Ohio Poetry Association Blog

Troy Hayner Cultural Center, 301 W Main Street, Troy, OH 45373 Friday Evening, October 24 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Evening Workshops & Overnight Contests Saturday Morning, October 25 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Evan Lodge Memorial Poetry Workshop One dollar Admission Saturday Noon, October 25 Lunch Box lunch will be provided – Contact Amy Zook to prepay: Amy Jo Zook 3520 State Rte. 56 Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 Saturday Afternoon, October 25 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Readings by the Ohio Co-Poets of the Year & Contest Winners

An Announcement from Ohio Poetry Day 2014: The 2014 Ohio Co-Poets of the Year, Dzvinia Orlowsky , (of Marshfield, Massachusetts) and David Lee Garrison (of Dayton, Ohio) have been named by the Ohio Poetry Day Association. This award has been given annually since 1976 to a poet or poets on the basis of a book published in the previous year or two years.   The award consists of a money prize, an honorarium as speaker, and a plaque commemorating the event.   In addition, a poem by each poet will be included at the beginning of the Ohio Poetry Day 2014 prize poems collection, Best of 2014 . For 2014, Orlowsky's collection is Silvertone and Garrison's is Playing Bach in the D.C. Metro .   The winners are invited to speak and to read from their work at Ohio Poetry Day, which will be observed on October 24 - 25 at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center in Troy, Ohio.

Steve Abbott testifying on behalf of S.B. 84 on May 21st in Columbus [photo by Michael Salinger ] BIG news for poetry in Ohio: the State Senate is considering legislation that would create the post of Ohio Poet Laureate. The proposed law, Senate Bill 84 (SB 84), was introduced by Senator Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, (9th District). Under provision of the bill, the Ohio Arts Council would administer the selection process and provide recommendations to the Governor, who would make the final selection. Most other states have already established Poet Laureate posts. Ohio neighbors West Virginia and Indiana have two of the more successful programs. OPA Vice-President Chuck Salmons and  Common Threads Editor Steve Abbott met with Senator Kearney on April 9 to discuss the bill, offering suggestions that OPA believes will strengthen it. These included shortening the term as Poet Laureate from four years to two ...

A Call for Submissions :  Southern Ohio Anthology. Submit poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction that reflects the unique spirit of southern Ohio life in terms of setting, theme, or mood. Include a brief explanation of how the submission connects to southern Ohio, as well as a brief biographical statement and contact information. Deadline:  June 15, 2012. Send to: ncarpathios@shawnee.edu as an attachment, or typed hard copy to Neil Carpathios, Shawnee State University, Dept. of English & Humanities, 940 Second Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662. Snail mail submissions will be recycled, unless SASE with sufficient postage is included. For a printable flier, click: Call for Submissions: Southern Ohio Anthology

A Celebration of Poetry and Music Tuesday, January 25 th , 2011 From 6:30-9pm The Fourth Tuesday of Every Month 101 S. Main St. Mt. Vernon, Ohio 43050 Featured Poets Louise Robertson lives in central Ohio with her two freakishly charming children. Widely published in small press journals, Robertson graduated from Oberlin College and earned an MFA from George Mason University. A winner of the Mary Roberts Rinehart award for a poetry manuscript, she has won the Columbus Arts Festival poetry competition twice and performs in poetry slams locally and regionally. She has been instrumental in bringing national poetry events to central Ohio for several years. Paula J. Lambert was born and raised in small-town New England, worked through her life as a sign painter, ice cream maker, carnie, obit writer, tutor and English professor.   She has now settled quite happily in the Midwest with her “geeky” partner, William Michael Perkins.   Trying out life as a full time writer, she seek...

Wednesday, January 12, 7:30 p.m. Jeffrey Mansion, 165 North Parkview Avenue, Bexley, Ohio Join these poets and scholars as they discuss the life and work of 2011 Bexley Community Book Club Selected Author Billy Collins. A former US Poet Laureate, Collins is prolific, publishing eight collections of poetry, including Questions About Angels, The Art of Drowning, Picnic, Lightning, Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes, Sailing Alone Around the Room: New & Selected Poems, Nine Horses, The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems, and Ballistics. Panelists will examine various aspects of Billy Collins, so that the audience can walk away with a better understanding of his work as a whole. Those who are interested in poetry, in literary works in general, or in the work of Billy Collins are encouraged to attend. The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 614.338.2093 or visit http://www.bexleyeducationfoundation.org/ Andrew Hudgins (moderator) has published seven boo...

Reading and Musical Entertainment at Pumpkin Hollow Antiques in Bellville, Ohio Friday, December 3, 2010 6:30-9 p.m. Pumpkin Hollow Antiques 24 Bell Street in Bellville, Ohio 419-886-6093 FEATURED POETS Vernell Bristow (Columbus) – began writing poetry as a student at Denison University, then moved to Columbus to attend graduate school. She is the co-founder of Writer’s Block Poetry, which holds open mic poetry readings and special events. An award-winning member of the Rust Belt Regional Slam Team and National Slam Team, she is working on a poetry collection and a spoken-word cd. Dawn Shimp (rural Ashtabula County) – is originally from the Cleveland area, but now takes inspiration from the wildlife and natural beauty of a rural landscape. Her work has appeared in Wild Strawberries, Ribbons, The Tanka Society of America Journal, and most recently in What I Knew Before I Knew, an anthology of poems from the Pudding House Salon – Cleveland. FEATURED MUSICIAN Wes Bieri (Clear ...