2009 Massachusetts Poetry Festival Expanding

Dear Poets & Lovers of Poetry,    The 2009 Massachusetts Poetry Festival is growing, spreading, positively exploding... We are thrilled to announce that there will be simultaneous kick-off events Thursday, October 15th, in Boston, Lowell, Salem, Worcester, Amherst, and the Berkshires. Then on Friday and Saturday, the Festival returns to the classic red-brick mills, galleries, museums, National Park sites, churches, restaurants, cafes, and cobblestone streets of downtown Lowell.   Applications are now open for small presses wanting to participate in the Festival's Small Press Fair on October 17. Click here to go to our website for documents     Afaa Michael Weaver will be participating in the 2009 Poetry Festival  Anne Waldman founder, with Allen Ginsberg, of the Jack Kerouac School of Writing at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado,will be participating in the 2009 Poetry Festival Friday, Oct. 16, over 200 high school poets will be reading and participating in events at Lowell High School;  there will be an intercollegiate poetry showcase with student poets from 14 colleges and universities, and a special MPF edition of the Urban Village Arts Series on Friday evening.   On Saturday, Oct. 17, the packed schedule will include a small press fair, readings by regional poetry groups, a Favorite Poem Project session, writing workshops, and a late night poetry slam with notable participants from Massachusetts and New York -- and much more.   Just a few of the poets appearing for the Festival this year include: Afaa M. Weaver James Tate Dara Wier Louise Gluck  Ann Waldman Jericho Brown XJ Kennedy and the Light Brigade Robert Pinsky Lloyd Schwartz And many more!   Louise Gluck , former U.S. Poet Laureate is participating in the 2009 Poetry Festival    Robert Pinsky is participating in this years  Festival  On Sunday, Oct. 18, Harvard University will host a poetry and jazz program with Robert Pinsky and musicians. To keep up with the events being scheduled regularly check in at www.masspoetry.org   The Festival is expanding. The Festival is growing          --- despite the financial hard times.   Because all of us believe, especially in these hard times, that people need poetry more than ever. But to do all this we also need you to participate  !   Please donate to the Poetry Festival. We need 100 people to step up and donate $50 dollars or whatever you can to make sure we can keep expanding the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. We need to rely on lots of small donations from individuals who want to support poetry. We need you.     Click here to make your tax deductible donation now.   Stay tuned for more announcements shortly.   Thank you.   §¨© Michael Ansara  For the Festival Planning Committee       You can watch videos of some of the readings from the 2008 Festival by clicking here. Massachusetts Poetry Festival http://masspoetry.org/ Office of Cultural Affairs & Special Events 375 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852

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