Ekphrastic: Artful Collaboration

EKPHRASTIC  |  A Collaboration of Visual and Literary Art

Ekphrastic: in which one medium of art tries to relate to another medium by defining and describing its essence and form, and in doing so, relate more directly to the audience, through its illuminative liveliness.

Ekphrastic is an inspired collaboration between artists and writers, showing at Valkarie Gallery in the Belmar neighborhood of Lakewood, Colorado. Writers were invited to submit poems from which artists Valerie Savarie and Sharon Eisley then created a visual interpretation of each written piece.

Show Runs |  September 23 - October 18, 2015

Opening Reception |  Friday, September 25, 6 - 9pm             

Poetry Reading |  Saturday, October 10, 5 - 7pm

Artists  |  Valerie Savarie & Sharon Eisley

Poets | Lincoln Carr    Bree Davies   Susan Froyd   Nicole Haag   Toni Lefton   Rob Lessig   Drew Myron   Kimberly O'connor    Rebecca Snow   Colleen Teitgen-Humphrey   Trinity



Valkarie Gallery is an art gallery and working studio founded by Valerie Savarie and Karrie York. Valkarie is owned and operated by artists, for artists, and invites the community to join in the celebration of creativity.

445 South Saulsbury St   
Lakewood, Colorado

Summer Shorts: Poetry Contest

Show Off Your Summer Shorts!

Take part in the 2015 Denver County Fair Poetry Contest,
sponsored by Lighthouse Writers, with the Tattered Cover Book Store.

Contest theme:  Summer Shorts — poems of 10 lines or less

Brevity is key. Keep it short and strong. Or light and less.

Details:
Contest is open to Colorado residents, age 18 and over. Poems may be any style and subject — but no longer than 10 lines (title not included). Poems must be previously unpublished and have not received awards in other competitions. One poem per entry fee. Multiple submissions accepted. Submissions are judged by a panel of literary professionals. All judging is blind.

Deadline: July 15, 2015.
 
Prizes!
• First Place: Blue Ribbon + Tattered Cover Gift Token + $20 + featured in Poetry Performance

• Second Place: Red Ribbon + Tattered Cover Gift Token + featured in Poetry Performance

• Third Place: White Ribbon + Tattered Cover Gift Token + featured in Poetry Performance

• Finalists:  Featured in Poetry Performance

How to Enter:
1. Read Competition Info

2. Use the Online Entry Form to pay $3 entry fee

3. Submit your poem by July 15 via email to: poetry@denvercountyfair.org

Include your name, address, telephone number and confirmation number (proof of payment).
Attach the poem in a Word Document or paste in the body of your email.

Contest Deadline: July 15, 2015
Finalists Announced: July 29, 2015 by email
Winners Announced: Friday, July 31, 2015 at the Denver County Fair
Winning Poems Displayed at the Denver County Fair, July 31 - August 2, 2015
Winners & Finalists Poetry Performance: Sunday, August 2, 2015

Drew Myron - Director of Poetry
Denver County Fair
The Craziest County Fair in America!
www.denvercountyfair.org

Denver: Love it? Loathe it? Write it!

The Denver County Fair is "mixing up a big batch of tradition with a side of NOW!"

As Director of Poetry (isn't that the best title?), I can tell you that this three-day bonanza is not your grandma's staid affair. This is drag queens & steam punks, pot contests & poetry performances, and more.

But first things first:  Enter the poetry contest!

This year’s theme:  I ❤ Denver. Let your love of Denver shine! We’re looking for love in, around, and about Denver — classic love, erotic love, funny love, break-up love, landscape love, food love, good love gone wrong. . .

Deadline: July 15, 2014.

Poetry submissions may be of any length and any style. Contest is open to Colorado residents. Poems must be previously unpublished and have not received awards in other competitions. One poem per entry fee. Multiple submissions welcome. Submissions are judged by a panel of literary professionals. All judging is blind.
 
Two Categories:  Adult (ages 18 and over); Youth (ages 10 - 17)
 
Prizes!

• First Place: Blue Ribbon + Lighthouse Writers Workshop Gift Certificate + Tattered Cover Bookstore Token + $20 + featured in Poetry Performance

• Second Place: Red Ribbon + Tattered Cover Bookstore Token + featured in Poetry Performance

• Third Place: White Ribbon + Tattered Cover Bookstore Token + featured in Poetry Performance

• Finalists: Featured in Poetry Performance

How to Enter:

1. Go here: https://21stcenturyfairs.com/DenverCountyFair/prestashop/arts-entries/496-poetry-i-heart-denver-theme.html

Use the online form to pay the $5 fee, which provides you with admission to the Denver County Fair.

2. Submit your poem by July 15 via email to: poetry@denvercountyfair.org
Include your name, address, telephone number and category (Adult or Youth).
Attach the poem in a Word Document or in the body of your email.
You must pay entry fee to be eligible to win.
 
Winning poems will be on display at the Denver County Fair, August 1 - 3, 2014.
Winners and finalists are invited to read their poems at the Denver County Fair Poetry Performance on Sunday, August 3, 2014.
 
Contest Deadline: July 15, 2014
Finalists Announced: July 29, 2014
Winners Announced: Friday, August 1, 2014
Winning Poems Displayed: August 1-3, 2014
Poetry Performance: Sunday, August 3, 2014

And don't miss Poems-Write-Now, the on-demand poetry booth on Sunday, August 3. Poets are prepping, waiting to pen a poem just for you!

Sweet Grief at Benton County Museum

Sweet Grief: Paintings & Poems on Love and Loss

Featuring paintings by Senitila McKinley & poems by Drew Myron

Benton County Museum
Philomath, Oregon
May 23 - July 5, 2014

Opening Reception on Friday, May 23, 2014 from 5 to 7pm.
Admission is free.

Sweet Grief — an art exhibition featuring 12 paintings by Senitila McKinley, paired with poems by Drew Myron — will partner with Permission 2 Play for a showing at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon.

Sweet Grief debuted in April 2012 at the Windermere Triad Gallery in Seal Rock, Oregon where it enjoyed an eight month-long run. In 2013, Sweet Grief was on display at the Newport Visual Arts Center, and in Summer 2014 the collaborative art project will be on display at the historical Benton County Museum.

To learn more about the Sweet Grief and the special-edition exhibition book, visit Push Pull Books.

100 Years: A Stafford Celebration

Join the worldwide birthday celebration honoring the life and work of the late William Stafford, Oregon’s most famous poet, teacher and pacifist. A Stafford Celebration takes place on Saturday, February 1 at 2pm at the Waldport Community Center in Waldport, Oregon, located at 265 Hemlock St (on Hwy 34). Admission is free and the event is open to all ages.

The event will feature excerpts of the film William Stafford: Life & Poems. In addition, members of the audience are invited to read a favorite Stafford poem or to share a personal anecdote about the late Oregon poet laureate.

This year marks what would have been William Stafford’s 100th birthday. To celebrate, communities around the globe are hosting poetry readings, workshops and special presentations.

Waldport’s celebration is sponsored by Friends of the Waldport Public Library — a nonprofit group that seeks to stimulate and support the use of the Waldport Public Library, its resources and services — in conjunction with Friends of William Stafford and Oregon Reads 2014.

About William Stafford
William Stafford was one of America's most prolific poets, authoring more than 50 books in his 79 years. A professor at Lewis and Clark College for 30 years, he was appointed Oregon Poet Laureate in 1975 and also earned a National Book Award. He was known for his gentle and plain-spoken writing style, his encouragement of other writers, and for his advocacy of free expression in writing and speech.

A pacifist, Stafford was a conscientious objector during World War II. He was confined in Civilian Public Service work camps in Arkansas and California, where he did work for the U.S. Forest Service. For the following 50 years, Stafford included poems of pacifism and reconciliation in his readings.

Stafford believed that treasures were to be found beneath your feet, and that searching for things that fit together was to follow the "golden thread." About his own works, he once said, "I have woven a parachute out of everything broken."

He died of a heart attack in Lake Oswego, Oregon on August 28, 1993. He was 79.

For more information about A Stafford Celebration, contact the Waldport Public Library, 541-563-5880, or Drew Myron, event organizer, dcm@drewmyron.com.