Coffee-House Poetry : Readings, Classes, Prizes

welcome

from Coffee-House Poetry organiser, Anne-Marie Fyfe

Looking at the spring Coffee-House Poetry ‘roadmap’, where better to start than with poet-on-the-move Dana Gioia who, as California’s Poet Laureate, read in all 58 Californian counties over two years with 16 flights & 17,000 road-miles…

…that’s on top of his own poetry (latest, 99 Poems: New & Selected), ten years as America’s National Endowment for the Arts chair, two dozen anthologies, textbooks, libretti, & criticism — including the explosive & exploratory Can Poetry Matter? (raising so many relevant questions about poetry’s purpose & practice) — & his latest, just published, on poetry influences & influencers, Studying with Miss Bishop (2021).

We get to meet Dana on a March 22nd #poetrymonday Zoom!, reading & in-interview with Cahal Dallat. Good to be on the road again!

Stay safe, & all best wishes,

#poetrymondays on Zoom!

mon 22 mar, 8pm: dana gioia: reading & in-conversation with cahal dallat (free online event)

See full details of poetry readings

(pic: end times: richard-acid-rayne)

next event

mon 22 mar, 8pm: dana gioia: reading & in-conversation (free online event)

Join us in a Zoom! #poetrymonday with California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia, reading & in conversation with poet & critic Cahal Dallat

Son of a Sicilian immigrant father & a Californian ‘mostly Mexican’ mother, Gioia was first in his family to go to college, & studied at Stanford & Harvard. His latest publication, Studying with Miss Bishop (2021) talks of Elizabeth Bishop’s classes, & of his other poetic influences.

After college Gioia wrote poetry by night while working for General Foods for 15 years, during which time he published two collections, followed by Can Poetry Matter?, a seminal text exploring poetry’s role/relevance &, in the 2000s, undertook ten years as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, wrote libretti & textbooks, edited anthologies & published further collections including 99 Poems: New & Selected (Graywolf), winner of the 2018 Poets’ Prize.

As California’s Poet Laureate from 2015 he made it his mission to read – over a two-year period – in all 58 Californian counties, many of which never feature on major poets’ itineraries.

free online event, advance booking only, limited to 100, email info@coffeehousepoetry.org

classes & courses

sun 14 feb—sun 28 mar, £120: nocturne: a 6-wk creative-writing workshop with anne-marie fyfe
mon 25 jan—mon 15 mar: £110 between the lines 6, a new 7-wk critical/craft masterclass with cahal dallat
sun 24 jan—sun 7 mar, £120: nocturne: a 6-wk creative-writing workshop with anne-marie fyfe

See full details of classes and workshops