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Writer's pictureTamara Miles

Crows Above the Forest Call

Updated: Oct 5

a letter from the President



Dear Poets and Poetry Lovers,


Recently, I stood on the "poet's balcony" at Della Watson's condo overlooking The Gin Joint and East Bay Street in Charleston, with a crow puppet on my right hand, and read an opening poem for La Noche. (The crow seemed right for my alter-ego when I discovered him at the Barnes and Noble. He now rides on the dashboard of my car.) On the balcony, member Debra Connor kindly stood next to me, throwing yellow roses into the audience below. I thought of tossing the roses at the last minute, remembering how crows scatter their gifts. "The Crow Announces the Tango!" was the title and opening line. It was such a joyful moment, and holding onto it a bit longer, I'd like to open this newsletter with lines from another crow poem (by Robert Frost), "October":


The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.


I've been needing to slow down. Teaching four English classes in a seven-week term is enough to keep me wishing for more time, plus all the creative projects I'm engaged with. But time is the same for everybody. We've got a daily allowance, and we're all spending it and trying to save it in a variety of ways. What if we all make a conscious effort to live October deeply conscious of our investment in a resource we can't really "save" -- instead, we can only make the most of.


"Come what come may,

Time and the hour runs through the roughest day." (Macbeth, Act I, Scene 3).


It's still September as I write this, and Hurricane Helene is fresh on my mind, and I am feeling sad about Black Mountain and other places where there is so much devastation. The Black Mountain poets would be rallying to help their neighbors, and taking to their pens to try to make sense of it in words. If you can help, check the FEMA website.


While we are all waiting for recovery, here are some meaningful "spends" for October. First up, our next event in the Every Corner, Every County Reading Series


We'd like to thank SC Humanities for funding our Every Corner, Every County Reading Series and for promoting our events. Special thanks to TJ Wallace! Zoom links for the workshop and reading are provided in the Every Corner, Every County section of the newsletter.


Fall Contests!




Membership Renewal



Please reach out to Jim if you have any questions about membership: FlatBlueSky@hotmail.com.


Other Events Coming Up




While Poetry & Patron is not sponsored by the Poetry Society, it features several of our members and should be a blast!


Away, and mock the time with fairest show. (Macbeth, Act i, Scene 6)


Recap of September


Here are some images and a video from La Noche, an extraordinary experience hosted by the Poetry Society and DKW Productions. In these snapshots you'll see art by Janet Kozachek (I bought the black and white one!), organizers, members, and volunteers enjoying their time, tango dancing by MarQuel Landy and his lovely partner, and scenes from the VIP after-party. You will also see the crow making his rounds...


Tina Baumis won the most recent Poetry Trails contest (at Centennial Park), so we took the opportunity to award her the guitar at La Noche also. Thank you, Danny Sciortino, for again sponsoring this prize!



A week after La Noche, Elizabeth Robin presented a fantastic workshop about how to create a permanent Poetry Trail like the one in Hilton Head. We learned a lot, and we are now on a mission across the state. Della Watson, your home was such a great space for this and all of the September events in Charleston!



Every Corner, Every County Reading Series



Join Zoom Meeting for the Workshop


Meeting ID: 890 4462 6319

Passcode: 417957


Join Zoom Meeting for the Reading


Meeting ID: 842 8511 7242

Passcode: 388769


The Oliver Bowman Memorial Prize


When Oliver Bowman passed away at the age of 92 on July 25, 2023, the Poetry Society of South Carolina suffered the loss of one of our finest, most beloved central figures. Generations of PSSC members have experienced his friendship and graciousness, from his first appearance before the group in 1963 right up to the time of his unexpected death. To honor Oliver, we are raising funds for the Oliver Bowman Memorial Prize that will begin this coming calendar year and continue for at least 10 years, if we can raise sufficient funds. If you would like to contribute to this collective, "The Friends of Oliver Bowman," send a check for any amount you're comfortable with to PSSC, P.O. Box 1090, Charleston, SC 29402. Make check payable to "PSSC." Please indicate that your donation is for the "Oliver Bowman Memorial Prize." Your donation is tax deductible to the full extent of the law and will be acknowledged with an official letter for tax purposes.


Another Way to Support the Society





You can look sporty and support the important work of the Poetry Society with each purchase. Click here to visit the website.


The Poetry Prompt Contest


The Poetry Prompt Contest is a monthly contest where we encourage you to submit a piece inspired by the new prompt found below. The winning poem or flash fiction is published in the following month's newsletter. We also offer the winner the opportunity to record a video of him or herself reading the poem to be posted to the Poetry Society's YouTube channel. There is no obligation to record the video, it is only there as an offer if the winner feels comfortable doing so.


Thank you to those who entered our Poetry Prompt Contest for September!


Our winner this month is Paula Appling, from Pickens County.


This brief poem visualizes poetry as stripping away the burden of uncomfortable restraints to reveal a new understanding of self and its conflicting experiences of life.


Take it off

 

Poetry takes off

exterior cloaks and camisoles,

shoes and stockings,

to expose the painful, the playful,

the startling, the unexpected

Truth.


Congratulations, Paula!


Members in the News


Janet Kozachek and other artists and poets will be featured at the "Turtle Tales" exhibit as described below, with opening reception on Nov. 9.


Christopher Blackmon was featured at a themed spoken word event to support breast cancer awareness held by Southern Dish 101 in Lancaster on October 4.


Debra Daniel won the Work/Play Challenge Winner in Fractured's Flash Fiction contest for "The Breakfast Shift at the Usual New York Diner!"


Tamara Miles and other guest poets will read at Hurricane Coffee in Ladson, SC on October 26.


Kakalak 2024 has provided the list of award winners and selected publications, and several of our members are featured. I'll list just a few here, but please see the whole list at https://www.facebook.com/KakalakAnthology


Katie Ellen Bowers received an honorable mention in the Poetry Awards for Kakalak 2024 with her poem "Lessons Learned on Swings."


H.R. Spencer won third place in the Poetry Awards for Kakalak 2024 with his poem "Airstrike."


Susan M. Craig's artwork, "Every Living Thing Dances" was selected for publication in Kakalak 2024.


Terri McCord's artwork, "Horse," was selected for publication in Kakalak 2024.


Gilbert Allen's poem "Beauty Boot Camp" was selected for publication in Kakalak 2024.


Ann Herlong-Bodman's poem "Some Things Live Forever" was selected for publication in Kakalak 2024.


Please send your news for next month to everycornereverycounty@gmail.com


And that will wrap things up for the moment!


Let's remember the words of Theodore Roethke: "I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow." Go easy in October.


Thank you,


Tamara





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