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March 2024
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"TOSSING
his mane of snows in wildest eddies and tangles,
Lion-like March
cometh in, hoarse, with tempestuous breath,
Through all the
moaning chimneys, and 'thwart all the hollows and angles
Round the
shuddering house, threating of winter and death.
But in my heart
I feel the life of the wood and the meadow
Thrilling the
pulses that own kindred with fibres that lift
Bud and blade
to the sunward, within the inscrutable shadow,
Deep in the
oak's chill core, under the gathering drift.
Nay, to earth's
life in mine some prescience, or dream, or desire
(How shall I
name it aright?) comes for a moment and goes--
Rapture of life
ineffable, perfect--as if in the brier,
Leafless there
by my door, trembled a sense of the rose."
-—William Dean
Howells, 'Earliest Spring'
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From the Electronic Inkpot…
Greetings,
ye muses of March verse weavers and rhythm
architects!
As the
winds of March whisper promises of renewal and
the days begin to stretch, we find ourselves at
an exciting intersection: the vibrant world of
spoken word poetry and the ever-evolving
landscape of March.
This
month, our newsletter is a tapestry woven with
the threads of both, offering inspiration and
tools to tap into the unique energies of March;
that moment in the year where it seems that all
is happening at once.
The
proverb that March comes in like a lion, out
like a lamb; captures the month's unpredictable
weather as well as inform our creative soul
about change, resilience, and the unexpected
twists life throws our way.
It is
also Women's History Month and ask you to
contemplate who may have been the the first
poetess that voiced verses that honoured their
struggles, achievements, and enduring spirit.
It is the
time of change for clocks and seasons as day
and night reach an equilibrium; allowing us to
explore themes of balance, duality, as
well as the sense of newness in each day and
the reassurance that we have been on this path
before.
Dive into
the rich cultural heritage and folklore
associated with St. Padraic’s Day, weaving a
tapestry of words that capture the spirit of
celebration at our next Spoken Word event,
‘Celtic Folklore and Poetry’ (see details
below).
First
signs of spring: Let the budding flowers,
chirping birds, and longer days inspire poems
about hope, growth, and the beauty of natural
cycles.
Throughout
this month, we’ll read March for what has
always been…fuel to our creative embers waiting
to billow from our inner muse…
May this
month of March be that time where words bloom
like crocuses through the late winter snow,
voicing assent to light as our stories take
flight…
As
always, in peace,
Robert
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Spoken Word Performance
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Paul Rabinowitz of the Art by
the People group reads selections from his
latest book ‘Truth, Love and the Lines in
Between’ at the Red Bank Library for the River
Reads series.
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Ed Manning regales the Monmouth
County Poets group with aspects of Love (the
theme) from a country music point of view at
the Thompson Park Visitor Center.
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SPOTLIGHT at The Madison Community Arts
Center, Sunday, March 10,
3-4:30PM
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Women’s History Month
In
search of Enheduanna
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Disk of Enheduanna, daughter of Akkadian king
Sargon, Ur, Mesoptamia, ca. 2,300 BC
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If we were to guess who the
earliest woman poet was in recorded history, I would daresay many
of use would have been wrong. When I started thinking about
this for the March newsletter (March is Women’s History Month),
my first guess was Greek poetess, Sappho. Though a good
guess by any of us, it would have been also wrong.
After a little researching
who the oldest known woman poet was, I’d have to say the title
would go to an ancient Akkadian princess/priestess/poet
known as Enheduanna.
In 1927, English
archaeologist Leonard Woolley found shattered pieces of a woman’s
portrait from the ruins of an ancient temple in southern Iraq. To
Woolley, it seemed to be just a “sadly-battered alabaster disk,”
valuable only for its connection to the Akkadian king Sargon the
Great, who conquered the Sumerians around 2334 BC and established
the first empire in recorded history. The portrait was of his
daughter, Enheduanna, and appeared to have been deliberately
defaced. Depicted in the center of the disk, she presides over a
nude male priest performing a ritual. Damage obscures the lower
portion of her body, and her feet are missing, but her profile
survives with startling precision, as does her rolled-brim crown
and braided hair. A tiered temple, cartoonish in the distance,
echoes the flounces of her cultic attire.
A few decades later this
fragmented woman was revealed to be the writer of some of
Mesopotamia’s oldest and most celebrated poems, the world’s
earliest known author, who lived some fifteen centuries before
Homer. Enheduanna composed hymns that synchronized local
religious traditions across the Akkadian Empire, and singled out
the goddess Inanna, a feathery-winged deity of paradox and
transformation later known as Ishtar, as the most powerful figure
in the divine pantheon. For many twentieth-century historians,
this legacy was too extraordinary to have been true, her poetry
too important to have been authored by a woman.
Enheduanna thrived in the
Sumerian city-state of Ur sometime between 2300 and 2250 BCE.
This makes her writings some of the earliest known examples of
literature anywhere in the world.
She wasn't just a poet; she served as the High Priestess of the
moon god Nanna (Sin) and the goddess Inanna. Her poems often
focused on religious themes but also showcased her unique voice
and literary talent.
What makes Enheduanna's work truly remarkable is that she
composed in the first person, a rarity in her time. Additionally,
she signed her work, claiming authorship – another groundbreaking
act for women in that era.
It's important to remember that due to the limitations of
historical records, it's impossible to definitively claim
Enheduanna as the absolute first female poet. However,
considering the age and nature of her work, she undeniably holds
the title of the oldest known woman poet whose work has survived.
Her legacy as a pioneering female voice in literature remains
significant.
Here’s translated snippet
of one of her poems:
“O Life-Giving Goddess, possessor of all
powers, Inanna the Exalted!
Merciful, Live-Giving Mother!
Inanna, the Radiant of Heart!
I have exalted You in accordance with Your
power!
I have bowed before You in my holy garb,
I the En, I Enheduanna!
Carrying my masab-basket, I once entered and
uttered my joyous chants...
But now I no longer dwell in Your sanctuary.
The sun rose and scorched me.
Night fell and the South Wind overwhelmed me.
My laughter was stilled and my honey-sweet
voice grew strident.
My joy became dust.
O Sin, King of Heaven, how bitter my fate!”
—Enheduanna, ‘The
Exaltation of Inanna’ (excerpt)
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Note: Not an actual image of Enheduanna; AI
generated
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The Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) are
accepting submissions from poets interested in participating in
the 20th Dodge Poetry Festival to be held Oct 17 – 19, 2024, at
NJPAC in Newark, NJ.
This nationally-recognized opportunity is open to all poets who
use their work to challenge and reframe existing narratives and
norms including artists who practice spoken word, slam,
performance and avant-garde poetry. The deadline to apply is
April 15.
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Margaret R. Sáraco is the
author of two poetry collections, If ThereIs No Wind and Even the Dog Was Quiet (Human
Error Publishing). Her short stories and poetry appear in
journals and anthologies including Book of Matches, Greening the
Earth, Kerning, Ovunque Siamo, The Path, Borderlands, Poetry X
Hunger, and Meat for Tea. Margaret’s poetry has been twice recognized
in the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest, nominated for a Pushcart
Prizeand was a semi-finalist in the Laura Boss Poetry Book
contest. She is a writing workshop leader, community builder,
spoken word artist and a poetry editor for PlatformReview. Her poetry
is featured in video, Instagram, and podcast projects.Margaret’s
non-fiction work includes “Where Feminism Rocks” about the 1990s
riot grrrl movement for On the Issues, “Historical Research in
the Middle School Math Classroom”, poetry reviews. Her book, The
Captive: A Prisoner of its Own Time, reflected on the cultural
significance of a 1920s play banned on Broadway for referring to
a lesbian character offstage.
Note: There will be NO ZOOM broadcast this month
Please join us in-person
Your co-hosts: Linda ~ lindacjm@gmail.com
Gregg ~ gregglory@aol.com
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Red Bank Public Library
84 W Front Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
(732) 842-0690
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poetry intensive
Are you committed to the
craft of writing poetry and yearning to set goals? In this class,
we concentrate on a different poet each week, analyzing and
discussing craft points and elements. The richness of our
discovery—of language and the more nuanced poetic
elements—enlivens our experience of the poet, the craft, and our
response to both. We then respond to related prompts through our
writing, strengthening our own creative abilities. The goal is to
produce work that moves you to a new understanding of your
obsessions and talents as a writer. In addition to generating
writing, you also respond respectfully to one another’s work,
creating a supportive writing community.
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Dactylic Hexameter:
The Bridge Between Ancient and Modern Metered
Verse
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A while ago I was thinking
about when my own interest in poetry may have begun. Being
an avid reader of just about anything certainly gripped my
interest in the power and flexibility of human expression.
In junior high school, I
took to years of introductory French. By my freshman year,
I wanted to try something different and enrolled in Latin I
(followed by Latin II). In our first year, most of the
lessons were on grammar and construction of communicating in
Latin. Lots of rules, but all of them somewhat
understandable once we started reading ancient texts. Our
first year was focused on abridged versions of Julius Caesar’s
Gaul campaigns. These lessons were relatively easy and
provided a good foundation for Latin II.
In Latin II, the grammar
rules dealt with complex expression and linear continuity of
expression. The big challenge here was in consistency in
abiding by all context, tense and verb usage. By the second
semester, we had started diving into Homer’s ‘Odysseus’ and
Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’.
Before diving into these,
though, we had a one-week of lessons regarding Latin and Greek
metre. There are 36 different types of metre employed by
the Greeks and understanding them in similarity and distinction
was incredibly confusing; even moreso than the complexities of
Latin grammar.
Nonetheless, once we
started reading the text, the one metre that seemed to be
consistently in place was dactylic hexameter (especially in the
‘Aeneid’.
A dactylic hexameter line
is one that contains six "feet." Each foot is either a
dactyl (– ∪ ∪ | one long syllable
followed by two short syllables) or a spondee (– – | two long
syllables). The final foot usually ends in two syllables (spondee
or trochee).
Dactylic hexameter was THE
defining meter of Greek and Latin epic poetry, used for grand
narratives of gods, heroes, and foundational myths.
The falling rhythm (long –
short – short) creates a sense of weightiness and gravitas, while
the six-foot structure allows for both power and flexibility.
After reading ‘Evangeline’, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
I realized that much of the piece was written in dactyl
hexameter. I think this speaks to its longevity as a metre
style that survived through different languages over the
centuries. Here’s a couple of brief examples between
ancient and modern metred verse:
Ancient Poetry:
Homer (approx. 8th century
BCE)
The Iliad: "Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son
Achilles / and its devastation..."
The Odyssey: "Tell me,
Muse, of the man of many ways..."
Virgil (70 - 19 BCE)
The Aeneid: "I sing of
arms and the man..." (Arma virumque cano...)
Modern Uses:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(1807-1882)
Evangeline - A Tale of
Acadie: "This is the forest primeval. The murmuring
pines and the hemlocks..."
Arthur Hugh Clough
(1819-1861)
The Bothie of
Tober-na-Vuolich: "It was the afternoon; and the sports were
now at their hottest..."
Now, while dactylic
hexameter seems present in ancient and modern texts; it important
to note that Greeks and Romans used variant and other various
meters; often in combination:
Elegiac Couplets: Alternating lines of dactylic hexameter and
dactylic pentameter, often used for melancholic or reflective
poems (e.g., Ovid)
Lyric Meters: Diverse patterns of long and short syllables,
designed to be sung with the lyre (e.g., Sappho, Pindar)
Iambic Trimeter: Common in Greek drama for dialogue, mirroring the
rhythms of natural speech (e.g., Sophocles, Euripides)
Understanding dactylic
hexameter is key to appreciating the sound, structure, and
overall feel of classical epic poetry. Its distinctive
rhythm and its association with foundational narratives make it a
unique and powerful poetic tool.
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NOW OPEN:
2024 Nature & Place Prize!
Awarding $3,500 + Publication
In our pursuit of
gentleness, nostalgia, and a reimagining of “home,” Frontier
Poetry is reviving the Nature & Place Prize.
From February 22 to April
28, 2024, we’re looking for poems rich and robust in language,
technique, and form that pay homage to the natural world and all
of the small marvels that occur in nature. We’re also interested
in poems that observe geography and the landscape of
home. Frontier Poetry warmly encourages poets of all
backgrounds, identities, and ethnicities to enter.
The first-place winner will
receive $3,000 and publication. Second- and third-place winners
will receive $300 and $200 respectively, as well as publication.
All shortlisted writers will also be considered for paid
publication in New Voices.
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Robert Reads for March
2024
Elizabeth Barrett Browing
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In Gracious Thanks
A great honour to be bestowed…
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It is with a bemused mix of
pride and humility that I am pleased to announce that I have been
chosen as a 2024 Library Champion by the Long Branch Free Public
Library. Pride in that I have been fortunate to be
affiliated with an outstanding group of people dedicated to
serving their community through the preservation and propagation
of literature, a bulwark of energy to preserving our common
culture. Humility in that they have chosen to honour one so
glad to be counted among their number and would / will continue
to serve their mission of being the heart of the Long Branch
community.
An awards dinner is planned
for April 26, 2024 for I and my fellow Champions. I would
be honoured if you would attend. It would not just
celebrate the work of those honoured by the Long Branch Free
Public Library but the entire organization that supports the work
of cultivating our humanity through their efforts.
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New Jersey Poetry Out Loud
Announces 2024 State Finalists and Prepares for State Finals at
the Count Basie Center
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Following New Jersey’s
2024 Poetry Out Loud Regional Competitions, twelve
finalists will vie for this year’s title of New Jersey State
Champion at Red Bank’s Count Basie Center for the Arts.
Regional competitions took place in early February at Appel Farm
Arts & Music Center, Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean
County College, Mayo Performing Arts Center, Passaic County
Community College, Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts, and South
Orange Performing Arts Center.
Poetry Out Loud is a
national arts education program that encourages the study of
great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic
recitation competition for high school students across the
country. This program helps students master public speaking
skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history
and contemporary life. Since the program began in 2005, more than
4.3 million students and 76,000 teachers from 19,000 schools and
organizations across the nation have participated in Poetry Out
Loud. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment
for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the 55 state and
jurisdictional arts agencies.
Congratulations to all the
finalists moving on to State Finals:
- Kailan
Cass-Adams-Johnson, from Mainland Regional High School in
Linwood
- Nay’Quan Coriano, from
Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland
- Gianna Escobar, from
Union County Vo-tech High School in Scotch Plains
- Michaela Giuliani, from
Vineland High School in Vineland
- Elicia Johnson, from
South River High School in South River
- Yumna Juha, from
Montgomery High School in Skillman
- Amya Martinez, from
North Star Academy Washington Park in Newark
- Sophia Padilla, from The
Morris County School of Technology in Denville
- Leah Seche, from Doane
Academy in Burlington
- Dhriti Somas, from
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in
Demarest
- Nola Walker, from Henry
Snyder High School in Jersey City
- Lucas Wilson, from
Red Bank Regional High School in Little Silver
These finalists will
represent their region and compete for the title of State
Champion at the New Jersey Poetry Out Loud State Finals on March
14, 2024 at Count Basie Center for the Arts. The State Finals
will be the culmination of a statewide initiative that began in
the fall of 2023 and included 10,587 New Jersey students from 69
high schools across the state. Students competed first at the
classroom or community level and then at the regional level to
determine the 12 finalists who would move on to State
competition.
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Join ABC partner Project
Write Now on March 12, 2024,,,,, at 7:00 pm for a fun evening of
storytelling, conversation, and community! Using creative
prompts, we generate new writing and then share our work.
(Outside pieces are welcome too, but they must be your own work,
500 words or less, and align with PWN’s mission to provide a
supportive environment.) If you would like to read, please email info@projectwritenow.org
to be put on the readers list. Come to write, read, or listen!
Your story matters and we want to hear it!
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Monmouth County Poets -
2024 Schedule
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Emotional or humorous,
storytelling or intense, poetry can evoke a variety of thoughts
and emotions. Explore or recite literary works during a time of
alliteration, rhythm and verse.
All are welcome to read
your work aloud or read work from your favorite poet(s).
Themes are suggested and
original poems are encouraged. Poems must be appropriate for a
family-oriented audience. Preregistration is recommended for readers, though drop-ins
are welcome as time permits. FREE!
Next session is April 24,
2024 from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm at the Thompson Park Visitor Center.
Contact RacheI Cohen to be added to the list of readers at (732)
542-1642, ext. 29 or via rachel.cohen@monmouthcountyparks.com.
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Our next Spoken Word Poetry
event being produced is in cooperation with the Monmouth County
Poets on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2024 from 3:00 pm - 6:00
pm at the Thompson Park Visitor Center. It will be an
afternoon celebrating timeless, Celtic tales. W.B. Yeats, Seamus
Heaney, Lady Gregory, and Eavan Boland are some of the poets
whose works will be recited by performance readers. These works
delve into the rich tapestry of Celtic myths, legends and
folklore. FREE! Registration is suggested, but not required.
Light refreshments will be served following the performance.
For those who would like to
attend this performance, reach out to Co-Producer Rachel below:
Contact RacheI Cohen to
learn more about this event at (732) 542-1642, ext. 29 or via rachel.cohen@monmouthcountyparks.com.
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Copyright (C) 2024
Robert Goodman. All rights reserved.
Robert Goodman
Our mailing address is:
Robert Goodman 55 Shore Drive
Long Branch, NEW JERSEY 07740 USA
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