July and August Poetry at Rachael's Cafe

POETRY AT RACHAEL'S JULY AND AUGUST

Hosted by Joel Barker and Virginia Thompson

Saturday , July 30th, 7pm at Rachel's Cafe. 'Respond to your time! - Community Open –mic.

Friday, August 26th, 'Dog Days of Summer', 7pm at Rachel's Café with featured readers, followed by a community open mic.

HART Rock Poetry Series and Open-mic hosts Free-Range Poets, June 24, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Peggy and I are looking forward to our last poetry program of the 2010 - 2011 year this Friday, June 24th at 7:00 pm!

Click Here to Read Information on our website

Friday, June 24th, HART ROCK POETRY SERIES AND OPEN-MIC at RACHAEL'S CAFÉ hosts “FREE-RANGE POETS” Lee James Chapman, Jack King, Judy Lafferty Beerman, Jerry Smith, Suzanne Sturgeon, Bob Taylor, Ian Woollen followed by a Community Open-Mic. The Free-Range Poets are the product of a 2001 idea of Bob’s. Jerry and Ian were friends with whom Bob knew he shared an interest in the craft of poetry. He met Jack through a writing workshop at the John Waldron Art Center in Bloomington. Wouldn’t it be grand, Bob thought, if we could get together and share what we’ve been writing. The invitations were issued, all accepted, and the group was born. It has been meeting ever since. has been meeting ever since. The format has remained the same. A member reads a recent work, the others mull it over, and then there is time for written and oral critiques. So the process goes—around the table until all have had their turn. From the beginning coffee, tea, and cookies have been a necessary part of the ritual. Meetings happen every two weeks or so. Until 2006 we took summers off but now meet year-round. Since the group’s founding, three others have joined the circle. Judy, Lee, and Suzanne were met during poetry classes at the Waldron. There have been some leaves of absence from our circle—getting married, finishing and publishing a novel, spending winters in Florida, occasional unavoidable obligations of earning a living, assorted grand tours, etc.—but none have been permanent. We’re grateful for that. Lee James Chapman wrote his first, terrible, poems at age 15 but spent most of his life energy helping physicists smash atoms at Fermilab. Between quarks he wrote songs and poems and set poems of Emily Dickinson to music. While a member of the Naperville Writer’s Group in Illinois he had several poems published. He set a collection of Bloomington poets’ poems, including some of his own, for voice and piano, and produced a performance of them in Bloomington. He has been a member of the Free-Range Poets since 2005. Jack King is a New Yorker by birth—a Hoosier by choice. He moved to Bloomington with his wife Sylvia and their three children in 1974 to take a position with the now defunct Center for University Ministry at Indiana University. While in town he has practiced—and retired from—at least three distinct careers. Through all three he wrote—lectures, a thesis or two, sermons, résumés, funding proposals, newsletters, etc. Now he writes poetry as a means of self expression, exploration, and spiritual discipline. The third retirement seems to be final. Judy Lafferty Beerman, A native of Kansas, Judy moved to the Bloomington area in the late 1980’s. A retired Interior Designer for Residential Programs and Services, Indiana University, her experiences as a wife and mother and her appreciation of nature and the out-of-doors are strong influences on her poetry. Judy has been a member of the Free Range Poetry Group since 2002. Jerry Smith and wife Betty, having lived in Bloomington for forty years, now call it home. Jerry “wakes to sleep and takes his waking slow.” He’s too old to try a new art form and too young to stop writing. He has 100 favorite poets and 1000 favorite poems. Don’t ask for the list. It’s not compiled and constantly changes. He tries to read 50 poems for each one written but seldom succeeds. Betty is his most helpful critic and daughter Linda and son Paul, his most prized accomplishments (with Betty). He has been writing poetry seriously, though not without humor, since 1996. His poems have been published in several magazines and anthologies. Suzanne Sturgeon lives on a farm in Owen County with her husband, Michael Tracy, and three cats, Lancelot, Murphy, and Bear. Michael and the cats are instrumental in the poetry writing process—from inspiration to revisions. She began writing poetry by taking classes at the John Waldron Art Center, where she met members of the Free-Range Poets. An attorney in private practice in Bloomington, Indiana, her Monday-through-Friday writing consists of motions, wills, and trusts. Bob Taylor, In the 70’s, I wanted to record memories from childhood on a small Iowa farm and thought that poetry could be a way to proceed. Upon taking them to a knowledgeable poet he noted that there was a child in there but probably they were not poems. Haiku and tanka style offered some improvement, along with graduate courses and workshops. As a student and professor of psychology, I find the power of story with dense structure, image, and metaphor useful and healthy for me. Honing skills with this writing group is most gratifying. Ian Woollen, walks his dog in Bryan Park almost every day. Poems have surfaced in Zone 3, Porcupine, and Red Dancefloor. His short stories have appeared in The Massachusetts Review, Onthebus, and The Mid-American Review, from which he received a Sherwood Anderson Prize. His novel, Stakeout on Millennium Drive, won the 2006 'Best Books of Indiana' Fiction Award. Come to share poems, songs and stories of your favorite poets and to listen. Open-mic readers have up to three minutes to share their own or another’s works. ******************************************* Rachael's Café is located at 300 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN (812) 330-1882 Send questions to poetry@hartrock.net or bloomingtonpoetry@gmail.com. This event is FREE and open to the public. Food and drinks are available for purchase.

HART ROCK, http://www.hartrock.net , a member of the Indiana Holistic Health Network, http://www.indianaholistichealth.net Hosted and produced by Patricia C. Coleman and Peggy Squires. Readings for the 2010-2011 season are every fourth Friday, September through June. 2011-2012 Poetry Season Join us on September 23rd, 2011 for the Opening Program of our 2011-2012 season! http://www.hartrock.net/poetryrachaels.htm poetry@hartrock.net ALSO: to connect with the BLOOMINGTON WRITERS GUILD contact Patsy Rahn at prahn@worldnet.att.net WRITERS, ARTIST AND STORYTELLERS RESOURCES – http://www.hartrock.net/writersartistresource.htm **********************************

HART Rock Community Poem #2 - May 2011

Here it is! Community Poem #2. Thank you everyone who provided a line. If I don't see you before next month, have a great one.

Community Poem #2

HART Rock Poetry and Open Mic – May 2011

Ruminate, marinate, percolate poems!

To do this, one must look from the inside out

…And from the future to your past.

Like a ray of setting sun sweeping east to west

A midwife live here

And in the reflection of her mirror

Suns tore back storm’s drapes

Snapping turtle hides under the cattails

Kinda dark down here – feels like a jail

At least we’re not constricted by dactylic hexameter

So we let words flow like sweet nectar from our fingers

And catch their meanings from the breezes

Gently whispering soft encouragement

Will that is if he could speak

He would never know what to say

So, read his mind. You’ll be right.

Right, that is, if you’re certain to be wrong

If you are certain, you must be wrong, right?

Perhaps that rule is right until I hold on to it with all my might

Holding on is sometimes all we can do

As the storms blow through

We listen to the magic of rebirth

And we wonder about all the things that are to come

But let it go to breathe, breathe this

Breath of peace, oxygen of hope

We are all that and more to one another

Freedom is irresistible, but I do not touch

I refrain from his glorious splendor.

Upcoming Poetry - Tonight and June 3rd

Tonight - Katmandu: Home is Where the Art is  - 5:00pm Tibetan Cultural Center for information : www.bloomingtonkatmandu.com

Friday June 3rd - Fountain Square Poets   

Along the Gallery Walk 

Presented by  The Writers Guild and By Hand Gallery 

  6:00 to 7:30 p.m.  101 West Kirkwood in the atrium of Fountain Square Mall

Featured Poets are Tony Brewer, Anne Haines, Jenny Kander,  Joseph Kerschbaum,    

                                Shana Ritter

With Special Guest  Luis Cordova, classical guitarist

And stop at By Hand Gallery to see:  "Water Meditations" -

                                                                  Oil Paintings by Dawn Adams   

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And YES! do visit the Bellevue Gallery on 9th Street between College and Walnut (inside the lobby of the Bloomington Playwrites Project and look for one of my line pictures.

I will be back later with a brief note about last nights "Women's Words" program and the new Community poem.

Blessings of loving words!

HART Rock's Poetry Series - Women's Words with reading with Stanfield, Aurich, Long, Breeden and Hutchison - Rachael's Cafe

HART ROCK Poetry Series and Open Mic will presents

"Women's Words"
poetry readings with
Veda Stanfield, Mitch Aurich, Nancy Long,
Glenda Breeden, and Deborah Hutchison

Friday, May 27th at 7:00pm

Community open-mic following.

Presented in cooperation with the Creative Aging Initiative and Bloomington's Commission on Aging, We want to showcase the talents and skills of both established and first-time older artist and performers; cultivate inter-generational understanding through dialogue, sharing, traditions and storytelling; enhance awareness abut the value of creative engagement to adult health and well being. Women Writing for(a)Change is part of a national network of affiliate writing schools who share a mission to provide opportunities for individuals to craft more conscious lives through the art of writing and the practices of community.


The event is FREE and OPEN to the Public - Come Eat Drink, Listen, Read, Enjoy!

The series is produced and hosted by Patricia C. Coleman and Peggy Squires from Rachael's Cafe, 300 E 3rd St, Bloomington, IN.

Upcoming Poetry and Literary Events

Hello.

Upcoming Poetry and Literary Events

Sunday, May 8 - Art is Ageless, 2:00–3:30 p.m. in the IU Art Museum. The City of Bloomington Commission on Aging and the Center on Aging and Community invite you to participate in the Creative Aging Festival honoring our elders and their creative contributions to our community. At the IU Art Museum, enjoy a gallery tour with two of the museum’s leading elder docents. Then stay for a reading of works by Bell Trace Senior Living Center writers who have been working with Tonia Matthew of the Writers Guild. The Festival’s purpose is to promote intergenerational understanding and to highlight the value of creative engagement for adult health and well-being. This event is presented by the Writers Guild and Bell Trace.

In the art of aging, creativity matters! Come be inspired.

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~ Friday, May 13 - Lemonstone - a reading series by the Writers Guild Presents: Tony Ardizzone, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Sweet Claire Gourmet Bakery, 309 East Third Street.

Tony Ardizzone is an award winning novelist and short story writer. He is the author of seven books of fiction, including In the Garden of Papa Santuzzu and The Whale Chaser. He is the winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, a Pushcart Prize, and many other honors. He will read from his latest novel, The Whale Chaser. A discussion with the author will follow the reading. There will be a few copies of his book for sale, and available for signing by the author.

~ Monday, May 16 - Food for Thought: A Heart-Healthy Menu of Songs and Poems about Food presented by Voces Novae and Lee Chapman, Patricia C. Coleman, Jenny Janker, Tonia Matthew, Ratsy Rahn, Shana Ritter of the Writers Guild 7:30 to 8:30 P.M. in City Hall. This event is part of the Food for Thought traveling exhibit. The Center on Aging and Community, and the Bloomington Food Policy Council are hosting the exhibit and a lineup of events connected to it.

Click Here for complete Food for Thought Calendar - http://localfoodbloomington.blogspot.com/2011/05/food-for-thought-traveling-exhibit-in.html

~May 27^th, The Hart Rock Poetry Series presents a poetry reading, "Women's Words--Creative Aging" on Friday, May 27, at 7 pm. Readers will be Veda Stanfield, Mitch Aurich, Nancy Long, Glenda Breeden, and Deborah Hutchison, members of Women Writing for (a) Change, an affilate of a national network for writers. This reading is part of the Bloomington Commission on Aging's Creative Aging Initiative, taking place this month all over the community. The formal reading will be followed by an open mic in which participants have up to three minutes to share a poem, song or story. The event takes place at Rachael's Cafe, 300 East Third Street, and admission is free. http://www.hartrock.net/poetryrachaels.htm.

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~ June 3 - Fountain Square Poets, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Fountain Square Mall On Gallery Walk Night, stop by the Fountain Square Mall to hear poets in the square. The poets are: Tony Brewer, Anne Haines, Jenny Kander, Shana Ritter, Joseph Kerschbaum. Chapbooks will be available for sale. This event is presented by the Writers Guild and By Hand Gallery.

The 71st Indiana University Writers' Conference on June 5-10 The Indiana University Writers' Conference, now in its 71st year, will welcome an award-winning lineup of authors to the Bloomington campus of Indiana University from June 5-10 for a week long festival of readings, classes and workshops. Classes include "Writing the Unthinkable" with Lynda Barry; "The Art of the Blog" with Gary Ferguson; "The Art of Screenplay" with Jill Godmilow; and "Poetry" with Julia Story. The Writers' Conference will also offer fiction workshops led by best-selling author of Await Your Reply, Dan Chaon, and IU Professor Tony Ardizzone, as well as a poetry workshop with award-winning poet Patrick Rosal. For an application and more information visit: http://www.iuwc.indiana.edu. Each year visiting instructors have participated in readings, free and open to the public. When I get the schedule, I will post it here.

~June 24^th, Hart Rock Poetry Series and Open-mic presents our final poetry reading of the 2010 -2011 year at the usual time of 7 pm. Our 2011-2012 season begins September 23^rd . More details to come. Check website at http://www.hartrock.net/poetryrachaels.htm and blog at http://www.hartrockpoetry.blogspot.com. Sign up and you will be notified when new updates are posted.

Thank you Bloomington Writers Guild and others for sending information for this calendar.

Please visit HART Rock’s web-home http://www.hartrock.net/poetryrachael.htm for links to the Bloomington Writers Guild and for a variety of resources for writers, artist and storytellers, click here.

May your words come easily and with joy through your heart.

After April Reading Note and Community Poem

Greetings,

Rain and storm yesterday and throughout the night, and Peggy and I are grateful that listeners were not kept from coming out to Rachael’s Café to listen to, and share some of their own poetry.

The HART Rock Poetry Series and Open-mic, hosting Bronislava Volkova and Feliz Cicek as featured poets, offered the community a program replete with well crafted and equally well presented poems in celebration of National Poetry month. Bronia read from the anthology she recently edited featuring more than 62 poets “Up The Devil’s Back: A Bilingual Anthology of 20th Century Czech Poetry” (with Clarice Cloutier, 2008), and poems from “Drink We Will from Delectable Well” her most recent collection of poetry. Filiz’s, reading came from a variety of poets with her presenting some of them in the Turkish language followed by English translation. She also shared some of her own writing, passing copies to listeners so they could see the color/emotional associations she attached to some specific words. She explained earlier, that as a visual artist, she enjoys using visual cues and each poem creates its own unique form on the paper.

Last month Peggy started a new tradition for the HART Rock readings. It is a line by line poem where one line is written and the page is passed along and whoever wants to join in can write a line. The paper is folded so that the writer sees only the line previously written. Follow is the poem composed last night.-----

Community Poem on Earth Day

– Line by Line poem written by participants and attendees at HART Rock’s Poetry Series and Open-mic, April 22, 2011

Earth and air, water and all fires of life

Purify and save us from the Tea Party!

With its toxic leaves and stolen spoons

The junk drawer burst its’ brim

Forks, spoons, & knives splash up like a bowling ball hits water

AND AS THEY FALL; I AM UNAFRAID

As the photons bubble, bubble up from the Sun

We may open to this bubbling on a soul level

So that we can paint orange colored days

That fade to a ribbon of moonlight stretching across the lake

The lake of delirious dreams

AND, so it is that

April is the month of melted clouds

Before me ruffles and lace, softening the night, creamy

And dreamy, casual and formal all at once

Converge upon me, begging to comfort me.

This, of such borrowed surroundings

Will not rest, surges out of the water like a whale

Free like a dolphin

Menaced by nets cast by man’s infirmity

And yet

A fiery anger

That fills and sears and eats away and

Does all matter of consumption, without remorse or regret