Maine Humanities Council

One of the highlights of each 10-day residency in the Stonecoast MFA program is the “flash reading” by faculty members. Each writer gets three minutes in which to share his or her work before introducing the next writer in the queue.

The flash reading from the winter residency in January 2009 began with Jaed Coffin reading an excerpt from his memoir, A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants. The next reader was David Durham, who read from his forthcoming novel The Other Land. Annie Finch shared one poem from her collection Calendars, and another from her new manuscript, American Witch. Poet Jeffrey Harrison read “Ivan Ilyich at the Lake” and “Shaking Off the Snow.” This reading continues in the next episode of the podcast.

 

 Jaed Coffin [4:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (208)

 

 David Durham [4:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (125)

 

 Annie Finch [5:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (126)

 

 Jeffrey Harrison [4:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (124)

Patricia Hagge and Annie Finch opened the library’s 2008 Poetry Festival with this reading. Hagge earned her MFA from the Stonecoast MFA program. She serves on the boards of SPACE Gallery and The Telling Room. Finch, who directs the Stonecoast program, is a professor of English at the University of Southern Maine.

This reading was part of the Portland Public Library’s Poetry Festival in April, 2008. We welcome your feedback on this Poetry Festival events.

 

 Annie Finch and Patricia Hagge [45:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (244)

One of the highlights of each 10-day residency in the Stonecoast MFA program is the “flash reading” by faculty members. Each writer gets three minutes in which to share his or her work before introducing the next writer in the queue.

Here are five flash readings by Stonecoast poetry faculty, all recorded at the January 2008 Winter Residency. The first is Annie Finch, director of the Stonecoast MFA program, reading two poems: “Esbat” and “Moon from the Porch.” More of Annie’s poems are available in audio format at From the Fishouse. Then Lesléa Newman, whose web page consists of excerpts and information on her writing for both adults and children, reads a poem called “Mugged.” Timothy Seibles reads three pieces: “Edge,” “Booty-full,” and “Alison Wolf.” Baron Wormser, whose website, Teach Poetry, includes an archive of his work and several audio recordings of poems from his 2005 chapbook, Carthage, reads “A Visitation: 1968.” Finally, Ted Deppe, director of the Stonecoast program in Ireland, reads his poem “Phone Call from Finland.”

 

 Annie Finch [4:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (160)

 

 Lesléa Newman [3:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (78)

 

 Timothy Seibles [9:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (75)

 

 Baron Wormser [4:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (75)

 

 Ted Deppe [4:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (78)

Maine poets Annie Finch and Baron Wormser led students and fellow Stonecoast faculty members in this wide-ranging conversation about the place of poetry. They based their discussion on two books: The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde and The Song of the Earth by Jonathan Bate.

This workshop took place in Freeport, Maine, during the winter residency of the Stonecoast MFA program in January, 2008. Stonecoast is the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at the University of Southern Maine. We welcome your feedback.

 

 The Place of Poetry [67:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (524)