- UPCOMING EVENTS
- RECENT PUBLICATIONS
–Two poems, “Rumex” and “Weed Eater” in POET LORE, Vol. 114, No. 1/2 Spring/Summer 2019.
–A review, “Yet Again, the Traditional Charm” of new poetry books by Christian Barter, David Gewanter and Marie Howe, in POET LORE, Vol. 113 Number 3/4. Fall/Winter 2018.
–An interview about translating Jean Cocteau’s GRACE NOTES/APPOGIATURES, with hot tidbits about the French virtuoso. Best American Poetry blog.
–A poem “Sea Anemone,” in POETRY SOUTH 2017, issue 9.
–An essay, “Pocket-sized Power: Insurgent Ferment and the Chapbook,” in POET LORE, Spring-Summer 2017.
–A poem, “The Plot” in RHINO 2017.
–Poems from Grace Notes (Appogiatures) by Jean Cocteau in Eleven Eleven Issue 22. Spring 2017
–“Henge,” a poem for Anne Truitt in the Virtual Salon Winter 2017 issue of Beltway Poetry Quarterly.
–Poems from Grace Notes (Appogiatures) by Jean Cocteau in Waxwing, Winter 2016.
–“The First Time Is the Charm,” a review of first books by Rosalynde Vas Dias, Yona Harvey, and Robert Thomas, in Poet Lore Vol. 110, No. 1/2, Spring-Summer 2015.
–Poems from “Kilroy,” in Graffiti Calculus, in Beltway Poetry Quarterly Vol 16:2, Spring 2015.
–“Eye Opener,” “Believe You Me,” “As If”, and “Luck” in Fledgling Rag, Issue 14. Spring 2015.
–“Emily’s Pocket,” an essay in Writing Lessons, The American Scholar, Spring 2014.
–“Tryst” in District Lines, Vol. II, an Anthology of Original Local Work. Politics & Prose Bookstore, Summer 2014.
–“Self Spending” in The Southern Poetry Review. Spring 2014, 52:1
–two poems, #5 and #6 from Graffiti Calculus in the blog Intersections: Poetry With Mathematics.
–“On The Grind,” a blog post in the WriterHouse blog.
–a poem, “A Door, A Mat” in Gargoyle #60.
–an excerpt from Graffiti Calculus, “Kilroy,” in The Cortland Review.
–an excerpt from the forthcoming Graffiti Calculus, “The Phenomenology of the Name,” in Southern Poetry Review 50:1. http://www.southernpoetryreview.org/
–Two poems, “Terminal” and “The Square Nest”, and an essay review, “If I Say So: Truth-Telling and Documentary Poetry” in Poet Lore 107: 1/2.
–A poem “Thrifty” in the Spring 2011 Southern Poetry Review
–A poem “Miracle” in Beltway Poetry Quarterly’s “Mapping the City: DC Places Part II”
–Three poems in the Southern Poetry Review 46:1, “Tree of Heaven,” “Doing the Laundry,” and “Reading Lesson.”
–A review of David Baker’s collection Midwest Eclogue appeared in Poet Lore Spring/Summer 2008. This poet brings the Virgilian pastoral poem to the 21st C suburban Midwest.
–A short story, “Dogs Will Be Dogs,” in Electric Grace, edited by Richard Peabody (Paycock Press 2007). Set in Washington DC, this dog park drama pits a diplomat’s widow against the owner of a rowdy Jack Russell terrier.
–A poem, “The Oldest Daughter and the Youngest Son” in Shenandoah Spring 2007.
–Three poems, “Spring Break,” “Habit,” and “Contortionist,” appeared in the Spring 2007 Iowa Review.
–A poem “The Vine” in Not What I Expected, The Unpredictable Road from Womanhood to Motherhood (Paycock Press 2007).
Also in Family Pictures edited by Kwame Alexander (Capital BookFest 2007)
–Four poems, “Skating Upriver,” “The Laughter of Women,” “A Wedding in Maine,” and “Ring Effect” in The Hudson Review, Autumn 2007.
Also, “Laughter of Women” in Ted Kooser’s poetry column, “American Life in Poetry.”
–“Translations from the Margins,” a review of Irish poet Peter Sirr’s Selected Poems (Wake Forest University Press 2005), in Poet Lore Spring/Summer 2006.
Also, the poem “Tracking” in Poet Lore Fall/Winter 2006.
WHERE I WAS
—Thursday, March 22, 2018, reading at the Virginia Festival of the Book with Christina Pugh and Tom Sleigh, Charlottesville, VA. New Dominion Bookshop, 2 p.m.
—Thursday March 8, 2018, “The Poem As Passionate Investigator: A Reading,” with David Gewanter, Peter Balakian, and Joshua Weiner. AWP Convention, Tampa Convention Center, Room 7, 8 & 9, 1st floor. 3-4:15 p.m.
–Friday, January 12, 2018, read and talk at Rapp at Home, Old Washington School, Washington VA. 10:30 a.m. See www.rappathome.org
–December 10, 2017, read with David Bristol, at FireFlies 1501 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria VA. 8 p.m.
—November 13, 2017, read from Grace Notes at the Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street, NYC NY 10014. 6 p.m.
—November 2, 2017, read from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at the Alliance Française, 2142 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008. 7 p.m.
—October 29, 2017, Wally Sunday, reading with Wendell Hawkin and Daniel Jenkins. Home of Susan Okie: 7941 Deepwell Drive, Bethesda MD 20817 (off River Road exit of the Beltway). 3 p.m.
October 22, 2017, read from Grace Notes / Appogiatures by Jean Cocteau at the Hudson Valley Writers Center 300 Riverside Drive, Sleepy Hollow NY. With Karren Alenier and Nancy White of Word Works Press. 4:40 p.m. Free
August 22, 2017: Read from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at Bryant Park Poetry, NYC, 7 p.m. Free.
August 21, 2017: Read from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at Cafe Muse. 4433 S. Park Ave., Bethesda, MD, 7:30 p.m. Free.
July 12, 2017: Read from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at the Northeast Harbor Library, Mellon Room, 1 Joy Rd, Northeast Harbor, Mount Desert Island, ME. With Gary Rainford and Skip Stevens, and Christian Barter MC. 5:30 p.m. Free
April 17, 2017: Introduce Jane Hirshfield at the Folger Shakespeare Library’s O.B. Hardison Poetry series. 7:30 p.m. $15
April 8, 2017: read from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at Central Coffee Roasters’ National Poetry Month Reading Series 11836 Lee Hywy, Sperryville VA 22740, 6:30 pm. $10 suggested contribution.
March 2017: Travel to NYU/Shanghai, China, to discuss Jean Cocteau, Grace Notes and translation with the fabulous Regie Cabico. On March 2, Poetry Slam judging at 6:30 p.m. On March 3, Lunchtime workshop on prose poetry, Federico Garcìa Lorca and duende at 12:30 p.m.; Bilingual reading from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at 6:30 p.m.
February 8-12, 2017: a panel, two readings, a book launch, and books for sale at the AWP Conference in Washington DC. February 8 at 5:30 p.m. read from Grace Notes by Jean Cocteau at Walls of Books, 3325 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington DC 20010. On February 9, book signing at The Word Works table #866 at 10:30 a.m.; read from Graffiti Calculus at Embassy Suites Hotel at 6 p.m. On February 10 at 4:30 p.m., panel on “Writing Neighborhoods: (Re)Creating the Places We Live,” in Liberty Salon M.
12/20/15 Sunday: Busboys and Poets 10th Anniversary “Sunday Kind of Love” Reading. 14th St and V NW, Washington DC. 5 pm
6/7/2015 Saturday: Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda MD with the authors in Fledgling Rag magazine, including Le Hinton, Hiram Larew and Abdul Ali. 2 PM
3/21/2015 Saturday: Old Dominion Bookstore 404 E Main St., Charlottesville VA 22902, with Kate Young and Patrick Phillips, moderated by Dana Roeser. For the Virginia Festival of the Book.
4/9-11 Thursday-Saturday: AWP in Minneapolis MN. At the WordTech table (1830) on 4/10 1-3 pm; at the Warren Wilson Program for Writers table on 4/9 11-12 pm and 4/11 12-1 pm. Off-site reading Westminster Presbyterian Church 4/10 6 pm.
10/11/14 Evil Grin Poetry Series, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, at Ahh Coffee, 1015 Bay Ridge Ave, Annapolis MD. Free
7/22/2014 Tuesday 9 am. “Poetry in the Streets” Coffee and Conversation with Candice Stover, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME.
6/21/2014 Saturday. District Lines reading, Politics & Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008.
5/11/14, Sunday 6 pm, with Melissa A. Tuckey. Iota Poetry Series, 2832 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA
4/26/2014 Saturday 1-4 pm. Seminar on the poem sequence at WriterHouse. 508 Dale Ave, Charlottesville VA 22902
2/2/13, Monday, 7 pm, with novelist Harvor Aahkus. Cafe Muse, Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Ave, Chevy Chase MD. http://www.wordworksdc.com/cafe_muse.html
12/10/13, Tuesday, 6:30 pm, book party at Leslie and Andrew Cockburn, 3127 N St NW, Washington DC 20007
12/14/13, Saturday, 6:30 pm, launch book party at Casa Phoenix, 1307 Corcoran St NW, Washington DC 20009. 202-297-5883
1/16/14, Thursday, 7:30 pm, with poets David Ebenbach, Donald Illich, Riggin Waugh. Takoma Park “Third Thursday” Poetry Series, Takoma Park Civic Center, 7500 Maple Ave, Takoma Park MD 20912. http://takomaparkmd.gov/arts/poetry
2/26-28/14, AWP Writer’s Conference in Seattle WA. A panel on the future of the book, “Return to the Future: Reinventing the Book” with Katherine McNamara, Susan Taylor Chehak, Katherine Young, and Brenna Humphreys (Friday 2/28/14 at 10:30 am). Also, reading from Graffiti Calculus with other WordTech authors.
3/16/14, Sunday, 5-7 pm. Busboys and Poets Sunday Kind of Love, 14th and V St NW, Washington DC. http://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/event/sunday-kind-of-love
Friday, 10 May 2013, 8 pm: RAAC Second Friday at the Rappahannock Library.
Thursday, 18 April 2013, 5-6:15 pm: George Washington University, Jenny II Reading with Joe Martin and Jessica Garratt.
Sunday, 24 March 2013, 1 pm: Virginia Festival of the Book, a panel moderated by Kevin McFadden, “The Codex Is Not the Only Book.” http://www.vabook.org/site13/program/details.php?eventID=185
Sunday, 10 February 2013, 7 pm, at WriterHouse, with Katherine McNamara, 508 Dale Avenue, Charlottesville VA 22903. WriterHouse
Monday, December 10, 2012, 6-8pm, launch and reading from Caveboy with Katherine McNamara (Artist’s Proof Editions) at the Addison/Ripley Gallery, 1670 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20007. Addison/Ripley Fine Arts
Saturday October 6, 2012, Indie Lit Festival at Frostburg State University, with Katherine McNamara and Artist’s Proof Editions. http://www.frostburg.edu/cwcenter/indie-lit-festival/Saturday, 21 April 2012, 2pm
–with John Barkowski
The Writer’s Center, to celebrate POET LORE‘s birthday and latest issue
4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda MD 20815
http://www.writer.org/page.aspx?pid=299&cid=1&ceid=514&cerid=0&cdt=4%2f21%2f2012
Saturday, 20 August 2011, 7pm
–with Steve Lautermilch
Shenandoah Arts Council Gallery
811 South Loundon St, Winchester VA 22601
540-667-5166
http://www.shenarts.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11:performances&Itemid=21
Tuesday, 7 December 2010, noon
Poetry at Noon “Decade One.” Lucille Lang Day, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie and Mary-Sherman Willis reflect on our lives in the first decade of the 21st century. Audience members will have an opportunity to share their reflections during a brief period after the reading. Noon- 1 p.m., Whittall Pavilion, Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, SE, Washington, DC 20540.
MARY-SHERMAN WILLIS 