In her poem “February,” Jill Osier writes, I curse this month, all it wants / to be. If the taunt of spring or mass-marketed expressions of love have worn you down, local literary events this month offer an antidote.
On Sunday evening, Feb. 10, Poetry in the Boro at Murfreesboro Little Theatre presents featured poets Matthew Johnstone and Dana Wildsmith, followed by an hour of open mic.
Currently, Matthew Johnstone is generating a lot of excitement on the area poetry scene for his work establishing The Free Nashville Poetry Library, a communitywide poetry collection and reading room also hosting readings and events like the Writer’s Gym. Johnstone is author of the collection Let’s be close Rope to mast, you Old light and four chapbooks. He also co-edits the online creative arts journal ’Pider and hosts the E t A l. Poetry Readings in Nashville.
The poems of Dana Wildsmith’s newest book, One Light, are set mostly on her family’s acreage in north Georgia during the time of her mother’s long process of dying from dementia. She is also author of a memoir, Back to Abnormal, which further deals with environmental issues in the ever-encroaching Atlanta region, and a novel, Jumping, which explores the changing demographics of the U.S. southern border. A finalist for Georgia Author of the Year, Wildsmith has worked as artist-in-residence for Grand Canyon National Park and other sites.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the Feb. 10 event and the features begin at 7 p.m. Open mic time follows. For more details, including this month’s word challenge, see Poetry in the Boro on Facebook.
Also coming up:
Thursday, Feb. 7, a collaborative of local talent presents “Defibrillator,” an evening of storytelling, poetry, music and art celebrating love’s unique shape in our lives. Features include storytellers Kara Kemp, Gary Parker, Jamie Leigh Stevens and Tony Woodall; Murfreesboro Poet Laureate Kory Wells; musical guests Tara Syester, Stephen Burnette and Peyton McCarthy; and the visual creations of Delaney Fitzhugh. Murfreesboro Little Theatre hosts the event, which begins at 7 p.m.; donations benefit Poetry in the Boro and MLT. Reservations recommended; email karajkemp@gmail.com.
By Feb. 12, register as a volunteer for the Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival Book Fest (SE-YA) and receive a free t-shirt. Also remember that this three-day event has free writing workshops for all ages on Saturday, March 8, but pre-registration is required. Business sponsors are still needed as well. Get all the details at seyabookfest.com.
Saturday, March 2: MTSU Write hosts “Tell It!,” a storytelling workshop with Moth Grand Slam Champion Mark Lamb. Details on Facebook, or email marklambdance@gmail.com reservations or more information.
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“One Light” by Dana Wildsmith appears in her new book by the same title from Texas Review Press. Wildsmith is one of two featured poets appearing at Poetry in the Boro on Feb. 10.
One Light
by Dana Wildsmith
A single light can lead you home. One light
is all you need to break the back of night
when darkness seems to weigh more than it has
on all the nights before, and nothing’s as
it was. Bit by bit, the lighter shades
of night you used to trust have faded as
you stopped believing in relief . The dark
goes on forever, and begins right where you are.
But when your eyes can’t guide your steps, you learn
to trust your heart instead. You rise and turn
toward where you need to go, and in the dark
you think you see a glimmer like a star
that wasn’t there until you headed home
through darkness, trusting that a light would come.
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