Thursday, March 26, 2009

Free writing workshops at CCPL

Posted by John Stoehr on Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 10:09 AM

The Charleston County Public Library is offering two free writing workshops and a poetry reading series. The Monthly Fiction Writing Group will meet on April 14 from 7-8:45 p.m.

This workshop allows fiction writers of all levels to brainstorm ideas, improve works in progress and learn important fiction writing techniques. The Take A Step in the Write Direction workshop on April 18 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. takes a look at writing a suspense/thriller novel.

Here you will learn how to incorporate important writing techniques needed for writing suspense novels. The monthly poetry reading series on April 28 at 7 p.m. will have a number of South Carolinian poets read their praised pieces.

Some of the poets include: Vera Gomez, Tim Harkins, Terri McCord and Katherine Williams. For more information concerning any of these events please call (843) 805-6930. —Emma Hart

Topics: Poetry

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

April is National Poetry Month

Posted by John Stoehr on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 1:51 PM

With National Poetry Month just around the corner, PBS has decided to bring back Poetry Everywhere, a collection of 24 short poetry films.

The films will be in the form of poets reading their work to the camera, animated interpretations of the poem, and celebrities reading their favorite poems. These poetry films will showcase many wonderful poets such as, Yusef Komunyakaa, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and many more.

Garrison Keillor will narrate the series which will randomly occur during the regular television broadcast schedule. For more information about Poetry Everywhere please visit www.poetryfoundation.org. —Emma Hart

Topics: Poetry

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Die-Hard James Dickey

Posted by John Stoehr on Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 1:20 PM

This year's Piccolo Spoleto Festival will premiere The Southern Artists Celebratory Series, a  presentation of southern poet James Dickey. SACS will explore Dickey's works starting with Deliverance on Sat. May 30 at 12 p.m. at the Terrace Theatre.

The now-classic film based on Dickey's 1970 novel will be shown and followed by a panel discussion. The panel will be moderated by independent filmmaker Peter Wentworth and will include: Franklin Ashley, professor of playwriting at College of Charleston, and student of James Dickey at USC; Tara Powell, poet and assistant professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina and chair of the Dickey Society; and John Lane, associate professor of English and Environmental Studies at Wofford College and author of Chattooga: Descending Into the Myth of Deliverance River.

Tickets are $14 and an upscale trail lunch will be included during the event. Later on in the evening, SACS will be hosting Camera Obscura, Small Views of a Big Poet at 6 p.m. at the Visitor's Center Auditorium on 375 Meeting St. Two films of Dickey in action will be shown, Lord, Let Me Die, but Not Die Out and Two Poets, Two Friends. The first depicts Dickey on a three-week brainstorming adventure, conversing with students and poet Robert Lowell. The second shows snippets of the friendship between the U.S. poet laureate and Robert Penn Warren. Tickets are $5.

The weekend finished on Sun. May 31 at 3 p.m. with the hosting of James Dickey: An American Poet Remembered at the Circular Congregational Church on 150 Meeting St. Marjory Wentworth, South Carolina Poet Laureate, will introduce Dickey's widow, Deborah, who will read some poetry and memoirs and show selected family photos in order to give the audience a more personal and intimate look at Dickey's life and career. Tickets are $10. —Reina Gascon-Lopez

Topics: Poetry

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Monday, February 9, 2009

Get Yer Poetry Freak On

Posted by John Stoehr on Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 4:09 PM

As a part of its Main Branch Poetry Series, the SC Poetry Society, the Lowcountry Initiative for the Literary Arts, and the Charleston County Public Library are proudly presenting three poets for their monthly poetry reading this Tues. Feb 24. The readings are open to the public and copies of the poet's books will be available for purchase and signing after the reading.

Expect to hear from Jim Lundy, a featured poet for Piccolo Spoleto's Stories for Life festival and Scott Owens, the author of The Fractured World and three other chapbooks. Also reading is Pat Riviere-Seel whose book No Turning Back Now was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her chapbook, The Serial Killer's Daughter, was a finalist in Main Street Rag's 2008 contest.

The poetry reading begins at 7 pm at the Main Library located downtown at 68 Calhoun St. —Candice Summers

Topics: Poetry

Friday, September 19, 2008

Audio interview with Thomas Lux

Posted by John Stoehr on Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 3:44 PM

I reviewed the latest book of poetry by Thomas Lux for the paper this week. He's giving a reading of his work at the Ashley Hall School for Girls on Monday. Here's a snippet of what I wrote about his new volume called God Particles:

God Particles ... is replete with iron words — language hardened by hammer and tong, images smoldering with bitterness and irony, a worldview grown misanthropic by the disappointments of human folly. You can almost hear the late George Carlin — echoes of his memorable faux-political campaign slogan, "Fuck hope" — doling a dollop of subliminal acid.

Or so you think.

Like Carlin, Lux is something of a court jester. Much of God Particles feels like a confidence game, a divine sketch comedy, characterized by machismo, bluster, and a subtle, swaggering charm that leads you to believe one thing only to divert your attention away from what's really going on.

But what that is is hard to tell sometimes. A haunting aspect of this brilliant collection is its ambiguity of humor. Is Lux winking or just smiling when he fights?

I caught up with Lux in San Diego where he was writing about an alternative circus company for an alt weekly in that city much like City Paper. We talked about his use of satire, his journalism, and that poem about slugging a toad with a golf club.

To hear a podcast of this interview, click here: here

Topics: Poetry
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