In celebration of national poetry month, Leelanau Township Library will host five events every Tuesday in April centered around all things poetry, giving the public an opportunity to learn about the art of spoken word from various creatives in the area and from around the country.
“We look forward to poetry month events the Friends of the Leelanau Township Library sponsors for the library each April,” said Leelanau Township Library Director Julie Alpers-Preneta. “There are so many poets, and appreciators of poetry in the community, and the library is a fantastic public resource to support them. Poetry allows writers to express emotions and it allows readers to connect to those emotions; poetry allows for us to explore our world and how we can relate to it. Hosting April Poetry Month events can be reinvigorating for the community after what is usually a long winter.”
The first event scheduled for April 2 will host local poets Carrie Cantalupo Sharp, Michael Hughes, and Chelsea Marsh. Sharp is a published poet who writes poetry, flash fiction, and is currently working on a hybrid chapbook (small publication). Michael’s chapbook called “First Risings” was published in 2012, and Marsh has been a writer and judge for the Traverse Area District Library Poets’ Night Out. The three writers are part of a “green leaf poetry” workshop group, and will read and share some of their work to kick off the library’s poetry month events.
“Typically the format is they (presenters) read and then we open it to Q and A questions, and then they can sell their book or chapbook if they’d like to that evening,” said Alison Arthur, poetry month chair. “I’ve learned a lot as I’ve evolved with chairing this thing year to year. What we want to do is keep diversity and draw people up here, but also expose people to a broad range of poets… It’s extremely important to keep poetry alive at the tip of the peninsula.”
Award winning poet Linda Nemec Foster, author of 12 poetry collections, will be featured for the second poetry month event on April 9. Foster was the first poet laureate of Grand Rapids 2003-2005 and is the founder of the Contemporary Writers Series at Aquinas College. She will read from her latest 2023 book called “Bone Country, Prose Poems.” In addition, Foster also co-authored the book “The Lake Michigan Mermaid: A Tale in Poems” with author Anne-Marie Oomen.
“She’s a very amazing human who published this book called ‘Bone Country’ last fall, she’s going to read from that, and that has actually been nominated for a Pulitzer,” Arthur said. “She has a national reach because of her work… She had a chance to teach in Poland, and a lot of those poems (in Bone Country) are about places she’s been in Europe.”
On April 16, the library will hold for the first time in its decade of poetry month history a basic songwriting workshop with Siusan O’Rourke, who will explore the difference between spoken poetic rhyme and lyric writing for music. O’Rourke will also offer tips, tools, and basic understanding needed to approach songwriting without all of the mystique. Those interested in attending can bring note taking materials like a laptop, iPad, or instrument to participate. Anyone, whether beginner or skilled, is welcomed to come and learn about songwriting, which often utilizes poetry and rhymes to form music that can be performed and sung.
“We are delighted to be bringing in songwriter Siusan O’Rourke to lead a workshop this year,” Alpers-Preneta said. “Songwriting and poetry writing compliment each other and we are excited to offer this opportunity for participants to try something new.”
The next event is on April 23 with Holly Wren Spaulding, an award-winning author, interdisciplinary artist and writing teacher based in South Maine. She is the founder and artistic director of “Poetry Forge,” which is an online school “for poets and secret poets.” Two of her past published collections, “If August” and “Familiars,” are Michigan inspired.
Open Mic Night, the last poetry month event at the library, is set for April 30. Arthur said everyone is encouraged to read a poem on this day, whether it’s their work or someone else’s. Local students from the area have read or had their poems read during open mic nights in previous years, Arthur added, making it a sort of community event for people of all ages to share in.
“Anybody and everybody is welcome, so it’s a really fun night, and we’ll have refreshments,” Arthur said. “The more we can expose the world to poetry and diverse poets, people can realize they can write a poem, too. It’s so important to put your emotions on paper… If this series of events nudges anyone to do that on a daily basis or whenever they feel like it, then I consider that a success.”
All poetry month events start at 7 p.m. at Leelanau Township Library in Northport. For more information, call the library at 231-386-5131.
