December 2018: Poetry Night!

Post date: Jan 09, 2019 2:33:20 AM

Members seemed excited at the prospect of our first poetry night, and a dozen of us were in attendance at our December 2018 meeting. Ruth MacNaughton treated us to a real feast of snacks and appetizers and it felt like quite the festive occasion. The poems presented a nice range of styles and subjects, and it was lovely to hear them read aloud. After each reading, we spent a few minutes discussing our reactions to the piece before moving on. The discussion was pretty lively at times, and I really appreciated the opportunity to learn about new poets and to revisit the work of some old favorites. For the curious, and as a reminder to those who attended, here is a list of the poems that were shared.

• 1. “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver

  2. “The Names of Birds” by Carrie McCarthy

  3. “The Solstice” by W.S. Merwin

  4. “Good Work” by Maggie Kraus

  5. The Warm Stone by Sasha Wright

  6. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

  7. Excerpts from Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

  8. Excerpts from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

  9. “Them Moose Goosers” and “Them Toad Suckers” by Mason Williams

  10. “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry

  11. “Living in the Body” by Joyce Sutphen

  12. “Once By the Pacific” by Robert Frost

  13. “Women’s Work” by Jacqueline Bardsley

Carrie McCarthy, Sasha Wright and Jacqueline Bardsley (my mom ) are relatives of members of our group. Sasha Wright is the daughter of Pat Wright and a graduate of the Smith School of Social Work. Pat read her book, The Warm Stone, at the December meeting. Some attendees expressed an interest in buying a copy. You can get one by sending a request to sashawrighttherapy@gmail.com . She accepts PayPal/venmo/checks. It costs $8 (shipping included). Details about The Warm Stone and another book, Porcupine Woman, are posted on her website: www.inbodyritual.com/publications.html.

I think it is fair to say that our poetry night was a success and that it is worth turning it into a yearly tradition.