Voices of three Boston poets will be heard in historic setting


DOROTHY DERIFIELD

Chapter and Verse will present three Boston-area poets—Harris Gardner, who will be celebrating the publication of a new book, “Among Us”; Denise Bergman, author of “Seeing Annie Sullivan”; and Jamaica Pond Poet Carolyn Gregory—on Nov. 7. The reading will take place at the historic Loring-Greenough House in JP Center.

The poetry scene in Boston would be much less vibrant without the tireless energy of Harris Gardner. He is the man behind Tapestry of Voices, host of two important poetry series—monthly readings at Borders Downtown Crossing and Poetry in the Chapel, a series of readings in the fall, winter and spring in Forsyth Chapel at Forest Hills Cemetery. Gardner is the founder of the Boston National Poetry Month Festival, a two-day poetry extravaganza held every April at the Boston Public Library.

He is also a poet of renown, and he will read from his new chapbook, “Among Us” (Cervena Barva Press, 2007). His work has appeared in the “Harvard Review,” “Ibbetson Street,” “Fulcrum” and a multitude of other journals, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2005. He is the author of an earlier volume, “Lest They Become” (Ibbetson Street Press, 2003).

Denise Bergman is the author of “Seeing Annie Sullivan” (Cedar Hill Books, 2005), poems based on the early life of Helen Keller’s teacher. Fittingly, the book has been translated into braille and is available as a Talking Book. Bergman has a previous collection called “Keyhole Poems,” a sequence of poems that wedge the history of specific urban places into the present, and she was the editor of “City River of Voices,” an anthology of urban poetry. She has been the poetry editor of “Sojourner,” and the host of the cable TV show “Women in the Arts.” Bergman’s poetry has been published in journals ranging from “New Delta Review” to “Cimarron Review” to the “Alaska Quarterly Review,” truly coast to coast. An excerpt from her poem “Red” was permanently installed by the City of Cambridge in a neighborhood park.

Carolyn Gregory, a Jamaica Plain resident and member of Jamaica Pond Poets, has published poems as well as essays on photography and classical music in “American Poetry Review,” “Seattle Review,” “The Storyteller,” “Main Street Rag” and “Stylus.” She has published two chapbooks and was featured in the award-winning anthology “For Lovers and Other Losses.” She is looking forward to publishing her new book, “Open Letters,” in 2008 even as she works on its successor, “Temporary Assignments.” Gregory has been the recipient of an award for poetry from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and she has given readings everywhere from Boston to Colorado.

Chapter and Verse takes place on Wed., Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Loring-Greenough House, 12 South St. (just across from the Monument). There is a suggested donation of $5, and free refreshments are served in the dining room after the reading. The Loring Greenough House is handicapped-accessible and has some parking.

Organized in collaboration with Jamaica Pond Poets, Chapter and Verse is a literary reading series at the Loring-Greenough House the first Wednesday of each month September through May, with the exception of January. Readers on Dec. 5 will be Mike Amado, Mary Collins and Walter Howard.

For more information, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] or call 325-8388.

The writer is the director of Chapter and Verse.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *