June 14: Poetry in the Boro Open Mic
Poetry in the Boro continues in a virtual format on Sunday, June 14. Attendees are encouraged to connect at 6:45 p.m., with the show running from 7 to 8. As usual, you can share a poem of your own or a favorite by another author, with a four-minute time limit. All styles of poetry and spoken word are welcome. Pre-registration is required for those wanting to read. Check out Facebook or poetryintheboro.org for a Zoom link and details.
Poets and Photographers Wanted for Calendar Project
The Poetry in the Boro team has announced its first annual Poetry Calendar. This wall calendar will feature poetry and photography by poets and photographers who live or work in Rutherford County. Proceeds from the calendar will go to support Poetry in the Boro programming in 2021 and beyond.
Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2020. Contributing poets and photographers will be paid $45 per image or poem. Featured haiku writers will be paid $15 per haiku. Each contributor will also receive a complimentary copy of the calendar.
The calendar will be released in late fall 2020. Find submission details at poetryintheboro.org.
Fellowship Benefits Murfreesboro Poet Laureate
Poetry outreach in Murfreesboro and the midstate area will soon be getting a boost, thanks to Murfreesboro poet laureate Amie Whittemore, recipient of a 2020 fellowship award from the Academy of American Poets. Established in 2019, the Poets Laureates Fellowships honor poets serving in civic positions and provide generous funding—22 poets receive $50,000 apiece, for a total of $1.1 million awarded—to enable them to “undertake meaningful, impactful and innovative projects.”
Whittemore plans to conduct and coordinate workshops and open mics for LGBT+ youth in Middle Tennessee in collaboration with local nonprofits Southern Word and The Porch. She will also support program development of Poetry in the Boro, Murfreesboro’s community open mic and reading series. In addition to serving as Murfreesboro’s current poet laureate, Whittemore teaches English at MTSU and is the author of Glass Harvest, a poetry collection from Autumn House Press.
In Other Literary-Related News
The local League of Women Voters invites the community to celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment by reading The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss. A version of this popular book is being released for young readers in June. The nonpartisan organization will be holding a book discussion event in July, with details forthcoming.
Murfreesboro Little Theatre’s virtual production of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology premiered in May and is now available for streaming on YouTube at your convenience. Find it on YouTube or through mltarts.com.
The Rutherford County Library System has launched Quaranzine, an online magazine with work by local writers, artists and photographers. Check out the first issue and consider submitting at rclstn.org/quaranzine.
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Afternoon on a Hill
by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950); public domain
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.
And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!
