Panel Discussions and Salons
The Jackson Heights Poetry Festival will offer three poetry salons and panel discussions in its 2009-2010 season. These events are open to all ages, interests and skill levels, including beginners and non-poetry writing observers. Participation in workshops is not required to attend the panel discussions.
Theme:Political poetry
Date: September 27, 2009
Moderator: Richard Jeffrey Newman (bio)
Guest Panelist: Luis H. Francia (bio)
From the election of our first African-American president to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the health care crisis, the murder of Dr. Tiller, whether our roads are repaired and our schools function as they are supposed to, politics affects our lives every day in ways both big and small. What does it mean, then, to write political poetry? How does politics of a given time shape the poetry of that time? Is it possible to write a poem that is apolitical? Explore these and other questions with our guest poet Luis Francia.
Theme: Poetry as naming
Date: December 6, 2009
Moderator: Richard Jeffrey Newman (bio)
Guest Panelist: Amy King
To name something for the first time is to make it visible and real. To name an experience is to be able to share it. To give something a new name is to change it irrevocably. To write a poem is to name a truth. All of these assertions apply to how naming works in our lives as individuals and in the life of a culture. Historically, poets have been the givers of names and, in so doing, they have often been the bringers of change. Guest poet Amy King will lead us in a workshop in the power of naming through poetry.
Theme:Writing from the Gut
Date: March 7, 2010
Moderator: Richard Jeffrey Newman (bio)
Guest Panelist: Norman Stock (bio)
Writing should be spontaneous, with strong feeling and no holds barred. To create good poetry, the writing must be done with artistry, and revisions is part of the process as well - it's not that easy to get to the gut feelings, it takes practice. But the emotional force carrying the poem can not be stifled. We will be reading work by Ginsberg, Hopkins, and others, some of whom use complex forms but have gut-level poetry.
Theme:Writing The Scary Stuff
Date: June 19, 2010
Moderator and Leader: Richard Jeffrey Newman (bio)
All writers face the problem of writing about what scares them. It might be frightening because it is embarrassing or shameful, because it feels too personal, because it might offend loved ones. It might be frightening because it violates religious or other moral/ethical taboos, because it humanizes or makes comprehensible that which many believe should remain beyond comprehension, because it gives voice to people or ideas that have been silenced. Whatever the source of the fear, we should not allow it to dictate what we can and cannot write. In this workshop, we will practice some strategies for dealing with material that frightens us.
NOTE: The June 19 Salon is being held at the Renaissance School on 81st Street and 37th Ave., in Jackson Heights (one block north of Roosevelt Avenue; subway stops: 74th Street or 82nd Street for the 7 train, or Roosevelt Ave. for the E, F, G, R, and V trains) in cooperation with June in Jackson Heights.
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Schedule:
3:00-4:45: Workshops
4:45-5:00: Refreshments
5:00-6:00: Panel Discussion
Cost: Free!
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