August, 2015

Volume 3, Issue 2

Inside this issue:

.Sowing Seeds in the Four Corners	2
Festival of the Cranes &	3
Chapter Anthology
First Mondays at	3
Teatro Paraguas
Do The Fibonacci!	4
Highlights from the July 25, 2015	5
NMSPS Board Meeting
New Mexico Winners of the	6
NFSPS -2015 Annual Poetry
Contest
Take the Challenge???	6
Know Your NMSPS Board	7

This issue welcomes the newly elected officers.

Check out what the chapters are doing.

Congratulate the New Mexico poets who placed in the national poetry contest.

Leearn to do the Fibonacci.

We???re on the Web! www.nmpoetry.com

From The President???s Pen

Dear New Mexico

many resources

to

help

poetic

expression. Think

Poets & Friends:

us hone our craft and

about how you came to

It's a humid day. The wa-

find our voice (individual

poetry,

and

consider

and collective). Our tools

helping others make that

ter is glistening, reflecting

are basic and cheap--all

discovery while

you

are

the early evening Florida

we need is pen and paper,

able. NMSPS has a Chil-

sunshine. Humidity? Wa-

or

a

simple

electronic

dren's

Poetry Project in

ter? Florida?

Have

you

device. We can

connect

o n e

e l e m e n t a r y

opened the wrong news-

with other poets in per-

school, and we encourage

letter?

son, online, or by reading

youth membership.... but

I am

writing

from

the

their work any time. We

we can do more.

annual convention of the

can

join

critique

groups,

Finally,

have

you

write alone in city parks,

National

Federation

of

attend workshops, go to

hugged a poet today? At

State

Poetry

Societies

open mic nights, or listen

the NFSPS convention, I

(NFSPS) in St. Peters-

to podcasts. As members

have heard poets compli-

burg, Florida, at which I

of an active state society,

ment

one

another

on

have the privilege of rep-

we

can

advertise

our

their

work,

their

ideas,

resenting the New Mexi-

events

and publications,

their

kindness--whether

co State

Poetry

Society,

and promote the cause of

I've been hanging out in

along with Shirley Black-

poetry (expression, litera-

the book room or listen-

well,

our

stalwart

cy, education, etc.) in our

ing to panel presentations

NMSPS leader. There are

communities in ways we

or

participating

in

a

some

wonderful

poets

may

not

be

able to, as

workshop.

There

has

here--including the Flori-

individuals.

been a refreshing gener-

da State Slam Team--

osity of spirit here. Poets

and

many inspirational

Second, as one poet said

are good people, and we

state society leaders who

today,

"Our

youngest

have a lot to offer the

have been generous with

writers

will

keep

alive

world,

both

locally

and

their time and stories. By

our oldest form of liter-

globally. In

these

long,

the time you read this,

ature." It's no secret--the

light days of summer, let

the event will be long

average

age

of

NFSPS

us remember to reach out

past, but I hope to keep

members

is,

well,

older

to one another.

alive the ideas I am con-

(myself included). Poetry

sidering and the enthusi-

will outlive and outlast us

Peace for the journey,

asm I am feeling for the

all--the question really is

Andi

direction of our state so-

one

of

how

deeply and

NMSPS

ciety. Here's a sampling:

how widely future ge-

President

First, it's a great time to

neartions

will

cultivate

be a

poet. We have

so

the

art

and

practice of

During our first year as the

Four Corners

Chapter, we were in it for ourselves while this year we tried to branch out and sow seeds for poet- ry in the area.

Usually six to ten of us get togeth- er on the third Saturday of the month at 2:00 to give and get feed- back on poems in progress--our fundamental purpose that provides enrichment enough to keep us coming back for more. Beyond this core, we have about thirty-five people who have expressed inter- est in being on our mailing list, some of whom come to meetings as they can.

We want to be inclusive of the four corners area, and one of our regular members comes all the way from Utah. We are a far flung group.

Our founder, Vicki Holmsten, who served as our original chair, has become special projects per- son. Our new chair is Irene Ham- ilton. Secretary is Sandra Wheeler.

As part of National Poetry Month this past in April, we took on three poetry outreach projects.

Irene Hamilton, Coila King, and Sandra Wheeler represented the Four Corners Poets at the Farm-

ington Public Library???s Make- Do Friday series. The turnout was low but because people were so willing to engage with us about poetry, we had someone at our table for most of the hour and a half venue. We gave away eight different double-sided handouts of poems for adults and six for chil- dren. Many people took one of each and did a writing exercise (the Make-Do activity). In addition we had several books of poetry availa- ble for giveaway. Again, some people asked how many they were allowed, and when we answered as many as they wanted, they were pleased, even relieved. A couple of them already had a little stack picked out. I think the very best were young parents who took books to read to their little ones-- may their tribe of parental readers increase.

On Monday, April 27, Vicki Holmsten, Coila King, Geney Stan, Gail Janezich, and Sandra Wheeler perpetrated a Guerilla Poetry event. We met at Good Will, armed with folded poetry handouts that we slipped into un- suspecting pockets of garments on the racks. Some kid???s sizes have such tiny pockets that we had to fold and fold again to get the po- ems to fit. Hopefully the new

owners will be interested in our offerings. It turns out that on Mondays Good Will offers an ex- tra 25% off, and as a fringe bene- fit, we each found something to buy.

For National Poem in Your Pocket Day, we met in the obser- vation room of the Riverside Na- ture Center. The members attend- ing for all or part of the session were Pip Howard, Vicki Holmsten, Geney Stan, Irene Hamilton, Linda Fredericks, Gail Janezich, Sandra Wheeler, and me. Donna Thatcher, the educational specialist at the nature center and a poetry lover, joined us. We read a wide variety of poems (our own, some classics, and lesser knowns) and talked about other global and philosophical issues. Personally, I think the continual infusion of po- etry kept the conversation at a lev- el that matters. Through the win- dow-walls of the observation room, we watched a deer, a family of Canada geese protective of their unfledged goslings, hummingbirds, house finches, etc. at their own meeting. Doesn???t get much better than that.

(Continued on page 3)

Dante Berry

Rio Grande

Valencia Chapter

Festival of the Cranes

&

Chapter Anthology

Our members also participate in on- going local projects related to poetry and writing in general.

A local community organization,

Identity, Inc., hosts open mic nights on the first and third Thurs- days of the month beginning at 6:00 at the former Andrea Kristina???s Kafe and Bookstore in Farmington. Sever- al of us have read. Turnout so far is small but mutually supportive.

The summer Poetry Picnics are

hosted by the Riverside Nature Center. These are the second and fourth Fridays of the month starting at 6:00. We meet at the center and move to shaded picnic tables for a picnic supper and poetry reading, our own or others. These are open to community members, some of whom share and some listen. All in a de- lightful setting. The last of these will be outdoors at the Farmington Public Library on August 7, 2015.

Some of our members are actively involved with the Bisti Writing Pro- ject, for writers who teach and teach- ers who write, is an affiliate of the Na- tional Writing Project.

Our chair, Irene Hamilton, has been invited to present a workshop at the

Bluff Arts Festival to be held in Oc- tober. As our monthly meeting coin- cides with one day of the festival, she has invited us to attend and got an enthusiastic response.

Andi Penner

President

Do The Fibonacci!

Vicki Holmsten

Secretary

and

Andi Penner

President

Highlights from the July 25, 2015 NMSPS Board Meeting

The NMSPS board met on Satur- day, July 25, 2015, in Santa Fe. The meeting commenced at 1:00 p.m. Thank you to Elizabeth & Jim Raby for hosting the meeting and providing a lovely lunch for board members assembled at their Santa Fe home. Members present: Andi Penner, President; Bernadette Perez, Vice Presi- dent; Vicki Holmsten, Secre- tary; Earl Kious, Treasurer; John Candelaria, Special Projects Co- ordinator for Children???s Poetry Project; Jim Raby, Chair of Santa Fe Poetry Trails Chapter.

The complete minutes from the meeting will soon be posted on the web site. In the meantime, a few votes deserve immediate mention:

Slam of Enchantment. The "Slam of Enchantment" poetry community is sending a team of

four to the National Poetry

Slam in Oakland, California, August 10-16, 2015. The board voted to support this team by covering the cost of their entry fee, $500. Their founder and slam manager, Zach Kluckman, is an at-large member of NMSPS; the other 4 slam team poets will be joining NMSPS, also. In fact, they will soon become a new

NMSPS Chapter--the Slam of Enchantment Chapter--with Zach as the Chapter Chair. The board voted unanimously in sup- port of the slam team, and we look forward to working with the new chapter. NOTE: Andi had the pleasure of presenting the $500 check to the national slam team at a recent Pool & Poetry Party hosted by Ginny Gaskell. We wish the team well in Oak- land!

Student Membership. The board voted unanimously to ad- just the student membership cat- egory in two ways. First, we adopted a new definition of stu- dent to include students of any age (instead of age 18 and under), and raised the student member- ship fee from $5 to $10, effective immediately. Welcome, students!

Quarterly Board meetings for the 2015-16 NMSPS year:

October 24, 2015 in Albu- querque

January 23, 2016 in Belen

April 2016, TBD (stay tuned for the finalized date of the an- nual NMSPS convention--in April 2016)

July 2016, TBD

The new board is working hard to improve our communication tools. Please bear with us (and communicate with us!) as we strive to promote poetry across the state.

Bernadette Perez

Vice-President

Congratulations!!

New Mexico Winners of the

NFSPS -2015 Annual Poetry Contest

The numbered items below refer to the National Feder- ation of State Poetry Society's contest numbers. The HM refers to "Honorable Mention.

9. NFSPS Board Award

4HM - Jamie Morewood Anderson

Cedar Crest NM

10. Utah State Poetry Society Award

1st Place - Jamie Morewood Anderson

Cedar Crest NM

18. Indiana State Federation Of Poetry Clubs

Awards

5HM - Brittany Wyatt, Los Lunas, NM

20.The New York Poetry Forum Award

3rd Place - Ray Reeder, Albuquerque NM

25.American Indian Heritage Award

3HM - Jamie Morewood Anderson Cedar Creest, NM

27.Claire Van Breeman Downes Memorial Award

3rd Place - Ray Reeder, Albuquerque, NM

34.Barbara Stevens Awards Memorial Award

2nd Place - Jamie Morewood Anderson Cedar Crest, NM

37.Save Our Earth Award

1HM - Ray Reeder, Albuquerque, NM

40. Iowa Poetry Association Award

7HM - Ray Reeder, Albuquerque, NM

41. WyoPoets Award

6th HM - Jamie Morewood Anderson

Cedar Crest, NM

43.Gingerbread Poets Award

2nd Place - Jamie Morewood Anderson Cedar Crest, NM

46.Miriam S. Strauss Memorial Award

7HM - Jamie Morewood Anderson Cedar Crest, NM

Take the Challenge???

Anagram

A word spelled out by rearranging the letters of anoth- er word; for example, ???The teacher gapes at the mounds of exam pages lying before her.??? What can you come up with? Have fun! -- Bernadette

Appointed Board

(Project Leaders)

Dawn Huffaker PL for Newsletter 505-990-6706

NMSPSnewsletter@nmpoetry.com

John Candelaria

PL for Children???s Poetry 505-898-4464

NMSPSchildpoetryproject@nmpoetry.com

Non-Board Positions

Debbi Gutierrez

Web Presence webmaster@nmpoetry.com

Sari Krosinsky

NMSPS Calendar

NMSPScalendar@nmpoetry.com