Two May Screenings of "All That Lies Between Us": A Documentary Featuring the Life and Work of Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Saturday, May 4

Fifth Massachusetts Poetry Festival

Salem, MA

www.masspoetry.org

Peabody Essex Museum

Morse Auditorium

12:30 PM ― 1:45 PM

Friday, May 10

Cumberland Regional High School Festival

7PM                 Free (donations accepted)

Cumberland Regional H.S.

90 Silver Lake Rd., Bridgeton

Contact: Bob Evans

856-451-9400

darcscribe@aol.com

A film written, directed and produced by Kevin Carey and Mark Hillringhouse

Spend Time with Maria at This Weekend's Poetry Festival in Massachusetts

Friday – Sunday, May 3 – 5

Fifth Massachusetts Poetry Festival

Salem, MA

www.masspoetry.org

Friday, May 3

MARIA MAZZIOTTI GILLAN

Workshop: Writing Poetry to Save Your Life

Hawthorne Hotel, Pickman Room

1:15 – 2:15

Saturday, May 4

Headline Event:

Documentary of Life and work of

Maria Mazziotti Gillan

“All That Lies Between Us”

Peabody Essex Museum

Morse Auditorium

12:30 PM ― 1:45 PM

Page Meets Stage:

Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Marie-Elizabeth Mali

Lynne Procope

Peabody Essex Museum, Morse Auditorium

4 PM — 5 PM

Recent Readings at the Poetry Center

George Bilgere(left) talking with Bob Rosenbloom

during a book signing at a the Poetry Center on March 2.

 George Bilgere signing his latest book, The White Museum, for Albert Papazian at the Poetry Center on March 2.

 George Bilgere reading at the Poetry Center on March 2.

Winner of the Paterson Poetry Prize:

Dorianne Laux reading at the Poetry Center on April 6.

 One of the five finalists, Jason Schossler,reads

at the Poetry Center on April 6.

Maria Mazziotti Gillan with the winner of the Paterson Poetry Prize, Dorianne Laux and finalists, Jason Schossler

and Martin Espada (far right)

Sunday, April 28
LAURA BOSS
MARIA MAZZIOTTI GILLAN
CavanKerry
Poetry in the Country
4 Mountain Rd., Tewksbury
2 PM               Free
Contact: Sondra Gash
sondraregine1@comcast.net

Book Review for Place I Call Home

Visit this link for a review by Charles Rossiter of Maria's latest book of poetry, The Place I Call Home (MiroLand/Guernica 2012)

"When Maria Mazziotti Gillan gives a reading or leads a workshop, it is not uncommon for someone to have need of a tissue to dry a teary eye.  Gillan's poems confront everyday experiences and emotions with honesty that brings out deep feelings in her audience.  Yet, anyone who experienced her at NAPT Boston Conference, not long ago, knows her poems are warm without being fuzzy or emotional without being sentimental.  In short, Gillan is a real poet..."

Page Meets Stage @ Mass Poetry Festival

 

Maria Mazziotti Gillan mets Lynne Procope at the Machussetts Poetry Festival. 

 

The event takes place on Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 4 - 5 p.m. at the Peabody Essex Museum, Morse Auditorium and is hosted by Marie-Elizabeth Mali.  For bios or to RSVP, visit

Facebook event page. 

Embracing Ella

Ella - 1947

Maria Mazziotti Gillan will be one of the poets celebrating the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald this month.

Musicians, poets, chefs and fans will gather April 27 in Ridgewood to celebrate the “First Lady of Song,” on the 96th anniversary of her birth.

Singer Victoria Warne will lead a jazz combo and perform much-loved Ella hits, and poets Stanley Barkan, Tara Betts, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Joe Weil will share poetry.

There will also be an open mic session for poets to offer readings on Ella’s themes from the “great American songbook,” jazz, love, and joy, and drop-in musicians are invited to perform.

Previous poetry and music tributes to Woody Guthrie, Fats Domino, and Elvis Presley have been held previously at the same venue.

As with previous events, a sampling of Ella’s favorite food from local restaurants will be available during the intermission.

The event is Saturday, April 27, at 1 p.m. at Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church (271 Lincoln Avenue corner of West End Avenue)

more event info 

EllaFitzgerald.com

Maria Gillan at Poetry in the Park

MARIA MAZZIOTTI GILLAN will be reading in the Poetry in the Park Series on Monday, April 8 @ 7:30 PM at the Historic Hopkins House (Cooper River Park, 250 S. Park Drive, Haddon Township, NJ).

This is a free event and will include an open reading.

Interview with Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Interview with Maria Mazziotti Gillan by Jacquelyn Malone

This interview with Maria Mazziotti Gillan is the fourth in a series with the featured poets for the 2013 Massachusetts Poetry Festival (May 3 – 5 in Salem).  Each interview is accompanied by a poem, featured in the left column under “Poem of the Moment.” Maria’s poem is "Public School No.18, Paterson, New Jersey."

Read more of this post

Praise for Maria's New Writing Book

Maria Mazziotti Gilan's book, Writing Poetry to Save Your life: How to Find the Courage to Tell Your Stories (Miroland/Guernica Editions, April 30, 2013) was chosen as one of the April Exemplars for National Poetry Month in The Washington Independent Review of Books. Below is the review of the book.

Maria Gillan is the most no nonsense poet and teacher writing today. She starts her book by saying, ‘Poems hide in a place deep inside of you that I call a cave. The cave is guarded by a crow that whispers in your ear in the voice of every authority figure that you’ve ever encountered. The crow tells you all the reasons why you can’t write, shouldn't write. He tells you everything that’s wrong with you…’ This is the heart and soul of ensuing chapters, a veritable toolbox for creativity, and the mantra is courage, strength, truth.  Gillan has practiced her trade with these merits; and she’s taught 1000’s of students the difference between artifice and experience. The book is as much about self-creation as it is liberating the word and her crisp direct advice— along with the full import of her sample poems—is a verbal triumph.

I know Gillan’s poetry well; and the rereading of her poems is a perfect mesh of her philosophy and wisdom. She proves that poets do not change to suit the time or fashion. They are not decorators and adorners. The truth of the poem is its interiority— the heart—wordplay will follow. The book provides pages and pages of prompts that work for every age group, up and through the professional. In essence, the book is a cautionary tale to all truthseekers: Be Careful of What You Do Not Write.