Apr 26, 2013 — Our guest is George Bilgere, author of The White Museum, Haywire, The Good Kiss and other collections of poetry. A new collection, Imperial, is due out this fall from University of Pittsburgh Press.

He is probably best known to the public radio audience through his frequent (37 times) contributions to The Writer's Almanac, through his 2011 appearance on A Prairie Home Companion, or through his own radio program Wordplay, an offbeat mix of poetry, comedy, and an ongoing exploration of the possibilities of the spoken word. Ellen Rocco and Dale Hobson host.  Go to full article

Dec 18, 2012 — North Country visual artist and sculptor Becky Harblin included her poetry in a recent exhibit at the St. Lawrence County Arts Council in Potsdam. At the opening, poet and publisher Albert Glover asked if he could publish the poems. The result of their collaboration is a slim book of poetry titled, Eating the Bread of this World. Our book reviewer, Betsy Kepes, talks with Becky Harblin about her new book.  Go to full article

Paul Smiths, NY, Aug 20, 2012 — Poetry is one of the ways we've learned to think and talk about the natural world. In the United States writers like Emerson, Dickinson and Frost have shaped the language we bring to nature and wildness.

But largely missing from that tradition and conversation is the poetry of African-American writers. For the better part of a century, black writing has been seen reflexively as an urban expression, rooted in the life of cities. Now some African-American writers and editors are trying to change that, arguing that new words and points of view can broaden the language of nature.  Go to full article

Upper Jay, NY, Jun 14, 2012 — A writer from Lake Placid has published a new collection of poetry that draws its characters and themes from a legendary theme park in Upper Jay. Caitlin Scholl's second book, "Makebelieve," was released earlier this year by UNO Press as part of the company's Contemporary Poetry Series.

The book was released not long after Tropical Storm Irene destroyed the last standing structures of Arto Monaco's Land of Makebelieve. The pages of Scholl's poetry collection include images of the theme park, and one of the narrative's characters, Art Mastro, is based in large part on Monaco himself.

Chris Morris caught up with Scholl to tour what remains of Monaco's fantasy world and talk about how it inspires her as a poet and artist.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Apr 25, 2012 — April is National Poetry Month.

Last week the Adirondack Center for Writing brought three poets from New York City and Chicago to the Saranac Lake Campus of North Country Community College for an evening of performance poetry. Performance poetry isn't a poetry slam, necessarily, and it's not a poetry reading, either. There's nothing like the energy in a room when a performance poet is up there--in famous performance poetry venues like the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe and the Bowery Poetry club, it's common practice for the audience to react during the performance, calling out, or clapping. But even here in the North Country, where the audience tends to stay in their seats, the atmosphere was electric. These three poets were on.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Mar 21, 2012 — Our guest, Joanie Mackowski, teaches at Cornell University and is visiting Canton as part of the St. Lawrence University Writers Series. Her poetry collections include the award-winning View From a Temporary Window and The Zoo. Her third collection of poems, in progress, explores lyric poetry from an ecocritical vantage point. Ellen Rocco, Sarah Barber and Dale Hobson host.

The author will give a reading Thu., March 22 at 7:30 pm in the Sykes Common Room on the campus of St. Lawrence University, Canton NY.  Go to full article

Wolcott, VT, Feb 15, 2012 — In his new book, Happy Life, Vermont poet David Budbill uses the ancient Chinese poets as inspiration. Our book reviewer, Betsy Kepes, reflects on Budbill's reflections.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Dec 09, 2011 — William Luce's one-woman play celebrating the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson, The Belle of Amherst, will be presented in a special performance benefiting residents of the Town of Jay who experienced the devastating effects of Tropical Storm Irene this summer. The one-woman show will be performed Saturday night (7 pm) at BluSeed Studios in Saranac Lake. Todd Moe talks with Jay actress Kathleen Recchia, who reprises her role as Dickinson for this special performance, about the show and clean-up efforts that still continue this month.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Nov 30, 2011 — Our guest, Kevin Young, is one a new generation of poets who find inspiration in the bittersweet history of Black America. Among his many books of poetry: Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels, Dear Darkness and For the Confederate Dead. Dale Hobson and Jackie Sauter host, along with guest Sarah Barber.

Kevin Young appears as part of the St. Lawrence University Writers Series. He will give a reading on the St. Lawrence University campus in Canton, NY, Thursday, December 1 at 8 pm in the Sykes Common Room.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Sep 16, 2011 — Three Saratoga area women won their third award this year from the Adirondack Center for Writing for a book of poetry. They'll share their thoughts and words tonight (7:00pm) at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.

Elaine Handley, Marilyn McCabe and Mary Sanders Shartle began working together at the Saratoga Springs Public Library coffee shop in the late 90's, and realized that even in sharing common themes their three voices were very different yet compatible.

In a phone conversation with Todd Moe, they each shared a poem from their latest chapbook, Tear of the Clouds. Elaine Handley says the idea of writing poems about life in the North Country was a logical next step for all three poets.  Go to full article