Bathroom Poetry Project Comes to Front Royal, VA

CALL for POEMS!

The Front Royal Women’s Resource Center and the Blue Ridge Arts Council (BRAC) invite teen and adult poets from Warren County, Virginia to submit poems to the Front Royal Bathroom Poetry Project.

The Bathroom Poetry Project is an exploration of poetry in non-traditional spaces that will—
--allow the public to experience the arts in an unexpected way
--bring visitors to downtown businesses
--encourage writing by local authors.

At least 20 winning poems will be framed and displayed in the bathrooms or other spaces of restaurants and shops in downtown Front Royal, VA for a period of three months.

The winners will also be invited to participate in a “progressive reading” of the poems at each venue and an opening reception at BRAC to be held Thursday, May 21 as part of the Third Thursday Art Walk.

DEADLINE for Submissions: Friday May 1, 2009

Submission Guidelines:

• Poems will be accepted from poets who live in Warren County, Virginia.
  
• Poems can be on any topic and in any form but should be appropriate for a wide audience.
  
• Poems must be typed in 12-point font and be no longer than one page single-spaced.
  
• Poets may submit up to 3 poems.
  
• The name of the poet must not appear anywhere on the poem itself but should be included on a separate cover sheet.
  
• Separate cover sheet should include name, address, phone and email and the title of the poems submitted. Teens should note their age on this sheet.
  
• Adult and teen contests will be judged separately. Each venue downtown will display one poem by an adult and one poem by a teen. Teens aged 13-18 are invited to submit to the contest.
  
• Contest entries must be mailed by regular mail to: Bathroom Poetry Project, FRWRC, P.O. Box 1748, Front Royal, VA 22630.
  
• Contest is free—no entry fee required.
  
  For more information—
  Contact project coordinator Heather Davis at heatheredit@cs.com.
  Go to http://bathroompoet.net/index.html.
  
  

Winchester Poetry Reading and Open Mic on April 3, 2009

Come on out on Friday, April 3 to a poetry reading and open mic at The Book of Knowledge in the Winchester downtown walking mall. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Six local poets will be featured.

Details are below:

POETRY READING AND OPEN MIC NIGHT IN WINCHESTER

Date: Friday, April 3, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm-9:30 pm (acoustic duo and refreshments at 5:30)
Location: The Book of Knowledge, 7 North Loudoun Street, Winchester, VA

Featured Poets:

Carolyn Wolfe-Carolyn Wolfe’s book, When The Moon Speaks, is a compilation of poems written over a thirty year period. They range from her college days in the 70’s to the New Millennium. Her poetry emphasizes topics ranging from her strong belief in animal rights to lighter fair including love, life and laughing at ourselves. She lives in Winchester, VA with her husband Scott and her animal companions.

Joshua Legg– Joshua Legg frequently develops his poetry into material for performance in dance and theatre works. In 2006-2007, Joshua participated in the poetry workshop in Harvard University’s Creative Writing Program, and is currently crafting a novel in verse.

Maggie Stetler-Maggie Stetler, a post 9/11 refugee from New York City, has read her work at The Donnell Library, Tompkins Square Library, Provincetown Playhouse, and Queens College in NYC. She has two Chapbooks, The Naming of The Soul and The Chain. Her poems have appeared in The Small Pond Magazine of Literature, Telephone, Woman child, Kosmos, West Wind Review, among others. For her first poetry collection, In The Belly of the Whale, she was named a finalist in the Pearl Poetry Contest. Also a Reiki practitioner, Maggie now lives in Old Town Winchester with her artist husband and five cats.

Heather Davis-Heather Davis earned a B.A. in English from Hollins University and a M.A. in creative writing from Syracuse University. She is the author of The Lost Tribe of Us, winner of the 2007 Main Street Rag Poetry Award. Her poems have appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Cream City Review, Poet Lore, Puerto del Sol, and Sonora Review, among others. She lives in Front Royal, VA with her husband, the poet Jose Padua, and their daughter. She also serves on the coordinating committee of the Split This Rock Poetry Festival and is an active member of D.C. Poets Against War.

Jose Padua-Jose Padua’s poetry and fiction have appeared in Bomb, Salon.com, Exquisite Corpse, Another Chicago Magazine, Unbearables, Crimes of the Beats, and many other journals and anthologies. He has read his work at the Lollapalooza Festival, CBGB’s, the Knitting Factory, the Black Cat Club, the Public Theater, the Washington Project for the Arts, and many other venues. His chapbook, The Complete Failure of Everything , was published by Apathy Press.

Laura Levesque Madagan– Laura grew up in Baltimore, MD. She earned her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque in 1996. She is an active member of several online poetry boards and has been published in The Montage, Ensemble, and others. She currently lives with her three children in Winchester and works for the Loudoun County government in Leesburg, VA.

Everyone is encouraged to share their poetry. Open to everyone.

Free event sponsored by The Book Of Knowledge.

Call 540-545-8878 for more info or email to thebookofknowledge@verizon.net

Front Royal Reading and Open Mic a Huge Success

In the beautiful and cozy setting of Changes Antique Gallery, 3 featured poets and 16 open mic readers performed in celebration of Women's History Month last Saturday, March 14. The creative vibe was palpable as local poets from teens to seniors got up an shared their work. The house was packed!

Thanks go out to Catherine Wolnievicz for her hard work to coordinate the event, JoEllen McNeal for her enthusiasm and support, Tory, Pat, Christian, and Melissa for hosting the event and providing refreshments, and guest featured readers Mattie Quesenberry Smith and Julia Campbell Johnson.

Here is the article in the Warren Sentinel: http://www.shenandoah.com/stories/?headlineID=17427&sourceID=68

Stop by Changes Antiques Gallery sometime to see the current art show on their walls and shop for something unique then head next door for excellent wine and cheese at Vino y Formaggio then to the neighboring D & B Chocolates for handmade chocolates, fudge, and gelato!

Review of Hagerstown Reading

Wow, someone was really listening! Check out this write-up by reporter Lauren LaRocca. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find the story.

"...the reading was a bright spot — sometimes piercing lemon yellow — on an otherwise cold and dreary Saturday afternoon in Hagerstown...I was most inspired by Heather Davis and Jose Padua, who are poets and happen to be married — or maybe it’s the other way around."

And visit the Washington County Museum of Fine Art--it is a gorgeous place.

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/blogs/blog.htm?bid=7&headerTitle=the%20art%20chakra

New Poem Published in Exhalezine.com

Exhale is a "literary magazine for intelligent people who have lost a baby,or have trouble making babies in the first place." Check out my new poem "Casino" just published in Exhale. This is a unique and much needed lit mag. Click on the button below to go to Exhale:

2 Readings in January with Jose Padua

The old man and I will be reading together on two Sundays in January. Jose has been very productive since we moved to the boonies where people look at us (and especially him) real funny. You won't want to miss his new P-Funk inspired piece!

Sunday, January 11:
Iota Club & Cafe
Arlington, VA
6 PM
IOTA is located at 2832 Wilson Boulevard in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arington, VA. Wilson Boulevard starts in Rosslyn, which is just across the river from Washington D.C. IOTA is just a couple miles up on Wilson, between Edgewood and Fillmore Streets.

Sunday, January 18:
Washington County Museum of the Fine Arts
Hagerstown, MD
2:30 PM
"The Lost Tribe of Us" featuring poets Heather Davis, Sonja James and Jose Padua with music by the Frederick Baroque Ensemble.
Location: In the middle of the beautiful Hagerstown City Park, the Museum is easily accessible from Interstates 70 and 81. Click here for directions. Free admission. Plenty of free parking. Building is fully accessible to those with disabilities.

Reading at The Daily Grind on July 17 and More

Jose Padua, Kristin Camitta Zimet, and I will be reading at The Daily Grind at 215 Main Street in Front Royal on Thursday July 17.

This event is part of the Third Thursday Art Walk in Front Royal--come on down and sip on a cool coffee frap and catch some metaphors then stroll on over to The Lucky Star Lounge for some Guinness or hard cider.

Future Readings:

• Thursday, August 21 at the Gallery of the Blue Ridge Arts Council as part of "Virginia Monologues"
• Sunday, September 14 at Iota Bar and Cafe in Clarendon, VA
• Friday, October 3 at the Winchester Book Gallery in Winchester, VA