s Eye contest. Elizabeth also will have her long narrative poem “Burning the Garage” published by Plainsongs, University of Nebraska Press. She also reports that the Blue Ridge Anthology, 2009 has been published by the Cedar Creek Press. Elizabeth and many other PSV members are represented in this anthology. ________________________________________________ Information about Doris Baker’s non-fiction book I’ll Let You Know When We get There can be found on her blog, dorisbaker.blogspot. ________________________________________________ Newsletter Changes: in an effort to cut expenses, this (and most future) newsletters will be restricted to four sheets of paper, or eight pages. The next to last page (usually page 7) will contain information on the upcoming meeting. The bottom of this page will contain the “tear off” section to mail in your registration for the meeting. Since your address is on the opposite side of this tear off section, you sacrifice none of the newsletter by tearing it off. More expenses could be cut by more members agreeing to receive their newsletter electronically. ________________________________________________ Craft of Poetry reprinted from Sept. 2004 Images in Poetry By Stuart C. Nottingham The word image comes from a Greek word that means copy. So what we do when we use image in poetry is to make a copy of an experience or idea. The reader or listener of our images shares our experience through the images we use. We humans experience our surroundings chiefly through the sense of sight. We also hear, feel, smell and taste, but it is sight that we depend on to the greatest extent. If I tell you “The church bell rings and the farmer goes home to milk the cows”, you know in your mind what happened. But have you shared an experience? I think not. If I tell you The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea, The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. you have shared the experience of the poet through the images used. Look at all the information packed into the four lines of the first stanza of Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. “Curfew” is the closing down of the day. It comes from a French expression that means cover the fire. In the days of open hearth fires, before day’s end the fire would be banked, or covered. “tolls the knell” is an expression associated with death and funerals. “parting day” is a straightforward image. In the second line can you hear the gentle lowing of the cattle as they return to the barn after a day in the meadow? “plods his weary way” is a strong image of a tired farmer going home. “world to darkness and to me.” The scene is now set. The poet is all alone in the early evening in a country churchyard. You expect the rest of the poem to be about life, death and the meaning of life and death. The images used in the first stanza prepare you for the rest of the poem. And you are not disappointed when you read the rest of the poem. When I read this stanza I get a strong visual image. I can see that churchyard. The sound images of the bell ringing and the cattle lowing reinforce the visual image. Here is one of my poems: THE WIND IN THE RUSHES Point Pelee Provincial Park, Ontario Listen! Do you hear it? Listen! Susurrus, susurrus, susurrus, susurrus. The rustle from the wind in the rushes is like a child's whispered secret. Susurrus, susurrus, susurrus, susurrus. In this little poem the image is wholly auditory. You hear the sound. Your vision plays little or no part in making the image. In line one I direct you to listen. In line two and five I give you the precise sound by use of the onomatopoetic word “susurrus”, a direct import from Latin that means, and sounds like, whisper. In line four I relate the sounds of the wind in the rushes to the sound of a child’s whispered secret, a sound that we have all experienced. We have looked at two poems, one with visual imagery and one with sound imagery. Can you suggest to me examples of poems that use images of the senses of smell, taste, touch, balance, or position? Let me hear from you. ________________________________________________ Northern Virginia PSV Reading On Saturday, March 14 at 10:00 AM the Poetry Society of Virginia will have its northern region annual meeting in the media center at the Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, Virginia. We are very pleased to have Jennifer Atkinson, an excellent poet, read her poetry. She is a professor of English at George Mason University and the author of two books of poems, The Dogwood Tree and The Drowned City which won the 2000 Morse Poetry Prize form Northeastern University Press. George Mason University has a strong Master’s program in fine arts with many applicants and few acceptances to their poetry specialty. Tim Lewis, the author of the epic poem about Virginia History, The Virginiad, will also be on hand to autograph his work. Registration will be at 10:00 AM. The reading will start at 10:30. We will break for sandwiches and drinks at noon and have an open mike after lunch to 3:00 PM. To reach Annandale Church from I-495, the Washington beltway, go east on Little River Turnpike (Rt 236) through Annandale, turn left on Evergreen Lane, right on Columbia Pike. Within one block is the historic Annandale United Methodist Church (founded before the Civil War). Pass through the light on Gallows Rd. and the church parking lot is just to the right. The media center is downstairs of the main building. From Alexandria, take Little River Turnpike, turn right at Evergreen Lane and follow above directions. Please fill out the form below to let me know if you are coming by March 7 and make out a check for $35 per person to the Poetry Society of Virginia. Extra contributions would be welcome because the drop in the stock market has dramatically reduced PSV reserves. Mail your check to Jack Underhill, 7628 Holmes Run Drive, Falls Church Virginia, 22042. Phone: 703 573 2056; e-mail gwaposr@cox.net. I hope that we can have a good turn out. Please bring a few extra copies of your poems, including that which you intend to read. I hope to learn more about the talents of our Northern Virginia members. Let me know if you have any good ideas for promoting poetry in the region. Jack Underhill, Vice President Northern Region PSV ________________________________________________ Name (s) of those coming____________________________________________ Address and Phone number __________________________________________ Email address:_______________________________________________ Choice of sandwich Tuna______ Roast beef_____ Check attached ___________ ________________________________________________ Executive Committee Officers 2008-2009 President Patsy Anne Bickerstaff granypatsy@yahoo.com Vice President, Central Helen Eano nellnick@aol.com Vice President, Eastern Nancy Powell nancyp1734@aol.com Vice President, Northern Jack Underhill gwaposr@cox.net Vice President, So. Eastern Pete Freas mindworm@juno.com Vice President, Western Wayne Brindle Wabrindl@liberty.edu Treasurer Peg Crews pegcrews@cox.net Membership Chair Stuart Nottingham poetryinva@aol.com Contest Chair, Adult Judith Bragg musicsavy45@yahoo.com Contest Chair, Student Peg Crews pegcrews@cox.net Newsletter Editor Stuart Nottingham poetryinva@aol.com Webmaster Linda Nottingham lindanottingham@aol.com Archivist Warren Harris wmharris@naxs.com Parliamentarian Guy Terrell ggterr@infionline.net Recording Secretary Maria Butler Mariawb@earthlink.net Poetry in the Schools Beth Huddleston bethhud@shentel.net Festival Chair Ed Lull ewlull@verizon.net Nominating Com. Chair Evelyn Tower ertower@earthlink.net Exec. Dir. Joseph Awad James McNally Carolyn Foronda Beth Huddleston Shirley Sellers Ed Lull Jim Gaines Adv. Board Ron Smith Margaret Morland Robert Arthur A Common Wealth of Poetry March 2009 Newsletter of The Poetry Society of Virginia. Poetry Society Of Virginia 913 DeWolfe Dr. Alexandria VA 22308-2602 |
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