a poetry reading for the release of "the sexuality poems" by foothills publishing.

toward the end of march, liz stanley and i made our way, highway-bound, northwest to corning, new york, for a poetry reading as a book release and celebration for the sexuality poems by foothills publishing in collaboration with the gallery @ the ARTS council of the southern finger lakes. liz and i were two people from our region in southeastern pennsylvania who were published in this book, and we're also members of berks bards.

171 cedar arts center hosted the poetry reading which had more than 60 people in its audience. we were thrilled to see so many people there as supporters and fellow poets all in one place.

before the reading, many of us met at hand and foot, a restaurant and bar establishment with plenty of pretty visuals in the front window scenery. i ordered fried pickles, as i do anytime i find them on a menu. these were tiny sweet gherkin bites, though, not a more sour-oriented, typical kind.

we write on money sometimes when it's for the greater good.

i hunted fiercely for postcards, and the source served as one place which had some, as did the visitors' center run by the chamber of commerce. i wish i had thought to photograph my plentiful pile of postcards before i mailed them. i don't travel far often, but when i do, postcards are always the first thing on my mind. i probably bought 20+ of them, at least.

we didn't make it downtown in time for the exhibit which matched the theme of the poetry reading, but we enjoyed noticing the unexpected critter on the upper thigh in the poster of the painting to advertise the show. look closely. ohhh symbolism and half-jokes.

and then here are more glimpses of the poetry reading again. in this first eye-scene is michael czarnecki who published the book with so many different people's poetic voices in action. he is also the publisher for several berks county poets and my three-year poetry project on manufacturing history of berks county. we are lucky michael and his wife carolyn have their hearts as deeply into pages of poetry as they do !

we would have loved more sunshine and a little less rain while we were in town, but all things considered, we were grateful for our stay and the escapade made possibly by poetry.

a lecture at albright college: Q&A about being a professional writer, interviewer, poet, blogger, etc.

in late march, i visited albright college to speak about what it's like to be a professional writer but also the less directly named yet implied job title of interviewer. and then journalist, poet, editor, publisher, blogger, and recorder of narratives. i'll credit that listing to marian wolbers who teaches english at the college and kindly set up this venture as an experience event on the campus.

ezra ali dow kindly helped with photography, and i believe i told him when i met him that his name is poetry. if i didn't, he'll learn it when he glimpses these scenes and these paragraphs. ezra runs the literary publication on campus as well as an almost unheard of two open mics monthly. that is a lot when are juggling a college workload.

talks of and questions about working with editors, pitching article ideas, tying in photography as a skill, how being good with deadlines can make or break the possibility of new assignments, the importance of keeping the ego out of interviewing, how to get editors to pay attention to you, and so much more came across during the evening. all good points to get out in the open. i loved the enthusiastic inquiries of the students. and i felt proud to remind them that they need to remember to believe in themselves and be the go-getters in this world. this is becoming more and more crucial as our society (and others across the globe) and its systems shift, bump around, and endure a lot of often far from easy factors across being human.

abyss poems, grocery store poems, and snow in unexpected times poems.

below: a parade of scenes from traveling poetry classes in march and april 2017.

( abyss poems )

( grocery store poems )

 ( snow in unexpected times poems ) 

i'm not sure that we had time to capture any eye-scenes during parking lot poems as a focus, but that was a fun day, i recall. eeeep. here is what we had as an original inspiration.

traveling poetry classes in may 2017 @ the peppermint stick candy store in boyertown & the schuylkill river in pottstown.

since  the other farm brewing company in boyertown will still be closed for renovations from mid-march through may 2017, and we've tested out a few different locations in the less-warm days of spring so far, we are finally ready to pick some more class locations for may, inside but also out in the persuasion of trees.

our first outing in may will be at the peppermint stick candy store in boyertown, and the next one will be at our cherished, hidden away spot along the schuylkill river in pottstown. for the river, we'll be meeting in the parking lot first. and it thankfully has plenty of spots. so candy shops and then the river will be our may themes of focus.

as always, writing poems about other topics, or just observing and commenting on poetry in class, not necessarily writing any to share, is perfectly fine, too. and as usual, people are welcome to attend regularly or just once in a while, when they are in the mood for some good old poetry-hugging heart-wise.

next classes--

when: sunday, may 7 @ 1 p.m. & sunday, may 21 @ 1 p.m.

where: 26 east philadelphia avenue, boyertown, pa 19512 for may 7; 140 college drive, pottstown, pa 19464 for may 21

optional themes of focus:

• sunday, may 7--  candy shop poems
• sunday, may 21-- river poems

if we have oddly inconvenient weather before or during set classes, i will update those who RSVPed to classes in advance to let them know if we are canceling or rescheduling.  

cost: $20 per student, per class (we usually meet for 2 hours or more)

if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at poetrywithjenniferhetrick at yahoo dot com. 

and if you know anyone who may be interested in our class, feel free to share this blog content onward.

the boyertown area times shares the good word of children's poetry day at studio b on sunday, april 23, 2017.

thank you to the boyertown area times for sharing word of our children's poetry day at studio b in boyertown on sunday, april 23 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

we are extending the deadline for RSVPs for kiddos up until the day before the event, so hopefully we can get even more children involved. please spread the word.

see more about the event on the facebook page for studio b.

community poetry one picture at a time in the spring 2017 issue of the key.

community poetry one picture at a time: spring 2017

by jennifer hetrick

this is an online version of what is in print in the positive local news publication called the key in berks county, pennsylvania. it is now reaching into other counties, too. the online version of this content includes all submitted poems for the pig poems prompt.

in the last issue, we launched community poetry one picture at a time. we received several poems to match the springtime theme of three little pigs and their behinds. i photographed these oinking-types several years ago while doing an interview for lancaster farming at eckerton hill farm in rockland township—it is largely specialized in heirloom tomatoes but has other crops growing in its fields, too.

enjoy the freshly submitted poems below.

three charming pigs by jennifer hetrick
@ eckerton hill farm in fleetwood, berks county

PIG LATIN

By Evelyn Aurand 

Wernersville

Rigity jig, rigity jig,

Out in the garden I see they're three pigs.

Together they're sharing a fresh air snack.

We can't see their fronts, only their backs.

Rigity jig, rigity jig,

Their tails are curled up, they are real happy pigs!

Pigs with straight tails are the serious kind

with oinks, grunts and snorts in mind.

Rigity jig, rigity jig,

Out in the garden I see they're three pigs.

*

Pigging Out

By Martha Ressler

Hamburg

Hello little piggie,

Curly tail, butt so dirty.

Can't see your snout

Scarfing up your takeout.

*

Finding Beauty

By Virginia McNamara

Pottstown

I will gladly go into the wilds

to see an eagle soar, to watch her

defy gravity with dignity and grace.

Or wait patiently for a humpback whale

to rise majestically from a deep blue sea, 

knowing that my spirit will rise with her. 

I will even slow my car to see

contented cows graze in a pasture, 

creating calm in a world of chaos.

But is there any beauty in a pig

that is worthy of an adventure?

I think not. And yet I travel

to an island in the Bahamas, 

to sit skeptically in a small boat, 

waiting for pigs to paddle toward me

through transparent turquoise 

water, wondering if they will open

a dormant corner of my heart.

With skinny legs so unsuited to the task, 

they swim from shore to astonish me. To say, 

with their eyes and with their grunts,

"Look at me! My ancestors survived

a shipwreck and swam to safety!

And here I am!"

To ask without pride, 

but brimming with delight,

"Did you bring me a treat?"

*

On a Hillside in March

By Janice Meindl

Douglassville

3 little tooshes sharing slop

Squiggly tails their hallmark

On a hillside in March.

Pink piggly happy butts,

Do they know the

Wonder they inspire?

Side by side we see them

Grow. But, do they know,

they should mourn this day.

3 piglets take their place

The table is set,

and destiny is served.

Hotdogs, Ham, and Bacon.

Three squiggly tails

Once, on a Hillside in March.

*

your tails remind me of tales

by jennifer hetrick

boyertown

they say one of you went to market.

perhaps shopping, i hope, not to be

someone else’s dinner, but maybe.

one of you apparently stayed home.

another enjoyed some deli-cut kind

of roast beef sandwich. and that 

one ate it in front of another of you

who had to watch the whole episode

and get not even a solitary, slight bite,

probably hungry and wishing slop

were in a trough nearby. i don’t

blame that belly-crying pig even

a single bit. to eat a meaty meal

in front of a fellow famished pig

seems mildly cruel. a boy named

blake whose family has the cemetery’s 

quietest folks as neighbors once 

counted most of you on his toes 

for me after i came down the hill 

in the dark, my dog at my side, his 

momma my old neighbor from girlhood

days. we sat in the grass of his backyard, 

below those graves i spent prevening 

with as i soaked in the sunset in silence,

and by the fifth of you, he lost his

words, excitedly tickling up my leg,

laughing up a storm as if comedy

pulsed through his young blood.

kid-speak doesn’t always pan

out into full sentences, but he loved

to count you, or to try to, and to use

his tiny fingers to talk about toes.

*

and here is the picture and sample poem for the next issue’s theme, taken along fourth street in boyertown one summer ago. send your poems inspired by this streetside garden picture as early as you like!

the sun-faced party by jennifer hetrick

mid-reach skyward

by jennifer hetrick

we wait for your blooms, 

coreopsis, knowing they

are in the spring stages

of their science as we

remember how you cup 

sun in your petals, softer

than most of us are used

to because this life we

live is often a rough

one. digging fingertips

into soil, we notice our

insides readjust, start

to realign at least just

a smidgen when we are

in the moments of lightly

forgiving ourselves, one

inch of DNA at a time,

as we garden. blossoms

nudge us to be a little

less hard on ourselves.

*

readers are welcome to submit one original poem which they write about this photograph. i will publish all poems on my blog and facebook page. the key will publish as many poems as feasibly fit into the layout for this new feature in each latest issue. 

submitted poems can be written in any form or style.

include your poem’s title, your name, and your town of residence.

the deadline for submissions is monday, may 1, 2017. (we may be able to take submissions beyond that, and i can always post anything online later, so don't worry too much if you are close to the deadline or just after it.)

edit: this deadline has been extended to friday, may 12, 2017, but poems are happily welcome sooner than that !

send your poems to poetrywithjenniferhetrick@yahoo.com or thekeyofberks@gmail.com.

to see all poems published online, visit—

blog: http://poetrywithjenniferhetrick.blogspot.com

facebook: poetry with jennifer hetrick

*

bonus—one local poet, of berks bards fame, submitted a poem to match the first sample poem in wintertime.

icy fence by jennifer hetrick

Core Valued

By Marilyn L.T. Klimcho

Reading

An old board fence

Frosted

But upright, sturdy and

About its lonely vigil

Its wood screws

Still as tight 

As the day the

Workmen pocketed levels

And drove away.

The dog it corrals

Should be so loyal

So diligent and this

Despite the daffodils

Secreted at the fence’s feet

Waiting just a few more days

To put green spear points

To dark earth.

Their white roots already

Disturbing the footing

At the corner post

With underground caresses.

This fence of milled

Wood and single purpose

Endures the shudder

That runs the length of

Its timber joints

Each time the gate

Opens and closes

Opens and closes

It will never explore

It will never opinionate

You may lean upon it at will

And it will not give way 

To persuasion.

Its only companion

Is the frost, willing

To conform, willing to stand

The dawn watch during

The last reaches 

Of winter duty.