Poetry Weekend March 2026

The next in-person Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey will be held Friday evening, March 27, through Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Mendham, NJ. 

Held at a Retreat House situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property, this serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit. This is an opportunity to retreat from the noise and busyness of everyday life and invite the muse to inspire us.  In the workshops, we will capture our stories and memories on paper, and discover how poetry can, so often, save our lives. Participants will draft poems in the workshops and share their work from the workshops. They may also bring previously-written work for one-on-one critiquing sessions with Maria and Kevin, and to share at the group readings.

If you would like to register, please send the registration form with your check payable to Maria Gillan and sent to 40 Post Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ 07506. Payment must be submitted and attendance confirmed by March 15th.

Download the complete information and registration form

 

Maria Mazziotti Gillan is the winner of the 2014 George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature from AWP, the 2011 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers, and the 2008 American Book Award for her book, All That Lies Between Us. She has also received the Clara Lemlich Award for Social Activism (May 2022),

and a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award from the Center for Creative and Performing Arts at Salem State University. She is the Founder/Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, editor of the Paterson Literary Review, and Professor Emerita in creative writing at Binghamton University—SUNY. She has published 23 books, including her latest book, When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com, and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com

Kevin Carey is the Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published a chapbook of fiction from Red Bird Chapbooks, The Beach People (2014), and three books of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) which was an Honor book for the Paterson Literary Prize, and Set in Stone (2020) all from CavanKerry Press. His poems have twice appeared on The Writers Almanac on National Public Radio and on The Academy of American Poets Poem a Day. Kevin is also a playwright and filmmaker. He has co-directed and co-produced two documentaries about poets, All That Lies Between Us and

Unburying Malcolm Miller, which premiered at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in 2017. Kevin has also co-authored a screenplay, Peter’s Song which won Best Screenplay at the New Hampshire Film Festival in 2009. His latest stage play The Stand or Sal is Dead, a murder-mystery-comedy, premiered at the Actor’s Studio in Newburyport, MA in June, 2018. His first crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, from Darkstroke Books, was released in 2020, and a new middle-grade novel Junior Miles and the Junkman was published in 2023 from Fitzroy Books, an imprint of Regal House Publishing.  More about Kevin at  Kevincareywriter.com

Retreat House

2025-2026 Readings and Workshops at The Poetry Center in Paterson

The Poetry Center at PCCC in Paterson, NJ, offers poetry writing workshops in conjunction with the Distinguished Poets Reading Series. Below is the schedule for November 2025 through June 2026.

There is limited enrollment, and workshops generally fill up, so register early. Registration and a fee of $20 are required for all workshops. For full information and the registration form, go to Workshops at The Poetry Center at PCCC

There will be some in-person and some virtual (Zoom) readings and workshops offered. Workshops via Zoom will run from 1 PM – 2:30 PM (EST) and be followed by the poet’s reading from 2:30 PM – 3 PM (ET), unless otherwise noted below.

In-person workshops will be held at the Poetry Center in Paterson from 10 AM to 12  PM and will be followed by their reading at the Center at 1 PM. These in-person readings include an open reading opportunity after the featured poets.

3 poetry events are readings-only Readings and workshops are held in the same building, and free parking is available to attendees..

All readings - virtual and in-person - are free and open to the public. The Readings page includes bios of all the poets for this season.

November 15, 2025   Paterson Literary Review #53 Publication Celebration  NO WORKSHOPS

December 6, 2025     Martín Espada or Dante Di Stefano

January 10, 2026      Jan Beatty virtual via Zoom

February 7, 2026      Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award for 2025 Reading  NO WORKSHOPS

February 21, 2026    Nicole Santalucia virtual via Zoom

March 7, 2026          Barbara Crooker or Adele Kenny

March 21, 2026        Edvige Giunta virtual via Zoom

April 11, 2026          Paterson Poetry Prize Winner Reading, Joan Kwon Glass or Nancy Miller Gomez

April 25, 2026          Book Launch &Reading - Laura Boss Narrative Poetry Award  NO WORKSHOPS

May 2, 2026             Richard Blanco or José Antonio Rodríguez

May 16, 2026           Jim Reese virtual via Zoom

June 6, 2026             Leah Umansky virtual via Zoom

Winter In-person Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey

The winter 2025 in-person Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey December 12th to December 14th, 2025 in Mendham, NJ. 

Held at a Retreat House situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property, this serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit. 

Retreat House

Download the information and registration form

 

Payment must be submitted and attendance confirmed by November 15, 2025.

Maria Mazziotti Gillan is the winner of the 2014 George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature from AWP, the 2011 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers, and the 2008 American Book Award for her book, All That Lies Between Us. She has also received the Clara Lemlich Award for Social Activism (May 2022),

and a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award from the Center for Creative and Performing Arts at Salem State University. She is the Founder/Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, editor of the Paterson Literary Review, and Professor Emerita in creative writing at Binghamton University—SUNY. She has published 23 books, including her latest book, When the Stars Were Visible (Stephen F. Austin University Press, 2021). 
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com, and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com

Kevin Carey is the Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published a chapbook of fiction from Red Bird Chapbooks, The Beach People (2014), and three books of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) which was an Honor book for the Paterson Literary Prize, and Set in Stone (2020) all from CavanKerry Press. His poems have twice appeared on The Writers Almanac on National Public Radio and on The Academy of American Poets Poem a Day. Kevin is also a playwright and filmmaker. He has co-directed and co-produced two documentaries about poets, All That Lies Between Us and

Unburying Malcolm Miller, which premiered at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in 2017. Kevin has also co-authored a screenplay Peter’s Song which won Best Screenplay at the New Hampshire Film Festival in 2009. His latest stage play The Stand or Sal is Dead, a murder-mystery-comedy, premiered at the Actor’s Studio in Newburyport, MA in June, 2018. His first crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, from Darkstroke Books, was released in 2020, and a new middle-grade novel Junior Miles and the Junkman was published in 2023 from Fitzroy Books, an imprint of Regal House Publishing.  More about Kevin at  Kevincareywriter.com

Early Fall 2025 Edition of Maria Gillan's Mature Adults Workshop Series

The early fall 2025 edition of Maria Gillan's Mature Adults Workshop Series is now open for registration.

These popular sessions are held online using Zoom. This series is open to adults 50 and older. 

There are six one-hour workshops in each series. The focus is on writing narrative poetry and sharing the work that you’ve just written in the workshop. 

Pre-registration is required for the entire workshop series.  The fee is $90 for all six workshop sessions. Registration is by check and mail. There is a maximum of 25 people, and it will be on a first-come-first-served basis based on receiving your check. 

For Early Fall 2025, the 6 Thursday sessions will be held on

Thursdays: September 11, 18, 25 & October 9, 16, 23.

Workshops Time: 1 pm – 3 pm (EST)

If you want to participate in this next workshop series, please download the registration form and send your check as soon as possible.  To check registration availability, email Cynthia Pagan at cpagan@pccc.edu. Registration will only be confirmed when your check has been received. We do not offer individual sessions, so please sign up for the entire six-session series. We do not offer refunds.

Download the registration form at Workshops from The Poetry Center at PCCC

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com , and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Poetry Weekend Intensive May 16-18

WRITING YOUR WAY HOME: A POETRY WEEKEND INTENSIVE
with award-winning poets, Maria Mazziotti Gillan & Kevin Carey
May 16̶ 18, 2025
at an English Manor House in Mendham, New Jersey

The purpose of this retreat is to give poets the space and time to focus on their writing away from the pressures and distractions of everyday life. Participants will draft poems in the workshops and should bring paper or a notebook, pens, and the willingness to take risks. Please also bring previously-written work for one-on-one critiquing sessions and for group readings.

St Marguerite’s Retreat House, located in Mendham, NJ — is situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property. This serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit.

This poetry weekend intensive is open to all writers over the age of 18.
Request by Retreat House: All Participants must have been inoculated and present proof of vaccination. (Please send copy of your vaccination card with  registration form).

Time: Begins 5 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2025 and ends 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18, 2025

At this retreat, poets will find:
• support and encouragement;
• stimulating writing exercises/prompts leading to the creation of new work;
• workshop leaders who are actively engaged in the writing life;
• opportunities to read their work aloud to the group;
• a community of writers and networking opportunities.
Fifteen professional development credits granted.

Poetry Weekend Intensive Schedule:
➢ Friday, May 16, 2025: Please arrive by 5 PM and settle into your rooms.
After dinner, we will break into two groups (about 12 to 15 in each), where
we will have the opportunity to write poetry and share the work.
➢ Saturday, May 17, 2025: After breakfast, we will break into two groups for
morning workshops. Lunch will be served, followed by one afternoon
workshop and either free time or a critiquing session with the poet faculty.
Interested participants can sign up in advance (at the retreat house) and may
bring previously written, typed work for feedback.
After dinner, there will be an additional workshop.
* On Friday and Saturday evenings, the two groups will come together and
we will share our work—either something written on the weekend or
previously.
➢ Sunday, May 18, 2025: Breakfast followed by a workshop. A final reading by
participants will serve as the “closing ceremony” to what we hope will be an
inspiring and productive weekend. Lunch will offer another opportunity for
socializing and networking.

We envision this intensive as a journey, allowing us to look at things differently,
listen to our own inner voice, and create in stillness and community. This is an
opportunity to retreat from the noise and busyness of everyday life and invite the
muse to inspire us. In the workshops, we will capture our stories and memories on
paper, and discover how poetry can, so often, save our lives.

Click here to download registration form, information and fees 

In-Person and Virtual Poetry Workshops at The Poetry Center

The Poetry Center at PCCC in Paterson, NJ offers poetry writing workshops in conjunction with the Distinguished Poets Reading Series.

There is limited enrollment and workshops generally fill up, so register early. A $20 fee which is paid to the poet is required with your registration.

These poets will give a poetry reading following their workshop. The readings are always free and open to the public.

Readings are recorded and later archived for viewing on the Poetry Center’s YouTube channel.

Bios of all the poets are available on our readings page.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS 2024-2025

12/7/2024 Saida Agostini (Marie Howe closed)   

1/18/2025 Zoom  -  Tony Medina   

2/15/2025 Zoom  - Joshua Bennett 

3/1/2025         Nicole Cooley & Meghan O’Rourke

3/15/2025 Zoom  -  Beth Ann Fennelly  

4/5/2025         Afaa M. Weaver & Mahogany Browne

5/3/2025        Kwame Dawes & Maya C Popa 

See the Workshops page to download the registration form.

Mature Adult Poetry Workshop via Zoom Fall-Winter 2024 - 2025

Maria Gillan has scheduled the next series in her very popular virtual Mature Adult Workshop series that is held via Zoom for the Fall-Winter of 2024 - 2025 on November 14, 21, December 5, 12, 19, and January 9, 2025.

As usual, there will be six sessions, and the fee will be $90.00 for all six sessions. We do not offer individual sessions, so please sign up for the entire series.

Registration is on a first-come-first-served based on the receipt of your payment to the Poetry Center office and space is limited. If you want to participate in the next workshop series, go to the website for full information and the registration form.

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings. Maria's poetry website is MariaGillan.com, and her artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com?span>.

Poetry Workshop Weekend December 2024

Maria Mazziotti Gillan will be hosting another of her very popular in-person Poetry Weekend Intensives along with poet Kevin Carey on December 13 - December 15, 2024 in Mendham, NJ.  

WRITING YOUR WAY HOME: A POETRY WEEKEND INTENSIVE is held at St Marguerite’s Retreat House, an English manor house located in Mendham, NJ. Situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property. this serene setting is perfect for nurturing the creative spirit.

The weekend begins with your arrival Friday by 5 PM giving you time to settle into your room before dinner where you will meet your hosts and fellow writers. After dinner, we will break into two groups (about 12 to 15 in each) and have our first opportunity to write and share.

Saturday, after breakfast, we will break into two groups for morning workshops. Lunch will be followed by one afternoon workshop and either free time or a critiquing session with the poet faculty. Interested participants can sign up in advance (at the retreat house) and may bring previously written, typed work for feedback. After dinner, there will be an additional workshop.

Sunday breakfast is followed by our fourth and final workshop session. A final reading by participants will serve as the “closing ceremony” to what we hope will be an inspiring and productive weekend. Lunch will offer another opportunity for socializing and networking.

Download the pdf with complete information and the registration form. Send the registration form with your check payable to Maria Gillan to 40 Post Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ 07506. Please contact Maria with any questions.

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings. Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com

Kevin Carey is Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published a chapbook of fiction from Red Bird Chapbooks, The Beach People (2014) and three books of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) which was an Honor book for the Paterson Literary Prize, and Set in Stone (2020) all from CavanKerry Press. Kevin is also a novelist, playwright and filmmaker. His website is kevincareywriter.com

April In-person Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey

The in-person Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey will happen April 19 – 21, 2024 in Mendham, NJ.  It is held at an English Manor House, St Marguerite’s Retreat House on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property. This serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit.

This poetry weekend intensive is open to all writers over the age of 18.

It begins at 5 p.m. Friday, April 19 and ends at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21, 2024

The purpose of this retreat is to give poets the space and time to focus on their writing away from the pressures and distractions of everyday life. Participants will draft poems in the workshops and should bring the willingness to take risks. Also bring previously-written work for one-on-one

critiquing sessions and ,group readings.

At this retreat, poets will find:

• support and encouragement;

• stimulating writing exercises/prompts leading to the creation of new work;

• workshop leaders who are actively engaged in the writing life;

• opportunities to read their work aloud to the group;

• a community of writers and networking opportunities.

click here for full information and the registration form

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings. Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Kevin Carey is the Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published

three books of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) which was an Honor book for the Paterson Literary Prize, and Set in Stone (2020) all from CavanKerry Press. He

has co-directed & co-produced two documentaries about poets, All That Lies Between Us and

Unburying Malcolm Miller.  see kevincareywriter.com

Register for Poetry Workshps with Tom Sleigh and Joshua Barrett in Paterson

Joshua Bennett of Braintree, MA, and Tom Sleigh of Brooklyn, NY, won the 2023 Paterson Poetry Prize. Bennett won for The Study of Human Life (Penguin Books, New York, NY), and Sleigh won for The King’s Touch: Poems (Graywolf Press, Minneapolis, MN). They each received $1,000. The annual award is given by The Poetry Center at PCCC for a poetry collection published in the previous year.

Both poets will be featured readers at The Poetry Center on April 6, 2024. They will each conduct poetry writing workshops in the morning that day at the Poetry Center in Paterson from 10 AM – 12  PM before their readings at 1 PM. Information and registration at poetrycenterpccc.com/workshops

Joshua Bennett is Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at MIT. He is the author of five books of poetry, criticism, and narrative nonfiction: Spoken Word: A Cultural History (Knopf, 2023); The Study of Human Life (Penguin, 2022), which was a winner of the Paterson Poetry Prize, longlisted for the Griffin International Poetry Prize and the Massachusetts Book Award, and is currently being adapted for television in collaboration with Warner Brothers Studios; Owed (Penguin, 2020), a finalist for the New England Book Award; Being Property Once Myself (Harvard University Press, 2020), winner of the MLA’s William Sanders Scarborough Prize, and The Sobbing School (Penguin, 2016), winner of the National Poetry Series and a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. 

Bennett earned his Ph.D. in English from Princeton University, and an M.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Warwick, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He has recited his original works at the Sundance Film Festival, the NAACP Image Awards, and President Obama’s Evening of Poetry and Music at the White House. He has also performed and taught creative writing workshops at hundreds of middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities across the United States, as well as in the U.K. and South Africa.

For his creative writing and scholarship, Joshua has received fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, MIT, and the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. His work has been published in The Best American Poetry, The New York Times, The Paris Review, The Yale Review, and elsewhere. Alongside his friend and colleague, Jesse McCarthy, he is the founding editor of Minor Notes, a Penguin Classics book series dedicated to minor poets within the black expressive tradition. He lives in Massachusetts. 

Tom Sleigh winning collection, The King’s Touch, collides the world of fact and the world of mystery with a resolutely secular register. The title poem refers to the once-held belief that the king, as a divine representative, is imbued with the power of healing touch. Sleigh turns this encounter between illness and human contact toward his own chronic blood disease and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its mounting death tolls. 

Tom Sleigh is the author of eleven books of poetry including the winner of the 2023 Paterson Poetry Prize, The King’s Touch (Graywolf Press, 2022), House of Fact, House of Ruin (Graywolf Press, 2018), Station Zed (Graywolf Press, 2015), and Army Cats (Graywolf Press, 2011). His most recent book of essays, The Land Between Two Rivers: Writing In an Age of Refugees (Graywolf Press, 2018) recounts his time as a journalist in the Middle East and Africa. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, NEA grant recipient, and winner of numerous awards including the Kingsley Tufts Award, Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America, John Updike Award, and Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His poems appear in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Threepenny Review, Poetry, The Southern Review, Harvard Review, Raritan, The Common, and many other magazines. He is a Distinguished Professor in the MFA Program at Hunter College and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Poetry Weekend December 8-10 2023

Another Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey will be held December 8 - December 10, 2023 in Mendham, NJ.  

Held at a Retreat House situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property, this serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit. 

To check on availability and for further information, contact Smita Desai sdesai@pccc.edu
and click here for complete information and a registration form.

Retreat House

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Kevin Carey is the Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published a chapbook of fiction from Red Bird Chapbooks, The Beach People (2014), and three books of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) which was an Honor book for the Paterson Literary Prize, and Set in Stone (2020) all from CavanKerry Press.

His poems have twice appeared on The Writers Almanac on National Public Radio and on

The Academy of American Poets Poem a Day. Kevin is also a playwright and filmmaker. He

has co-directed & co-produced two documentaries about poets, All That Lies Between Us and

Unburying Malcolm Miller, which premiered at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in 2017.

Kevin has also co-authored a screenplay Peter’s Song which won Best Screenplay at the New

Hampshire Film Festival in 2009. His latest stage play The Stand or Sal is Dead, a murder

mystery comedy, premiered at the Actor’s Studio in Newburyport, MA in June, 2018. His

first crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, from Darkstroke Books, was released in October (2020). A new middle-grade novel Junior Miles and the Junkman will be published in September 2023 from Fitzroy Books, an imprint of Regal House Publishing.
More about Kevin at  Kevincareywriter.com

Mature Adult Poetry Workshops for Fall-Winter

Maria Gillan has scheduled the next Mature Adult Workshop virtually via Zoom for the Fall-Winter, 2023-2024.  As usual, there will be six sessions and the fee will be $90.00 for the six sessions.  We do not offer individual sessions.

Workshops Time: 1 pm – 3 pm (EST)

Fall-Winter, 2023-2024: November 16, 30, December 7, 14, 21 and January 4.                                                                                                       

Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis upon receiving your check. 

Registration form and information at poetrycenterpccc.com/workshops

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Italian Diaspora Studies Seminar 2023

Workshop in Calabria

In a published essay, Margherita Ganeri discusses the mission and the most significant innovative teaching activities promoted by the Italian Diaspora Studies Seminar, a research center founded in 2017 at the University of Calabria, where she works. 

The Seminar aims to promote scholarly research into the abovementioned fields while building educational programs inspired by them. In particular, we investigate the perspective of specific Italian transnationalism that identifies itself with the network of Italian diasporic literature disseminated worldwide. Their goal is not limited to research; but seeks to pursue a proactive perspective. 

As part of their summer program, poet Maria Mazziotti Gillan conducted seminar workshops in May of this year in Calabria. 

It is a fact that contemporary writers of Italian heritage are generally unaware of contemporary Italian writers and that many of them are not familiar even with the Italian canonical masterpieces from the past, and the same goes vice versa. In order to create new bridges to fill these gaps, the “Italian Diaspora Seminar”aims to investigate the opportunity to create, both theoretically and pragmatically, an inclusive ground in which to detect and promote new connections among Italian, diasporic, and migrant Italian contemporary writers. Their goal is to reinforce a sense of community that will lay the foundations for the growth of inclusive, inter-dialoguing, and unified Italian transnational literature.

Margherita Ganeri is a Full Professor of Contemporary Italian Literature and Director of the Seminar “Italian Diaspora Studies” at the University of Calabria. She also directs the course CLIA (Italian American Culture and Literature), operated through an annual Fulbright Lectureship.

Maria and Margherita, Rome, 2023

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Spring 2023 Poetry Workshops for Mature Adults

The spring 2023 series of virtual Workshops for Mature Adults via Zoom led by Maria Gillan will be held from 1 pm – 3 pm (EST) on March 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27, and May 4.

The focus is on writing narrative poetry and sharing the work that you’ve just written in the workshop. 

This workshop series is open to adults 50 and over. The registration fee is $90 for the 6 sessions. Registration is required. 

See poetrycenterpccc.com/workshops to download the registration form.

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Poetry Weekend Intensive April 21–23, 2023

There will be an in-person Poetry Weekend Intensive with Maria Gillan and Kevin Carey held for the spring from April 21 – April 23, 2023, in Mendham, NJ.  

The Retreat House is situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property. This serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit. As per the guidelines of the retreat house, everyone who will participate in the retreat must be vaccinated and boosted.  Everyone who works at the retreat house is vaccinated.  

Click here for complete information and a registration form

Retreat House

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Kevin Carey is the Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published a chapbook of fiction from Red Bird Chapbooks, The Beach People (2014), and three books of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) which was an Honor book for the Paterson Literary Prize, and Set in Stone (2020) all from CavanKerry Press.

His poems have twice appeared on The Writers Almanac on National Public Radio and on

The Academy of American Poets Poem a Day. Kevin is also a playwright and filmmaker. He

has co-directed & co-produced two documentaries about poets, All That Lies Between Us and

Unburying Malcolm Miller, which premiered at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in 2017.

Kevin has also co-authored a screenplay Peter’s Song which won Best Screenplay at the New

Hampshire Film Festival in 2009. His latest stage play The Stand or Sal is Dead, a murder

mystery comedy, premiered at the Actor’s Studio in Newburyport, MA in June, 2018. His

first crime novel, Murder in the Marsh, from Darkstroke Books, was released in October (2020). A new middle-grade novel Junior Miles and the Junkman will be published in September 2023 from Fitzroy Books, an imprint of Regal House Publishing.
More about Kevin at  Kevincareywriter.com

Poetry Workshops and Readings With Crystal Valentine and Jenny Xie March 4

NOTE: There is still some availability for the in-person morning workshops with Crystal Valentine or Jenny Xie on March 4th, 2023
at The Poetry Center at PCCC in Paterson, NJ.

Please see poetrycenterpccc.com/workshops to register. 

The poets will give a poetry reading at 1 pm.

The readings are always free and open to the public.

Crystal Valentine is a nationally and internationally acclaimed poet, activist, and educator. She is the author of Not Everything is a Eulogy (Penmanship Books, 2015). When she isn’t performing, Valentine can be found leading youth workshops at Harlem Children’s Zone and Urban Word NYC. She was the 2015 New York City Youth Poet Laureate, winner of the 2013 and 2015 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, 2nd place winner of the National Poetry Slam, and the 9th ranked poet by way of the Women of the World Poetry Slam and the individual World Poetry Slam. Among her many honors, she was named Glamour Magazine’s 2016 College Woman of the Year, Teen Vogue’s Rising Young Black Thought Leader, and was the recipient of the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders Woman’s Distinction Award, and is a Callaloo Fellow. Crystal’s work has been featured on MSNBC and CNN and in the Huffington Post and other publications. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and MFA in Poetry at New York University, where she was a Goldwater Fellow. Born and raised in the Bronx, Valentine now lives in Boston, MA.

Jenny Xie is the author of Eye Level (Graywolf Press, 2018), a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry and the PEN Open Book Award, recipient of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets and the Holmes National Poetry Prize from Princeton University; and The Rupture Tense (Graywolf, 2022). Her work has appeared in Poetry, New York Times Magazine, and Tin House, among other publications, and she has been supported by fellowships and grants from Kundiman, Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and Poets & Writers. She lives in New York.

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Poetry Workshops with Rachel Griffiths and Tony Gloeggler April 2

As part of the Distinguished Poets Series, there will be in-person workshops with Rachel Eliza Griffiths or Tony Gloeggler on the morning of April 2, 2022 at the Poetry Center in Paterson.

Griffiths and Gleoggler will be reading at the Poetry Center at 1 PM that day as part of the Paterson Poetry Prize winners and finalists' reading.

Information and registration form for either workshop

Rachel Eliza Griffiths is a poet, novelist, and visual artist. Her most recent collection, Seeing the Body (W.W. Norton 2020), is the winner of the 2021 Paterson Poetry Prize, the 2021 Hurston/Wright Legacy word, and a 2021 finalist for the NAACP Image Award. Griffiths’ literary and visual work has appeared widely, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Paris Review, Best American Poetry (2020, 2021), and many others.

She is the recipient of fellowships, including the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Cave Canem, Kimbilio, and Yaddo. Her debut novel, Promise, is forthcoming from Random House in 2023. She lives in New York City.

Tony Gloeggler is a lifelong resident of NYC who’s managed a group home for developmentally disabled men for over 40 years in Brooklyn. His chapbook, One On One, won the 1998 Pearl Poetry Prize, and his first full-length collection, One Wish Left, (Pavement Saw Press) went into a 2nd printing in 2007. Until The Last Light Leaves, (NYQ Books) was a finalist for the Milt Kessler Book Award in 2016. His newest book is What Kind of Man (NYQ Books, 2020).

WRITING YOUR WAY HOME: A POETRY WEEKEND INTENSIVE

The Retreat House

WRITING YOUR WAY HOME: A POETRY WEEKEND INTENSIVE

April 29 – May 1, 2022 in Mendham, New Jersey

Poets Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Kevin Carey are offering a full weekend of poetry workshops and opportunities to read your work at St Marguerite’s Retreat House.

This poetry weekend intensive is open to all writers over the age of 18.

It is requested by the Retreat House that all participants must present proof of vaccination. (Please send a copy of your vaccination card with your registration form).

Time: Begins 5 p.m. Friday, December 10

Ends 1:30 p.m. Sunday, December 12

Location: English Manor House at the convent of Saint John the Baptist, 82 West Main

Street, Mendham, NJ. 

The Retreat House is situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways for exploring the property. This serene, beautiful setting is perfect for contemplating nature and nurturing the creative spirit.

The purpose of this retreat is to give poets the space and time to focus on their

writing away from the pressures and distractions of everyday life. Participants will

draft poems in the workshops and should bring paper or a notebook, pens, and the

willingness to take risks. Please also bring previously-written work for one-on-one

critiquing sessions and for group readings.

At this retreat, poets will find:

• support and encouragement;
• stimulating writing exercises/prompts leading to the creation of new work;
• workshop leaders who are actively engaged in the writing life;
• opportunities to read their work aloud to the group;
• a community of writers and networking opportunities.
• 15 professional development credits can be granted if desired.

Poetry Weekend Intensive Schedule:

Friday: Please arrive by 5 PM and settle into your

rooms. After dinner, we will break into two groups (about 12 to 15 in each),

where we will have the opportunity to write poetry and share the work

we’ve just written.

Saturday: After breakfast, we will break into two groups for morning workshops. Lunch will be served, followed by one afternoon workshop and either free time or a critiquing session with the poet faculty. Interested participants can sign up in advance (at the Retreat House)

and may bring previously written, typed work for feedback. After dinner, there will be an additional workshop.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, the two groups will come together to share work — either something written this weekend or previously.

Sunday:  Breakfast will be followed by a workshop.  A final reading by participants will serve as the “closing ceremony” to what we hope will be an inspiring and productive weekend. Over lunch, there will be another opportunity for socializing and networking.

For full information and registration form, click here.

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Gillan & Carey

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets which pairs her poems with her paintings. Maria's artist's website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Kevin Carey is the coordinator of creative writing at Salem State University. He is a poet, filmmaker, fiction writer, and playwright. His latest full-length play, The Stand or Sal Is Dead, premiered at the Actor’s Studio in Newburyport, MA in 2018. In recent years he has co-directed and co-produced two documentary films about poets Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Malcolm Miller. His books include a chapbook of fiction, The Beach People, and the collections of poetry, The One Fifteen to Penn Station, Set in Stone, and Jesus Was a Homeboy. Kevin’s poems have appeared twice on the National Public Radio show The Writer’s Almanac and on the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day.  His website is kevincareywriter.com

About Poetry Workshops

Excerpted from Maria Gillan's Poetry Center blog

We’ve been doing a great many virtual Zoom workshops at the Poetry Center due to the pandemic and I’ve come to really enjoy them. When we started in 2020, I wasn't sure I could do them or that I would enjoy doing them. 

A few weeks ago we finished a series of the virtual Mature Adult Workshops where people produced exceptionally fine work and I was incredibly happy. We have just started the next series of workshops. What I love about them is how enthusiastic people are about them and the way that we can bring people from a long distance into the workshop. We have people from California, Canada, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Because of this, I have decided that although we are starting in-person workshops again in March, continuing forward I will do one in-person workshop and reading and one virtual workshop and reading each month. In this way, I hope to expand the reach of the Poetry Center and to give more people opportunities to participate.

Poetry Weekend Workshop
Maria Gillan & Kevin Carey, December 2021 

We will have our first return to in-person workshops and readings in March featuring Terrance Hayes and Willie Perdomo. This certainly has been a trying couple of years but I count on poets and our audience to be resilient and resourceful. It will be wonderful to be together again.

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's new poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets which pairs her poems with her paintings. Maria's artist's website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Spring 2022 Mature Poets Workshop

The Mature Adults Workshop Series offered by The Poetry Center at PCCC will continue to be held online using Zoom for the Spring 2022 sessions.

This series is open to adults 50+ years old.  Award-winning poet Maria Mazziotti Gillan leads each workshop in the series. There are six one-hour workshops in each series. The focus is on writing narrative poetry and sharing the work that you’ve just written in the workshop. Pre-registration is required for the entire workshop series.  

The workshops will be held from 1 pm – 3 pm (EST) on February 17, 24 and March 3, 10, 17 and 31.

For full information and registration form, go to
poetrycenterpccc.com/workshops 

Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets which pairs her poems with her paintings. Maria's artist's website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.