New Hampshire Poet Laureate

Save the Date! On Monday, September 21, 2020, at 7 PM, join writers from across New Hampshire as they read from COVID Spring: Granite State Pandemic Poems, the anthology edited by New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary, published by Concord's own Hobblebush Books. 
This event is sponsored by the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library. Mary Russell, Director of the Center for the Book, will give opening remarks, joined by Kirsty Walker, publisher of Hobblebush Books, and Alexandria Peary. Plus a possible surprise guest appearance! Our readers for the evening are Marie Harris, Mark Decarteret, Dianalee Velie, S. Stephanie, Amber Rose Crowtree, Ala Khaki, Katrina Grella, Marjorie Moorhead, Andrew Periale, Melanie Chicoine, John Lindberg, Jody Wells, and Carol Westberg. This reading will be held on Zoom. Space is limited to 300 audience members. Save your spot early! Please follow these exact steps for RSVPing:Email Alex at Balconyofwords@gmail.comIn the subject l…

On Friday, August 21, at 7 PM, the Poetry Society of New Hampshire will be sponsoring a reading from COVID Spring: Granite State Pandemic Poems (forthcoming early September).Twelve poets will read from their work published in the anthology and talk about their experiences as writers during the pandemic.Readers: Jimmy Pappas, S. Stephanie, Peter Craig, Mike Nelson, Jennifer Tirrell,  Rodger Martin, Barbara Bald, Dan Szczesny, Marie Harris, Kyle Potvin, Brenda Beardsley, Jessica PurdySpace is limited and on a first-come-first-serve basis, so log on earlier than 7 PM.To join this event on Zoom:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3651964289?pwd=MTEvRmIxWUxtL2JIeEhXN3c3RmNnUT09

Meeting ID: 365 196 4289
Passcode: 878591

Three Saturdays this September, I'll be offering mindful writing sessions online for the National Council of Teachers of English. The purpose is to help reduce stress in U.S. instructors' lives as they return to teaching in the face of COVID-19. Below is the description and registration information. Please relay the info to English teachers you know (teachers working in New Hampshire or in the rest of the United States).
DESCRIPTION: It can be hard to stay in the now these days. We long for a time not long ago when our colleagues’ faces weren’t covered by masks and for a future day when our classrooms return to normalcy. This series will help teachers find calm and balance in the present.
In each session, participants will be invited to do a guided meditation and then an activity that combines writing with mindfulness, including loving-kindness meditation, yoga for hands, bowing to difficulty, and moment writing. As part of these restorative writing experiences, we will discuss m…

Young writers from the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley wrapped up a four-session mindful poetry writing workshop this week. Below are six poems they wrote in small groups as part of a Mindful Eating for Description activity.  Congrats to these very creative young thinkers!!

Poem #1
Ode to the Blackberry
It feels like a blueberry: little circles on the entire thing. It's bumpy like a mountain, bumpy like a giant pile of little rocks. Its colors remind us of Earth. It's bumpy now, but like just one rock. Dark in color, like the night sky. We could probably climb up the stem, though climbing it would make the berry pop, and a river of juice would come down the mountain.

Poem #2
Ode to an Oreo
You look nice & tasty-- You have a creamy filling. No, you have a fuzzy filling.  You have pretty designs.

Poem #3
Ode to the Grape
It's brown where a stem once was. Black little dots like dirt or bugs. The grape rolls all over the mouth: It's confusing. It looks like a green cat running all aro…

Independent Publishers of New England is proud to announce establishment of a grant to support independent publishers and authors who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. IPNE's Pandemic Grant Fund will provide grants of $500 in cash or, in some cases, in kind (publishing services offered) to qualified individuals.To qualify for an award, one must complete a grant application specifying:
(a) New England is your primary residence (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, or VT)
(b) You have published at least one book (by you or another author)
(c) what the grant will enable you to do
(d) information pertaining to your contact details, your work, your online presence, and your current situation.Find more information at www.ipne.org/grants

INTRODUCTION TO MINDFUL WRITING
Description of Course:This online course is geared toward individuals wanting to increase their enjoyment and satisfaction with writing in any genre (poetry, fiction, nonfiction). We discuss how to develop a calm, productive mindset and greater self-acceptance toward our writing through paying attention to the ever-changing present moment. We cover the main tenets of mindful writing, including noticing and making use of impermanence, accessing our monkey minds for new ideas, and reducing audience demons. This course is a combination of discussion and hands-on activity, and participants will be asked to prepare readings and complete activities to develop a regular mindful writing practice. This course is facilitated by New Hampshire State Poet Laureate, Alexandria Peary. Enrollment is limited to 10 participants who are New Hampshire residents.Participants will:-Learn strategies to more consistently focus on the present moment during writing.-Practice meth…