Celebrating the Dead Bards of the Dirigo State

Are you an 811?

Are you too and 811?

Original image @ The Graves of Maine's Dead Poets

Oct 7th Reading at Most Beautiful Places in Maine

You don't want to miss the October 7th unique event "Remembering Maine's Dead Poets"

We'll be reading poetry together at 5 community events at some of the MOST BEAUTIFUL locations in Maine. 

HARPSWELL: 6:15...NOBLEBORO: 9:15... CAMDEN:10:45....CASTINE:1:15...

BLUE HILL:2:50...MT. CADILLAC: 5:30 (There are rain locations for each event)

New Biography of Parson Fisher of Blue Hill

The folks at the Fisher House Journal have an interview with the author of a new biography of the amazing Mainer, Parson Jonathan Fisher.

On October 7th we'll be reading some of the poetry of Rev. Fisher in Blue Hill, as part of the Dead Poets Remembrance Day in Maine.

Sardine Extravaganza: Beautiful Day; Great Event

The historic Sardine Extravaganza that took place in Belfast last Saturday was a great success. Music and Dance all devoted to the tiny, mighty sardine and the workers who made a living in the now-defunct Maine industry.

In a week or so we'll be posting some video taken that day.

Historic "Remembering Maine's Island Poets" Announced

On Thursday, October 7th, a day-long, 5-stop "Remembering Maine's Island Poets" series of community readings will take place up the coast of Maine, starting at sunrise in Harpswell and ending at sunset at Cadillac Mountain.

Visit our new blog for the event and check out the map of the route and the schedule of the 5 community readings that will highlight the lives and work of 36 Maine poets.

Participants are welcome to sign up to read a work from one of their favorite past poets of Maine poets by e-mailing maine (@) deadpoes {dot} org. Blog readers can make comments with suggestions for poems to be read that day (they all will have something to do with the "Islands" ie., fishing, shipbuilding, sailing, vacationing, the coast, storms, etc.)

"Maine in Four Seasons" Belfast Poetry Reading 7-27

The Belfast Library is holding a special poetry reading on the 27th of July7 which will feature four poets from a new book titled “Maine in Four Seasons: 20 Poets Celebrate the Turning Year” (Down East Books) edited by Wesley McNair. Each of the participating poets has poems from a different season in the anthology and will read poetry about that season. Elizabeth Tibbetts will represent spring; Martin27 Stengesser, summer; Patricia Ranzoni, fall; and Kristen Lindquist, winter.

“Maine in Four Seasons” includes not only contemporary poets from around the state but a range of Maine’s earlier poets, from Longfellow to Robinson to Millay. The readers will sample some of the earlier work together with their own. The book’s illustrator, Jan Owen, will kick off the reading by showing some of her original work for the book and describing her creative process

Historic Grand Tour Report Now Online

The initial report of the historic Dead Poets Grand Tour 2010 is now online.

It chronicles all the places visited and the names of the poets read. From the Report: 

"We started on Shakespeare’s birthday, in Portland, Maine, the 23^rd of April, and we ended with a bang 6,500 miles later at the first Boston Poetry Marathon, May 25th. During those 34 days, and with the cooperation of 13 current and former State Poets Laureate, we held a Dead Poets Bash in 19 different States and visited 43 cemeteries!

The Grand Tour map can be accessed at the top left corner of the Dead Poets Society of America blog:  http://deadpoets.typepad.com/dpsablog/  

The other readings and interviews we held at poets’ graves and houses were really great as well, including the Lorine Niedecker home, the Carl Sandburg home, the E.L. Masters home, the Sidney Lanier house, The Virginia Military Institute, The Poe Museum, the Longfellow House and the Woodberry Poetry Room, at Harvard.

All totaled we visited the graves of 75 American poets, and heard the amazing poetry of over 100 American poets read. Dedgar and the crew kept up a pace of just over 191.18 miles per day and 2 poets’ graves per day!

The initial report of the historic Dead Poets Grand Tour 2010 is now online.

It chronicles all the places visited and the names of the poets read. From the Report: 

"We started on Shakespeare’s birthday, in Portland, Maine, the 23^rd of April, and we ended with a bang 6,500 miles later at the first Boston Poetry Marathon, May 25th. During those 34 days, and with the cooperation of 13 current and former State Poets Laureate, we held a Dead Poets Bash in 19 different States and visited 43 cemeteries!

The Grand Tour map can be accessed at the top left corner of the Dead Poets Society of America blog:  http://deadpoets.typepad.com/dpsablog/  

The other readings and interviews we held at poets’ graves and houses were really great as well, including the Lorine Niedecker home, the Carl Sandburg home, the E.L. Masters home, the Sidney Lanier house, The Virginia Military Institute, The Poe Museum, the Longfellow House and the Woodberry Poetry Room, at Harvard.

All totaled we visited the graves of 75 American poets, and heard the amazing poetry of over 100 American poets read. Dedgar and the crew kept up a pace of just over 191.18 miles per day and 2 poets’ graves per day!

Dead Poets Grand Tour To Start From Portland!

On April 23rd the Dead Poets Grand Tour 2010 will kick-off a 34-day, 21-state trip from Portland, Maine. Once again, Maine leads the nation!

Along the way 13 State Poets Laureate will be meeting the Tour and holding public readings, where we'll announce some very exciting news about a new national literary holiday.

Come join Maine laureate, Betsy Sholl, Portland laureate, Steve Luttrell, Martin Steingesser, Ken Nye, Megan Grumbling, and other poets as they read from Maine's past poets. The meeting place is going to be Eastern Cemetery, at 12:30 PM, with a rain location just across the street at the North Star Cafe.

You can see the interactive map of the route with the dates of the stops in all 22 States.

If you have the time, please support the North Star Cafe by having lunch or a snack after the reading. :)