July 18: “A Poetic Experiment: Imagination, Impression, and Image,” a workshop with Ala Khaki

A poetry workshop for Poetry Society of New Hampshire Members and non-member adult and high school poets

Free to All!  [Poetry Society Members/ others welcome to join as members]

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Location:  Zoom

Time:  1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Workshop Facilitator – Ala Khaki

Ala Khaki, an Iranian American poet, is the author of two poetry collections, “Calling the Dawn” (“Sahar Khani” in Farsi), and “Return” (BookSurge Publishing.)  His poems have appeared in Iranian and American literary journals and anthologies including “The Book Review (Barrasi e Ketab),” “Feather (Par),” “Thought and Imagination (Andishe va Khial),” “The Poets’ Touchstone,” “The Worcester Review,” “The 2010 Poets’ Guide to New Hampshire,” and “Poets Showcase: An Anthology of New Hampshire Poets.”  In 1981, Ala Khaki was the subject of a documentary film titled “Resident Exile” by the celebrated documentary filmmaker and director Ross McElwee.

Workshop Theme:

A Poetic Experiment: Imagination, Impression, and Image

In this workshop we will explore the role of the above elements in poetry, how they can amplify the power of the words, create poems that resonate with our core humanity, and elevate a poem beyond space and time.  We will sample works of such universal poets as Rumi, Robert Frost, Richard Eberhart, and others, and, time permitting, we’ll do a few improvisational writings prompted by the workshop facilitator.

If you are interested in attending this Zoom workshop or have questions, please email:

alakhaki@gmail.com

Workshop Coordinator – Julie A. Dickson

Julie A. Dickson is a Poetry Society of New Hampshire member, poet and writer of young adult fiction, author of several books and contributor to poetry journals. Please email Julie if you would like to be included on the distribution list for future workshops. Jdickson55@yahoo.com

 

 

Meet the 2020-2021 New Hampshire Youth Poet Laureate Team

Meet Youth Poets Laureate Sara, Elliot, and Felix, and Western NH Youth Ambassador for Western NH, Veronika.

Sara Kolli is currently a high school senior from Exeter, NH with a passion for writing through poetry. Introduced to her as a freshman in high school, it has given her the ability to think and learn outside the box. Using poetry as a way to project her voice to share how she sees the world and engage in her community. This is through her work as the former Seacoast Poetry Ambassador under the PSNH Youth council and her future career New Hampshire State Poet Laureate and the Vice President of her school’s Poetry Team, in which she encourages and leads youth throughout the state to write and perform poetry through workshops and events. Writing has helped her explore her worldview and fostered personal growth. Through her poetry, she has discussed identity, immigration, community and values. Having built up the confidence to stand in front of any crowd and speak about many issues through slam poetry, she has developed her own signature style and vastly improved her public speaking skills. She has utilized them to other aspects in her life, such as Model United Nations and even leadership opportunities such as Class Presidency. Her passion for working with others and helping them find their voice has garnered a strong interest in studying humanitarian or international law. In Sara’s free time, she loves hanging out with friends at the beach, painting, collaging and making video edits.

Elliot DelSignore is a senior at Souhegan High School, where he writes for the school’s student news site and edits for Souhegan’s literary arts magazine. While he’s been writing since the age of six, he only recently discovered his love for poetry. His work has been published in several online literary journals and magazines. As a NH Youth Poet Laureate, he hopes to draw attention to digital publishing opportunities for high school poets and help beginning writers find ways to improve and showcase their work. When he isn’t writing, Elliot also enjoys skiing, mock trial, volunteering, and art.

Felix Yeung is a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy. He is the Managing Editor of The Exonian, the oldest high school newspaper in America, and a former Executive Board member of Pendulum, Phillips Exeter’s literary and arts magazine. His writing has received an American Voices Medal and a National Gold Medal from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. To satisfy his passions for law, history, and music, he participates in Mock Trial, choir, a cappella, and various historical research pursuits. As a Co-Youth Poet Laureate, he hopes to work with poets of color to elevate Black, Latinx, and Asian voices.

Veronika Sokol is a junior at Monadnock Regional High School. She has been exploring various forms of poetry and writing from a very young age and aims to use her words to voice the struggles that this world faces. When not reading and writing poetry, Veronika is a volunteer at the Historical Society of Cheshire County, on the board of the Peterborough Poetry Project, a member of her high school choir, Destination Imagination, and the Monadnock Jazz Band as their lead vocalist.  As the Youth Ambassador for the Western Region of New Hampshire, she hopes to spread her love of poetry to the youth in her community and leave a lasting impact on their futures.

PSNH Presents: Alarie Tennille & Ekphrastic Poetry (May 26)

Next Tuesday, May 26th, at 7:00 PM, PSNH Presents will have a featured reader: Alarie Tennille who was in the first class with women at the University of Virginia. She will share stories from her experiences and answer questions. She will also read some poems, focusing on ekphrastic poetry. If you have any ekphrastic poetry you want to share, please let Jimmy Pappas know ahead of time. We hope you can join us in honoring her for helping to break a glass ceiling.

Contact Jimmy Pappas to sign up to attend this reading —

jpappas235@gmail.com

About Alarie:

Alarie Tennille was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Virginia in the first class admitting women. She has lived more than half her life in Kansas City, Missouri. Now retired, she serves on the Emeritus Board of The Writers Place and continues to write. Alarie received a 2020 Ekphrastic Award from The Ekphrastic Review, which published three of the poems she is reading for PSNH Presents. Her poetry books Running Counterclockwise and Waking on the Moon are available on Amazon. You can learn more about her work at  alariepoet.com

New Hampshire Youth Poets Laureate Reading Wednesday, April 29

This Wednesday evening, April 29th, 2020, The Poetry Society of New Hampshire is hosting a special virtual reading with our five high school youth poets laureate on Zoom. We will begin at 7:00 P.M. but will open up the Zoom link around 6:45 for an informal meeting and greeting.

Everyone is invited to join in to hear and see the great work being done in our state by young adult poets. It would be wonderful to show support for these high school seniors who would love to share their writing with all of you.

A Round Robin reading will start around 7:00 PM. Each poet will have something prepared for four rounds. You will get a chance to see just how remarkable they are. Here are the names of the five students in the order they will be reading.

1. Rachel Sturges–NH Co-Youth Poet Laureate (2019-2020).

2. Falon Smith–NH Co-Youth Poet Laureate (2019-2020).

3. Sara Kolli–NH Youth Poetry Ambassador Seacoast Region.

4. Jessica Bell–NH Youth Poetry Ambassador Central Region.

5. Cate Dixson–NH Youth Poet Laureate (2018-2019).

In each round the listeners will have an opportunity to comment in the chat section and then have a chance to briefly ask questions of the poets.

Because this is a Zoom event, it is imperative to sign up beforehand. Please contact Jimmy Pappas by responding to this email address if you want to be an attendee. He will then send you an invitation to the meeting. If you need help with setting up a Zoom account, let him know.

If you know of any New Hampshire high school students who want to apply to be a part of next year’s youth poet laureate program, the deadline is coming up on May 15th. Here is a link to the application form through Submittable:

 https://nharts.submittable.com/submit/162488/nh-youth-poet-laureate-2020-2021

Contact: Jimmy Pappas, PSNH Vice President

Cell: 603-568-8434

Feel free to text or call with questions!

Upcoming Poetry Society of New Hampshire Zoom Events

We hope you are all holding up and taking good care during this time of isolation and uncertainty. We also hope that connection through poetry, which PSNH aims to foster as part of our mission, can be a source of solace, creativity, and hope to each of you.

 

With that in mind, PSNH is offering the following free events, via Zoom, in the coming weeks. These events are open to both current PSNH members and to those considering membership —

 

*Wednesday, April 29th at 7:00 PM to 9:15 PM, NH Youth Poet Laureate reading. 

 

*Sunday, May 3rd at 1:00 to 3:15 PM, Down Cellar workshop on The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. Also ideas for publishing your poems.

 

*Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00 to 9:15 PM, Humorous Storytelling and Poetry Night. 

 

*Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 to 9:15 PM, Ekphrastic Poetry Night. 

 

If you are interested in participating in any of these events, please SIGN UP by contacting Jimmy Pappas at jpappas235@gmail.com or call him on his cellphone at 603-568-8434 for more information.

JOIN the Poetry Society of New Hampshire

 

Apply for NH Youth Poet Laureate Program (May 15 deadline)

Click HERE to apply for the NH Youth Poet Laureate program, sponsored by the Poetry Society of NH:

The NH Youth Poet Laureate (NHYPL) is an honorary, unpaid one-year position held by a NH high school student who has shown a dedication to and excellence in writing, and who demonstrates the enthusiasm to share it with the public. The NHYPL serves as an ambassador who will heighten the visibility and value of poetry by and for young people in New Hampshire.
Each Youth Poet Laureate can serve a maximum of one term which will run from September 1 to August 31 each school year.

To be eligible the student must be:

• A resident of the state of NH
• In 9th-12th grade as of September of the year the position begins. The student may graduate before the appointment ends on August 31.

Requirements of NHYPL

•  Participate in at least four events, readings, or school visits of their choosing during the year of their appointment. Events should focus on supporting and increasing opportunities for young people to read and write poetry.

KEY DATES:

March 9, 2020: Call for Nominations
May 15, 2020 deadline to submit nomination
June, 2020: NHYPL selection is announced

Help spread the word. Feel free to contact Jimmy Pappas if you have any questions at all: Cell phone: 603-568-8434

email: jpappas235@gmail.com

NH Poet Jimmy Pappas on Rattlecast March 24, 2020

Award-winning poet and PSNH Vice President Jimmy Pappas will be doing a live interview and reading with the editor of Rattle Tim Green at 9:00 PM this Tuesday, March 24th. Hope you can all tune in. Here is the link:

https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/

A Poetic Experiment: Imagination, Impression, and Image — A Free Workshop in April with Ala Khaki

Attention:
Poetry Society of New Hampshire Members
and non-member adult and high school poets

Poetry Workshop

Free to All!  [Poetry Society Members/ others welcome to join as members]

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Location:  Amherst Public Library at 14 Main St. Amherst, NH
https://www.amherstlibrary.org/

Time:  10:00 am – 2:00 pm

• Bring a bag lunch and beverage
• Bring a notebook and pen/pencil

Workshop Facilitator – Ala Khaki

Ala Khaki, an Iranian American poet, is the author of two poetry collections, “Calling the Dawn” (“Sahar Khani” in Farsi), and “Return” (BookSurge Publishing.)  His poems have appeared in Iranian and American literary journals and anthologies including “The Book Review (Barrasi e Ketab),” “Feather (Par),” “Thought and Imagination (Andishe va Khial),” “The Poets’ Touchstone,” “The Worcester Review,” “The 2010 Poets’ Guide to New Hampshire,” and “Poets Showcase: An Anthology of New Hampshire Poets.”  In 1981, Ala Khaki was the subject of a documentary film titled “Resident Exile” by the celebrated documentary filmmaker and director Ross McElwee.

Workshop Theme:

A Poetic Experiment: Imagination, Impression, and Image

In this workshop we will explore the role of the above elements in poetry, how they can amplify the power of the words, create poems that resonate with our core humanity, and elevate a poem beyond space and time.  We will sample works of such universal poets as Rumi, Robert Frost, Richard Eberhart, and others, and, time permitting, we’ll do a few improvisational writings prompted by the workshop facilitator.

Workshop Coordinator – Julie A. Dickson

Julie A. Dickson is a Poetry Society of New Hampshire member, poet and writer of young adult fiction, author of several books and contributor to poetry journals.

If you are interested in attending this workshop or have questions, please email: Jdickson55@yahoo.com

EDIT: POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL 15 — March 18: Poet Jimmy Pappas at Gibson’s

The PSNH reading at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 South Main Street in Concord) this month will feature moderator and headline reader Jimmy Pappas reading from his award winning chapbook from Rattle called Falling off the Empire State Building.

       The reading will take place on Wednesday, March 18th, Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 to 7:00. The theme this time will be Family Poetry, especially related to dealing with end of life experiences with our loved ones.

       Please bring in poems and/or stories about family life to read or share. Our Round Robins have been a great success, and we hope to build on that momentum by doing one or two a month.

       Please contact Jimmy Pappas at jpappas235@gmail.com if you have any questions.

NH Youth Poet Laureate Rachel Sturges featured at Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration