The Great Boston Poetry Marathon of 2010

Great Boston Poetry Marathon a Wonderful Day

Both inner and outer weather shone bright on Columbus Day for the readers and participants in the Great Boston Poetry Marathon. We gathered for sunrise at the Fisherman's memorial in Gloucester and right on the dot at 5:30 Dedgar drove up to Author's Ridge for a sunset reading there.

The day long series of readings was the first time something like this has been done in Boston and we want to thank every single reader and participant who came out to kick-off the new literary holiday with a big ole T.S.Eliot bang!

Posts about the day, as well as photos and videos, will be made on the Dead Poets of New England blog., where you can follow further developments and post your own discoveries.

Historic Poetry Marathon on Columbus Day

Sail into literary history this Columbus Day at the Great Boston Poetry Marathon as we celebrate the first National Dead Poets Remembrance Day. Join renowned poets Rhina P. Espaillat, S.C. poet laureate, Marjory Wentworth, and Rhode Island poet laureate, Lisa Starr, as we honor and remember 48 Massachusetts poets in 12 hours. Come experience 3 centuries of great poetry in 1 Day!

The poetic themes for the day are poetry related to: Mt. Parnassus, the Lyre, the Muses, Apollo, Mt. Helicon, poet laureates, the Spirit of Prophecy, Mt Auburn, cemeteries, and poets' graves.

You don't want to miss the poetry event of the Fall. Join us at one location or come for the whole day: Gloucester, Beverly, Salem, Boston, Watertown, Cambridge and Concord. See complete schedule here. We will have special visits from Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Thoreau.

12hr, 48-Poet, Sunrise to Sunset Schedule Posted

Reading 48 Dead Poets of Massachusetts in 12 hrs. The readings will take place at 4 cemeteries, and two beaches. People may join us at one of the 6 major stops, or join Dedgar The Poemobile for the whole livelong day! Here is the complete schedule of events.

6:15 - 7:15  Fisherman statue in Gloucester (Vincent Ferrini, Jewett, T.S.Eliot, Longfellow, Moody, & more)
8:00 - 8:20  Gloucester Cemetery (Charles Olson)
8:45 - 9:45  Lynch Park, Beverly (Lucy Larcom, John Updike, Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell & Elizabeth Bishop)
10:00 -10:30  Old South Cemetery. Salem-Peabody (Revs. Michael Wigglesworth, Timothy Flint  & Jones Very)
11:30 - 12:30   Irish Famine Memorial (Edgar Allan  Poe, John Boyle O'Reilly, Phillis Wheatley, Anne Bradstreet)
2:00 - 4:30  Mt. Auburn Cemetery (Reading at the graves of 21 poets)
5:30 - 6:45  Author's Ridge, Concord, MA. (Emerson, Hawthorne, Alcott, Thoreau, Channing)

Mt. Auburn to Host "American Parnassus" Event

The Friends of Mt. Auburn Cemetery have teamed up to host a fantastic poetry walk from 2 PM to 4:30 during the Great Boston Poetry Marathon on October 11th. So, if you can't join us for the whole day, you can still attend the main event of the day, called: Sweet Auburn: An American Parnassus

Join renowned poets Rhina Espaillat and Marjory Wentworth, along with literary historian Rob Velella, as we visit the graves and read the poetry of 22 poets who have enriched the literary landscape of our culture and are now part of the soil of this historic and beautiful cemetery. The event is free. Please bring comfortable shoes. In case of rain, we will meet in Mt. Auburn's Story Chapel.

Complete Marathon Directions on Google Maps

Check out the Interactive Map of the Great Boston Poetry Marathon of 2010. We are still looking for readers as we travel to 7 cemeteries and 2 beaches while reading the poetry of 48 poets, from Michael Wigglesworth and Anne Bradstreet to John Ciardi and Robert Creeley. Three centuries of great poetry in 1 day!

  

Iconic Frost Farm Hosts NH Dead Poets Celebration

If you are unable to join the Great Boston Poetry Marathon, then you have a chance to celebrate Dead Poets Remembrance Day at the iconic Robert Frost Farm, on Sunday, October 10th, at 3 PM

Come hear the poetry of Jane Kenyon, Odgen Nash, Robert Lowell, Celia Thaxter, Robert Frost, Scott Mowrer, May Sarton, Richard Eberhart, Phillip Booth, and more, in this National Historic Landmark.

All are welcome to attend the reading. There is a fee of $4 (NH resident) or $5 (non NH resident) to enter to Farm, which is truly one of the best-kept literary sites in the country.

Eulogy for John Updike

John Updike is one of the poets to be honored on the first Dead Poets Remembrance Day celebration in Massachusetts. One or more of Mr. Updike's children will join us at the Beverly location, at 8:30 that morning, to hear about the longtime North Shore resident's life and poetry.

Just came across this excerpt from a eulogy which Updike's son, David, gave for his Dad in March, 2009. Come to Beverly and join us! We'll be reading from the poetry of Lucy Larcom, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath and Elizabeth Bishop.