Let's make it a date!

To FLIFF or not to FLIFF? That is the question? Well it shouldn’t be as this year’s FLIFF (Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival October 18 – November 11, 2013) boasts some of the poetry around town. Not just the prose that burns from the lips of men and women (actors on screen) but spoken word performers on film. Premiering at FLIFF is “Breakthrough” with spoken word poetry by Eden Wetherell. So poets, let catch this film on Saturday, November 9 at 7 pm at Cinema Paradiso (Fort Lauderdale). Let’s make it a date!

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my poem for the week

Here is a poem that was inspired by events at Cinema Paradiso:

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POETRY AROUND TOWN

Poetry Reading with the Magician’s Daughter, Meryl Stratford, October 14 at 7:30 pm

Broward College, South Campus

7200 Pines Boulevard

Southern Breezeway, Building 68

Poetry Club. South Regional/BC Library Multi-Purpose Room. Monthly, every 3^rd Tuesday at 6:30 pm.
Poetry & Spoken Word. Goddess Store n Studio. 2017 Harrison St, Hollywood, FL. Monthly, every 3rd Sunday. 6 pm.
Open mike (music, comedy, poetry). Gigi’s Music Café. 4385 NW 88 Ave. Sunrise, FL. Weekly on Wednesdays at 7 pm.
Some resources for poetry events include poetry.openmikes.org and meetup.com.

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POETRY CONTESTS

IT’S SO MARGATE! Poetry contest: create apoem about Margate that starts or ends with the line “IT’S SO MARGATE!” Maximum word count is 100 words. Submit entries October 1-31, 2013 to Margate Library, 5810 Park Drive, Margate, FL 33063 Attention: Maribel Pelayo. For more information, call 954-357-7500.

Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation poetry chapbook contest: send a manuscript of 18-24 pages of original poetry, $15 entry fee (check payable to HKPF), 2 cover pages (one with name, title, and email address), and one with just the title)

To:

Barbra Nightingale, President

HKPF

2231 N. 52^ND Ave

Hollywood, FL 33021

Deadline extended to December 15^th or when 20 manuscripts received. Open to Florida poets. Notifications by email.

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UPCOMING CONFERENCES

2013 FWA Conference
When: October 18-20, 2013
Where: Orlando Marriott 1501 International Parkway, Lake Mary, FL 32746
http://floridawriters.net/2013_FWA_Conferences.html

30th Miami Book Fare International
When: November 17-24, 2013
http://www.miamibookfair.com/

10th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival
When: January 20-25, 2014
http://www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org/

Back to Work

Have you ever just got back from vacation and wishing that you could go on another vacation? Well, I do! I also dream of winning the lottery...if only I would buy a ticket. So I start looking at the pictures and tell stories (some mine but most from the various tour guides from the excursions).

One last look of vacation past: sigh....

A Treat for the Senses

I just came back from vacation and wished it wouldn't end and by the amount I spent, I may never take another vacation again. All my senses got a treat: the scenery was a delight for the eyes, the sounds were a delight to the ear, unforgettable scents for the nose and savoring food for the mouth.

As for touch, I am glad that the bears were gathering berries in the mountains and we were not touched by bears. Considering the number of birds flying overhead, I was grateful none touched me with their poop. Also grateful to the porcupine that we saw some distance away for not coming over and touching us. So the lack of touch by any animal was the best treat for my sense of touch.

This week's poem is dedicated to my sense of  taste:

We were two traveling and touring Seattle was definitely not boring PAX convention and dressed up participants Crowded the streets and restaurants We trekked our way to The Metropole We even saw the Borg through our window While sipping on apple-tini and the Metropole's own martini The Pike Street Salad was refreshingly tasty  with its zesty lemon vinaigrette The tomato florentine soup had my cousin wishing For their well executed recipe Creole Prawns - we both ordered In different but delicious dishes The Polenta was so smooth and creamy It topped the evening and we sent kudos to the chef And toasted our evening at The Metropole.

Poetry around town

9/17/13 – 6:30 pm Poetry Club. South Regional/BC Library Multi-Purpose Room
Poetry & Spoken Word. Goddess Store n Studio. 2017 Harrison St, Hollywood, FL. Monthly, every 3rd Sunday. 6 pm.
Open mike (music, comedy, poetry). Gigi’s Music Café. 4385 NW 88 Ave. Sunrise, FL. Weekly on Wednesdays at 7 pm.
Some resources for poetry events include poetry.openmikes.org and meetup.com.

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UPCOMING CONFERENCES

2013 FWA Conference
When: October 18-20, 2013
Where: Orlando Marriott 1501 International Parkway, Lake Mary, FL 32746
http://floridawriters.net/2013_FWA_Conferences.html

30th Miami Book Fare International
When: November 17-24, 2013
http://www.miamibookfair.com/

10th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival
When: January 20-25, 2014
http://www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org/

Autumn Reads

"Poetry soothes the soul..." - The Collection, copyrighted 2013 Suzzette Dawes

I was reading and came across an opinion piece about best summer reads. I only read one of the books of the list. We are fast approaching Autumn, one of the most poetic seasons (at least in my mind) and I want to share some good poetry reads:

Throughout this winning chapbook, Meryl tells a story with her poems. In "Black and White," she not only tells the story of a photograph of a ballerina's slipper, she weaves in her memories of being a ballerina (lines 11-13), gives us a history lesson on Russian noblemen (lines 14-15) and protests the notion of women being the weaker sex (lines 38-41). Another one of my favorites is "Elegy with Backwards Clocks" as she finds Daylight Savings Time as fiction (I also share that belief). Short, leaving you wanting more poetry. Meryl Stratford. Magician's Daughter. Ed. Gianna Russo. Yellow Jacket Press, 2013.

I had the pleasure of attending a workshop at Kerouac House in Orlando where Monica led the workshop. I recall her quiet demeanor then I read her poetry - the emotions she displays! "Howlish" the very title reminded me of beat poetry. I don't understand reviewer using "charming" to describe her work. It had a gritty, raw feel to me with remnants of beat poetry - prose poetry and some explicit language. The poems are arranged (into political, dreams, animal & cities and money & ghost) divisions. A jarring but good read. Monica Wendel. No Apocalypse. Georgetown Review Press, 2013.

I like the way Linda create pictures with her words such as in "Janie's Life" (in the shape of a woman) and "An Engaging Proposal"(in the shape of a ring). Her artwork throughout adds to the words such as in "Sparkling Crystal." Then her other poems are crafts of words. I heard her read "The Ordinary Life of Amazing" and reading the print, I was amazed at the internal rhyme scheme. I found a favorite read in "Monday Mourning" which captures the pain of cubicle worklife. A witty, play on words. Linda Eve Diamond. The Beauty of Listening. Aventine Press, 2013.

Anastasia gives you imagery with her poems such as in "Jilted and Chardonnay" you can picture the people in the cocktail especially the people in the corner "love/slowly siphoned from/The pink skirts."  I have heard her read, been in her workshops and I am always enthralled on her wordmanship (spellcheck states not a word but that is how I would describe Anastasia.) Anastasia Clark. Confetti Stampede. Ed. Christen Kincaid. Finishing Line Press, 2013.

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POETRY AROUND TOWN 

1. 9/14/13 - Free Poetry Reading at 5 pm at Cinema Paradiso. 503 SE 6th St, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301. Contact Suzzettethepoet@gmail.com for details.
2. 9/17/13 – 6:30 pm Poetry Club. South Regional/BC Library Multi-Purpose Room
3. Poetry & Spoken Word. Goddess Store n Studio. 2017 Harrison St, Hollywood, FL. Monthly, every 3rd Sunday. 9/22 at 6 pm.
4. Open mike (music, comedy & poetry). Gigi’s Music Café. 4385 NW 88 Ave. Sunrise, FL. Weekly on Wednesdays at 7 pm.
5. Some resources for poetry events include poetry.openmikes.org and meetup.com.

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UPCOMING CONFERENCES

2013 FWA Conference
When: October 18-20, 2013
Where: Orlando Marriott 1501 International Parkway, Lake Mary, FL 32746
http://floridawriters.net/2013_FWA_Conferences.html

30th Miami Book Fare International
When: November 17-24, 2013
http://www.miamibookfair.com/

10th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival
When: January 20-25, 2014
http://www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org/

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