Maine Lit Fest Event - Day 2

When I began to listen to poetry, it's when I began to listen to the stones, and I began to listen to what the clouds had to say, and I began to listen to others. And I think, most importantly for all of us, then you begin to learn to listen to the soul, the soul of yourself in here, which is also the soul of everyone else. —Joy Harjo

This generative workshop led by Maine Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma (Midden and Work by Bloodlight) will focus on the potential for poetry to serve as an antidote for isolation and division. Drawing on the inspiration of Joy Harjo’s words, attendees will partake in a variety of unique and collaborative prompts designed to encourage listing to the world around us, seeing and acknowledging both its horror and its beauty, and engaging the words of one another to nurture our collective creative energy. Together, we will write poems that connect us to the physical world, anchor us in our bodies, lift our voices toward each other, and give us the courage to navigate uncertain times.

Interested participants should pre-register above.

This event is free.

Books will be sold by Devaney, Doak & Garrett.

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Julia Bouwsma lives off-the-grid in the mountains of western Maine, where she is a poet, farmer, freelance editor, critic, and small-town librarian. She is the author of two poetry collections: Midden (Fordham University Press, 2018) and Work by Bloodlight (Cider Press Review, 2017). She is the recipient of the 2018 Maine Literary Award; the 2016-17 Poets Out Loud Prize, selected by Afaa Michael Weaver; and the 2015 Cider Press Review Book Award, selected by Linda Pastan. Her poems and book reviews can be found in Grist, Poetry Northwest, RHINO, River Styx, and other journals. A former Managing Editor for Alice James Books, Bouwsma currently serves as Book Review Editor for Connotation Press: An Online Artifact and as Library Director for Webster Library in Kingfield, Maine.