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A Common Wealth of Poetry Newsletter of the Poetry Society of Virginia October 2003 In This Issue: From the President Eastern Region Meeting Blown Away Membership Report Report on Survey about Strophes Call for Member’s News and Poems Poetry Reading Series: Episode One Poetry Peer Review Groups Welcome New Members Two November Meetings IN MEMORY Western Region Annual Meeting, Registration From the President Ed Lull Isabel .....Blew like hell! As I write this, many of our members are without power, some without phones, many with serious damage to their homes from falling trees or flooding, and nearly all with some undesirable reminder or calling card from the lady who visited us on September 18. I do hope that all of our members escaped injury. We now look forward to our annual visit to Lynchburg. It’s always a pleasure to make that beautiful, mid-autumn drive to see what David Partie has in store for us. More of you should set that time aside to take the opportunity to visit with some of our great members who are able to make it to our Lynchburg meeting - like Margaret Ward Morland and Joe Campbell. The larger the turnout, the more festive the occasion. There are many interesting poetry programs around the Commonwealth this year. You will read about those that we can fit in A Common Wealth of Poetry as the year progresses. If you are participating in - or aware of - any in your area, take a few minutes and send a brief article to our newsletter editor, Linda Nottingham. We would like to give them visibility, and hope that the ideas will stimulate the initiation of similar programs elsewhere. See you in Lynchburg! Eastern Region Meeting Blown Away The many tribulations brought on us by Isabel caused the indefinite postponement of the PSV East Region meeting scheduled for September 20. Old Dominion University, the venue for the meeting, has not reopened as of the date this notice is being written - and has its own cancellations to deal with. If we are able to reschedule our meeting, it will be after the first of the year. Watch the newsletter for more information at a later date. Membership Report Stuart C. Nottingham, Membership Chair Each of us has a responsibility of sharing information on the advantages of membership in the Society with our poetry loving friends. And we are doing pretty good! Our numbers on Oct. 1 stand at 337, a 4% increase over Oct. 1 numbers of last year. Continue to use the Contest Brochure (available from Norma Richardson) and the New Member Application brochure (available from Stu Nottingham) to attract new members. Nineteen of our memberships are Lifetime Memberships. These members have shown their dedication to the Society by making a life long commitment. These lifetime members are Joseph and Doris Awad, Clyde Ball, Joe Campbell, Lori Fraind, George Garrett, Gertrude Gunther, Shirley Kerr (of Tennessee), Catherine and Brendan McCormack, Jim and Mary McNally, Margaret and Kenneth Morland, Stuart and Linda Nottingham, Carolyne Robertson, W. Shropshire (of Maryland), Grace and Hassell Simpson, Barbara Smith, Ron and Delores Smith, Bruce Souders, Martha Stanton (of California) and Patricia Vermillion. The Executive Committee has extended our lifetime memberships to include both partners in a marriage. If I have omitted any of the spouses from the above listing, it's because I do not have a record of the spouse's name. If you are interested in adding a spouse's name, send it to me at: Membership@poetrysocietyofvirginia.org or Stuart C. Nottingham 913 DeWolfe Drive Alexandria, VA 22308-2602 Report on Survey about Strophes Stuart C. Nottingham, Membership Chair The survey was undertaken to gather information to guide the Executive Committee in its effort to control costs (1.) of enrolling in the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) and (2.) of distributing the NFSPS newsletter Strophes to enrolled members. About 69% of our members responded to the survey. Student and Classroom members were not included in the survey because they are not eligible for enrollment because of their steeply discounted dues rates. In interpreting the survey I erred on the side of "Yes I want to be enrolled" and "Yes I want to get Strophes in a paper copy." All who did not respond were counted as "Yes" to both questions. Because of their unfamiliarity with NFSPS and Strophes, I also counted all new members as "Yes" to both questions. Here are the results of the survey: NO to enrollment and NO to receiving a paper copy of Strophes 48 (These members will not be enrolled in the NFSPS nor will they receive Strophes.) YES to enrollment and NO to receiving a paper copy of Strophes 94 (These members will be enrolled in the NFSPS and will access Strophes on the Internet.) YES to enrollment and YES to receiving a paper copy of Strophes 176 (These members will be enrolled in the NFSPS and will continue to receive Strophes by mail.) Total 322 All members for whom we have an email address will be notified by email when the current issue of Strophes is available on the Internet. The Society will save over $400 yearly when the results of this survey are implemented. The survey will be repeated each year for those members receiving Strophes by mail. Call for Member’s News and Poems Have you recently had a poem published, won a prize, or given a reading or workshop? Please let your Newsletter editor know so that we may publish your good news in our Members Activity column. This is one way we can introduce ourselves and can inspire our new members. The rules for inclusion of Member Poetry in our Newsletter are listed below. Remember, in some editions of A Common Wealth of Poetry space is tight, so short poems are appreciated. Rules for submitting member poetry 1. The Poem must be previously published. 2. The poet must retain rights to the poem (and will retain rights after we publish it.) 3. Poems to be published will be selected by lot. 4. Send only one poem to the Newsletter editor. Poetry Reading Series: Episode One Sofia M. Starnes Neat shoes that waver at a woodland edge; tea out of teacups the size of walnut shells; the aroma of forbidden popcorn for a child—these were some of the memories that three writers shared, through poems and stories, at the September 6 Reading hosted by the Poetry Society of Virginia and the Williamsburg Regional Library. Joanne Scott Kennedy, Mary Haines and Xennia presented their work to an appreciative audience of some 35 poetry lovers in the Schell Memorial Room of the library. The offerings reflected the individual insight of each presenter, while resonating with universal themes. Highlights of the reading included: Joanne Kennedy’s re-creation of attic gold and pears, indoors and out, the affirming scenes of her childhood (she spoke of “clearing out her memory-closet”, vivid proof that cobwebs indeed harbor gems); Mary Haines’s evocative journeys, from a Polish ancestry to time spent in Bolivia, Africa and Japan, poignant and celebratory explorations of linkage and spiritual place; Xennia’s recollections from a colored-only past, her sonorous homage to Lakota women, delivered through the medium of a “spoken word artist”, as she prefers to be known. All these conformed Saturday morning’s celebration of words. At the conclusion of the event, Ed Lull, President of the Society, invited the attendees to the next installment of the Poetry Reading Series, to be held at the same venue from 11 AM to noon, the first Saturday of October. Next month’s scheduled presenters are Bette Castro, Guy Terrell and Shann Palmer. Poetry Peer Review Groups Linda and Stuart Nottingham One of the programs the Society is emphasizing this year is the development of local poetry groups. There are a number of groups around the state. Each has its own history and its own procedures. The group that meets at the home of Stuart and Linda Nottingham has a long history. It started many years ago, hosted in Sterling by former member Brian Hansen. When Brian retired to California, Stuart took it over. It had a few years of stop and go, but has now become more regular and established. Linda and Stuart call the group a poetry salon. At the meetings the members listen to and discuss an educational tape from the Teaching Company. Often we have a writing exercise, always a fun thing to do. And we review one another's poems-in-progress. The critiques are constructive and help the poets better express their artistic idea. Linda and Stuart provide wine and other beverages, other group members bring a snack as well. We meet at Stuart and Linda's home in the Mt. Vernon section of Fairfax County on a Sunday, from 4:00 - 7:00 PM. Northern Virginia members for whom we have an email address are notified by email. If you'd like to be telephoned about these meetings, let Linda or Stuart know at 703-360-4267. If you are involved in a similar group, let Linda, our Newsletter Editor, know about it. The newsletter can spread the word for you. Welcome New Members Stuart Nottingham Since May of this year fourteen new members have joined the Society. We welcome them and encourage them to be active in the activities of the Society. The new members are David Bovenizer (Lynchburg), G. Wesley Childress (Richmond), Tim Dawsey (Kingsport, TN), James Gaines (Fredericksburg), Katherine Gotthardt (Bristow), Mary Haines (Williamsburg), Betty Harcourt (Virginia Beach), Claire Hasselbeck (Arlington), Beverley Isaksen (Norfolk), Cheryl Keeler (Grottoes), Sheryl Madison (Alexandria), Amanda McDermott (Charlottesville), Brittany Roberts (Ashland), and Jimmy Warner (Richmond.) Two November Meetings Due to the unfortunate disruption of scheduling efforts of David Partie, our Western Region Vice-President, our October Lynchburg meeting is being held on November 8. This is just one week before the Central Region meeting on November 15. Details for the Western meeting are included separately in this newsletter and on our web site. IN MEMORY Mary O. Newcomb, Poquoson, VA The Poetry Society of Virginia 2003 Western Region Annual Meeting, November 8 This year’s fall meeting will take place at the Maier Museum on the campus of Randolph Macon Woman’s College and at Rivermont Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. The events of the day will include a tour of the art works at the Maier Museum of Art, a workshop on the writing of poetry based on works of art (an ekphrastic poetry workshop), a catered lunch, a poetry reading and contest based on the poems written at the workshop, and a special multimedia presentation on great poems of the past written on great works of art. Schedule: · Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Maier Museum of Art. · At 9:30 a.m. the Maier Museum tour will begin. · At 10:30 a.m. we will have a workshop devoted to the writing of ekphrastic poetry · From 12:30-1:30 p.m. there will be a catered lunch in the fellowship hall of Rivermont Presbyterian Church · From 1:30-2:00 p.m. there will be a multimedia presentation · From 2:00-3:30 p.m. there will be an open mic reading and a poetry contest for any attendees who wish to participate. Lunch cost: Attendees should send a check or money order made out to The Poetry Society of Virginia for $20.00 to David Partie, 520 Burr Oak Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502, by Wednesday, October 29. Directions: 1. From the north: Take Highway 29 South to Lynchburg. Exit Rivermont Avenue. Turn right onto Rivermont (west). Turn right at Quinland St. The Maier Museum is located behind the campus of Randolph Macon Woman’s College at 1 Quinland St. Rivermont Presbyterian Church is located at 2424 Rivermont Ave., just up the street from the Maier Museum. 2. From the south: Take Highway 29 North to Lynchburg. Exit Main Street Downtown. Turn right onto Main Street and follow it to Rivermont Avenue. Turn right at Quinland St. The Maier Museum is located at 1 Quinland St. behind the campus of Randolph Macon Woman’s College. Rivermont Presbyterian Church is located at 2424 Rivermont Ave., just up the street from the Maier Museum. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please return to David Partie, 520 Burr Oak Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502 Member Names):_______________________________________________ Guest Name(s):__________________________________________________ Amount Enclosed:_______ Return no later than October 29, 2003 |
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