Maria Gillan to Read at Penn State

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

12 PM (Noon)

UNICO Italian Heritage Series

featuring

Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Penn State Worthington Scranton

Business Building, Hawk Lecture Hall
120 Ridge View Dr.

Dunmore, PA 15812

Contact: Angela Schuback  570-963-2536   aqs4@psu.edu

A Tribute to Maria

Maria

Hang this one on the refrigerator
please, a gold or silver star
rather than a smiley face
because we kept
inside the lines
or remembered the sky
is blue and overhead
and put apples on the tree,
... small, red marks that only
tore the paper once when
the clumsy fat crayon slipped.

We bring you red pendants
and brooches glinting with ruby glass
because we know you think the color
is lucky
and we want to decorate you
like a tree
or wrap you in shawls,
give you bags to carry your books,
scarlet bookmarks we’ve woven
or cross-stitched or found in
odd little shops
so you will know
we were thinking of you
and then maybe
you will think of us.

Endlessly,
we insist on giving our words,
scratching pens on the
door, only wanting to
be let into the warm kitchen
to be five years old
and sit at the table
in a chair too high
for our feet to touch
the floor
and watch you make bread,
smell the yeasty flour,
clutch at your bright red blouse,
our hands always so empty,
our hearts so full.

by Ann Clark-Moore
Graduate Student at Binghamton University - SUNY

Maria Says

Maria Says:

• A Favorite Poem: "Ode to Elizabeth" by Joe Weil
• Beloved Song: "Black, Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair' ("Because it's the folk song my husband always sang to me.")
• Greatest strengths: "My energy and enthusiasm."
• Greatest weakness: "My inability to say no."
• On why Paterson is a breeding ground for poets: "It's a city full of immigrants and for me it will always be vital and alive with the hopes and dreams of people from somewhere else. Their spirit keeps the energy flowing."
• Favorite spots in Paterson: "The Roma Club on Cianci Street, where they make the best espresso in the world, and the Great Falls, especially after heavy rain."

    

A Poetry Weekend Retreat

Join poets Laura Boss and Maria Mazziotti Gillan on Friday, June 8 through Sunday, June 10, 2012 (Friday dinner through Sunday lunch) at the St. Marguerite's Retreat House in Mendham, NJ for a poetry retreat that gives writers the space and time to focus totally on their own work in a serene and beautiful setting away from the pressures and distractions of daily life.

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

Saint Marguerite’s Retreat House is an English manor house situated on 93 acres of wooded land with pathways that lend themselves to the serene contemplation of nature and nurturing of your creative spirit. The Retreat House is located at the convent of Saint John the Baptist, 82 West Main Street, Mendham, NJ.

Participants arrive before 6 PM on Friday evening, have dinner, settle into their rooms, and begin to retreat from the distractions of the world.

That evening, participants will be led into creating new work. After each workshop, each participant will have the opportunity to read their work in the group.

After Saturday breakfast, participants will move into two groups for morning workshops, followed by free time for socializing and exploring the grounds.

After lunch, writing workshops will take place, followed by time to write. Each participant will have a chance to sign up in advance with Maria or Laura for one-on-one help with revision.

After dinner on Saturday evening, participants will be invited to read their poems to the groups, and the faculty will lead another workshop session on how to get published.

After Sunday breakfast, a final writing workshop and concluding reading by participants will serve as the “closing ceremony” to this inspiring and productive weekend. Lunch will provide a final opportunity for socializing.

The leaders envision this weekend as a retreat from the noise and bustle of daily life and see this retreat as a spiritual and creative break from our usual lives. The setting certainly allows us to take some time to look at life in a new light, to listen for our own voices, and to create in stillness, in quiet, and in community. These are times of contemplation and welcoming the muse.

The workshops will concentrate on "writing your way home" and the way writing can save us, save our stories and our lives. Participants should bring papers, pens, and the willingness to take some risks. Please also bring previously-written work for one-on-one sessions and for the readings.

The workshops, room, and meals are all included in the fee of $375.
Late registration will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Enrollment is limited.
NJ teachers may receive 15 professional development credits for attending.

For further information and to register, contact mariagillan@verizon.net or send SASE to Maria Mazziotti Gillan, 40 Post Ave., Hawthorne, NJ  07506 or call  973-684-6555.


Selected Books by the Poets

2011 Allen Ginsberg Awards Reading

A reading featuring many of the poets receiving recognition in the 2011 Allen Ginsberg Awards was held on March 10, 2012 at The Poetry Center at PCCC in Paterson.

FIRST PRIZE
Christopher Bursk, Langhorne Manor, PA
Charlotte Muse, Menlo Park, CA

SECOND PRIZE
Mark Hillringhouse, Englewood, NJ
Sander Zulauf, Andover, NJ

THIRD PRIZE
Antoinette Libro, Sea Isle City, NJ

HONORABLE MENTION

Svea Barrett
Norma Ketzis
Anthony Buccino
Mary Crosby
Gail Fishman Gerwin
James D. Gwyn
Carrie McLeod Howson
Josh Humphrey
Bruce Lowry
Shahé Mankerian
Lynne McEniry
Colleen Michaels
Hemant Mohapatra
Carolina Morales
F. L. Niccoletti
Barry W. North
Diane Pohl
Nicole Santalucia
Mina Seckin
Laura Shovan



Photos and slideshow by Anthony Buccino via njpoetspoetry.blogspot.com