Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar 2

Join writer and teacher naturalist, salvation burnette, for an in-person poetry workshop and nature walk.
Ever noticed a host of house sparrows swarming a pizza crust on the sidewalk? A rat slurping from a discarded Dunkin cup floating on an oily puddle? A plush cloud pierced by a skyscraper? What do these images say about our urban environment? How does seeing these things affect us? How can we, people who live in the city, use what we see to create art, to create awareness and change, to care for ourselves and our communities?

This is an opportunity for us to spend time noticing the visible ways humans impact and interact with the natural environment, and then we’ll use our observations to create poetry. We will read and talk about poetry that explores nature and/in/against the city. Then, depending on the weather, we’ll go outside and observe our surroundings together or stay indoors and explore some natural materials and artifacts together. Participants can then choose a writing prompt and write/wander on their own. Finally, we’ll reconvene to talk about our experiences, and participants are welcome to share anything they write. No experience needed to write poetry—everyone is welcome!

Registration recommended, but not required. Contact Alea to register.

The Associates of the Boston Public Library is proud to present Faces of Phillis, a free staged reading and panel discussion, as the fifth installment of the annual Pierce Performance Series. The one and only performance will take place on December 4th, from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM in the Boston Public Library's Rabb Hall.Faces of Phillis will celebrate Phillis Wheatley Peters on the 250th anniversary of the publication of Phillis's groundbreaking book Poems of Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.

A recording of the event will be available for only one week on Vimeo (December 6th - December 13th). To receive the link to the virtual performance, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/74DWsj3TQvFAbx3t5

For more information about our collaborators, please see our Pierce Performance website: https://www.associatesbpl.org/events-and-programs/pierce/

Read your work, tell your jokes, bear your soul, all while accompanied by the coolest backing band since the invention of Ray-Bans. Sometimes there's snacks. Usually there are featured readers, local heroes and nationally ranked performance geniuses alike.