This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Friends to Celebrate National Poetry Month

Poets Laureate, Poetry Tea, Call for Original Poems … and more!


The Friends of the East Greenwich Free Library will Celebrate National Poetry Month, with a series of poetry-related events and activities.

Saturday, April 12, 2-4pm: Tom Chandler, RI’s Poet Laureate from 1999-2006, will be the guest speaker at Hats Off to Poetry, an English-style tea. A popular author of five books of poetry, and numerous awards, Mr. Chandler will read a selection of poems and answer questions about poetic inspiration and writing experiences. Chandler’s books will be available for purchase and signing. Guests are encouraged to wear their favorite hat (bowler, top hat, fascinator) and tip them in favor of poetry. A fun and intriguing game of Exquisite Corpse will round out the afternoon.  Space is limited; please call the library at 401-884-9510 to make a reservation for the event!

Thursday, April 24, 6-8pm: Special guests, Poets Laureate Lisa Starr and Rick Benjamin, will read poetry, share insights, and answer questions at this special wine reception. Rick Benjamin is the State Poet of Rhode Island. He teaches at Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the MFA Program in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College. He also serves as a Fellow at New Urban Arts. The author of two books of poetry, his poems & essays have also appeared in numerous print media.

Lisa Starr is a two-time recipient of the Rhode Island Fellowship for Poetry and the founder and director of the Block Island Poetry Project, a writing series she operates at her inn, The Hygeia, on Block Island . She has published three full-length collections of poetry.

Other events during Poetry Month include a Spine Poetry Contest, where photos are posted on a Friends’ FB for public comment and then voted on; Blind Dates, where poetry books wrapped in brown paper are borrowed sight- unseen from the library and later the "date" is rated; lastly, a Call for Original Poetry for posting in the library’s poetry corner.

For more information about the Friends’ events contact friendseglibrary@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?