POETRY NEWS: February 2012 Listings of readings and performances in the Poetry News only include events in the greater DC area (covering roughly the same area that the METRO public transit system covers), although we include a larger geographic region for listings of Competitions, Grants, Calls for Entries, Workshops, and Special Events (covering all of DC, MD, VA, WV, and DE). We try to be as complete and accurate as possible. Listing here does not constitute an endorsement, nor can we be responsible for changes and additions made after the first of the month. Please check with sponsors to confirm the accuracy of listings. To get an event or publication listed in the Beltway Poetry News, please send an email with full information (including a phone number) any time during the month prior for readings and new releases, and up to two months prior for Calls for Entries and Special Events. Send your news in the body of an email (no attachments) to beltway.poetry@juno.com. ANNOUNCEMENTS A fascinating new website, City of Words DC, documents quotations in the public realm in Washington, DC. Quotes are arranged by time period, writer, location, and theme, as well as on a map of the city. Edited by Jonathan Marino and James Anderson. http://www.cityofwordsdc.org. Joshua Gray has been running a series of profiles of DC poets at the DC Examiner. So far he has included profiles of Donna Lewis Cowan, Sandra Beasley, Jonathan Tucker, Miles David Moore, Gregory Luce, Yvette Neisser Moreno, Bernadette Geyer, and Christopher Conlon. http://www.examiner.com/poetry-in-washington-dc/joshua-gray. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring MD, which has long sponsored visual artists-in-residence, announces their first poet-in-residence, Anne Becker. http://www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org/.     IN MEMORIUM We extend condolences to the family and friends of Nancy Johnson, who died of ovarian cancer on January 3rd. Although she left the area for California, she will be well remembered for her poems of Washington published in Zoo and Cathedral (White Pine Press, 1996).     NEW RELEASES Moshe Dor, Scorched by the Sun, translated from the Hebrew by Barbara Goldberg and Moshe Dor (The Word Works) Piotr Gwiazda, Messages: Poems & Interview (Pond Road Press) Donald Illich, Rocket Children (chapbook, Donald Illich) Gregg Shapiro, Gregg Shapiro '77 (chapbook, Souvenir Spoon Books) Little Patuxent Review, Social Justice Issue, Winter 2012. Guest editor: Truth Thomas. Contributors include: JoAnn Balingit, Clarinda Harriss, Kathleen Hellen, Alan King, Michael Salcman. http://littlepatuxentreview.org/. The Washington Independent Review of Books, ed. David Stewart. Recent issues include poetry reviews by Grace Cavalieri, including her review of the new book by Clifford Bernier. http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/. COMPETITIONS, GRANTS and CALLS FOR ENTRY Humanities Council of Washington, DC grants to nonprofit groups for projects. Small grants (up to $1,500) deadline is March 9. Major grants ($1,501 to $5,000) preliminary applications due Feb. 10. http://www.wdchumanities.org/grants. Library of Virginia Literary Awards. Three prizes of $3,500 each for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year by writers born in or current residents of Virginia. Nonfiction books with a Virginia theme are also eligible. Submit 3 copies of a book published in 2011 with required entry form and SASE. No fee. Deadline: Feb. 10. http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/index.htm. Passager contest for writers over 50. Prize of $500 and publication for winner, runners up also published. Submit up to 5 poems of 35 lines or less with bio. $20 fee (payable to the University of Baltimore) includes 1-year subscription. Deadline: Feb. 15. Passager, University of Baltimore, 1420 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201. http://passagerpress.com. Patrick Henry Fellowship, Washington College, Chestertown, MD. Award with $45,000 stipend given annually to a writer of nonfiction working on a book that addresses the history or legacy of the American Revolution and the nation's founding ideas. The recipient teaches a one-semester undergraduate seminar and gives a public lecture related to his or her work-in-progress. Submit writing sample, project description, vitae, and the contact information of 3 references. No entry fee. Deadline: Feb. 15. http:.//starrcenter.washcoll.edu/fellows/index.php. The Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore is hosting a poetry contest, open to Maryland writers. Winners get publication in Little Patuxent Review and on a poster in the Central Library's show window for the month of April, plus a reading at Baltimore's CityLit Festival on April 14. Must be 18 or older. No fee to enter. Deadline: Feb. 21. http://www.prattlibrary.org/poetrycontest/. 29th Annual Larry Neal Writers' Awards, sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts. Prizes in poetry, short fiction, and drama, for adults (18 and up), teens (grades 9 to 12), and youth (grades 4 to 8). Cash awards range from $750 to $25 for nine winners. Two special prizes of $150 each also awarded to one teen and one youth winner who write on the theme of DC Emancipation Day: Celebrating Today's Freedoms. Deadline: February 27. Online submissions system. http://dcarts.dc.gov/DC/DCARTS/Events/Annual+Programming/Annual+Programming#3. The Delmarva Review seeks prose (up to 5,000 words) and poetry (up to 50 lines) for its fifth annual edition, published by the Eastern Shore Writers' Association. Deadline: Feb. 28. http://www.delmarvareview.com. Tidal Basin Review seeks poems, fiction, nonfiction and visual art for a special issue on "Cultural Pride." Seeking work that "boasts, praises, meditates upon, and complains about the culture (place, music, religion, food, clothing, etc.)" that informs the writer's sense of self and creative work. Deadline: Feb. 29. http://tidalbasinreview.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/calls-for-submissions-cultural-pride/. Little Patuxent Review seeks poetry and prose for their summer 2012 issue on the theme of "Audacity." Deadline: March 1. http://littlepatuxentreview.org/submissions/. 9th Annual Plan B Press Poetry Chapbook Contest. Prize of publication, $235, 50 copies. Judge: Robert Fitterman. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: March 1. http://planbpress.com/contest. Folio Fiction Contest judged by Alan Heathcock. Winner receives $500 and publication in the Spring 2012 issue of Folio. Two honorable mentions each receive $150. Blind format: include cover sheet with name, address, phone, email, and title. Short stories must be 5,000 words maximum and double-spaced. Multiple entries are okay, as long as a separate reading fee is included with each entry. Folio cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with American University. All entries must accompany a SASE. Reading fee $15 (payable to Folio), includes one-year subscription. Postmark Deadline March 5. Mail to: 2012 Fiction Contest, Folio, Department of Literature, American University, Washington, DC 20016. http://www.american.edu/cas/literature/folio/. The Word Works Washington Prize. $1,500 and publication for a poetry collection of 48 to 64 pages. Open to US and Canadian poets. $25 entry fee. March 15 deadline. http://www.wordworksbooks.org. So To Speak, a feminist journal of language and art at George Mason University, seeks submissions of poetry, nonfiction, and art for the Fall 2012 issue. Also currently reading for their annual fiction contest, judged by Ru Freeman. Deadline for both: March 15. http://sotospeakjournal.org/.   WORKSHOPS, EXHIBITIONS, AND SPECIAL EVENTS "Charles Dickens in the Cinema: A Bicentennial Retrospective," February 3 through April 9. Screen adaptations of David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Pickwick Papers. AFI Silver Theater, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD. Fees charged. Various showtimes. http://www.afi.com/silver/films/2012/v9i1/dickens.aspx. "Inspired by Gertrude Stein," workshop led by Karren L. Alenier, Saturday, February 4, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. This class will include an overview of Stein and her work, a tour of the exhibit "Insight & Identity: Contemporary Artists and Gertrude Stein," and writing exercises. Open to writers of all levels and genres. Fee: $50. Stanford in Washington Art Gallery, 2661 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC. Register by calling (301) 581-9439 or at http://wordworksbooks.org/. Panel discussion on DC Arts Funding, sponsored by DC Advocates for the Arts, Wednesday, February 8 at 6:00 pm. Panelists include Lionell Thomas, executive director of the DC Commission on the Arts, arts entrepreneur Andy Shallal, and Ward Two councilmember Jack Evans. Moderated by Rob Bettman. Free. Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Streets NW, DC. http://www.dcadvocatesforthearts.org. "Writing the Body," a poetry workshop for those who have experienced life-threatening or chronic illness, as patient, caregiver, or family member, led by Anne Becker. Five sessions (2/12, 2/26, 3/11, 3/25, and 4/15. $250 fee. Sundays, 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Held in Takoma Park, MD. For detailed information:: annebecker@bodywriting.org. "Words and Works: A Retreat for Poets," led by Susan Bucci-Mockler, Stanley Plumly, Rosemary Winslow, and Holly Karapetkova, February 17-19. Fees charged; includes accomodations and meals (vegetarian and vegan options available). Meadowkirk Retreat and Conference Center, Middleburg, VA. For more information, email smockler3@yahoo.com. http://www.Meadowkirk.org. Writing a Village workshop, Monday, Feb. 23, 7:00 to 9:30 pm, led by Anne Becker. Free monthly workshop open to poets of all levels of experience. Bring a poem and ten copies to share with the group. Takoma Park Community Center, Hydrangea Room, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, MD. Info: annebecker@bodywriting.org. Intersections: New America Arts Festival, February 23 - March 11, 2012. Concerts, dance, theater, spoken word. Various admission fees, some events free. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, DC. http://intersectionsdc.org/. "Fortune's Bones: the Manumission Requiem," Saturday February 25 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, February 26 at 3:00 pm. Text by Marilyn Nelson, music by Ysaye Barnwell. Based on Nelson's book about the slave, Fortune, whose bones became a medical specimen after his death. Cantata with full orchestra, two choirs, seven soloists and chorus of African bells. $40 Admission. University of Maryland, Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Dekelboum Concert Hall, College Park, MD. Saturday's performance includes a pre-performance discussion at 7:00 pm in Room 2200. http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2010/. Folger Shakespeare Library Acquisitions Night, Thursday, March 8 at 6:30 pm. Annual benefit for the acquisitions endowment. $100 Admission. http://www.folger.edu/acqnight. 52nd Annual Lex Allen Literary Festival, Saturday, March 10 from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Featuring readings by David Huddle, Katherine Vaz, and Natasha Trethewey. Free. Hollins University, Wetherill Visual Arts Center, Frances Niederer Auditorium, Room 200, Roanoke, VA. http://www.hollins.edu. "Walt Whitman and Civil War Washington," Tuesday, March 20 at 6:45 to 8:30 pm. Smithsonian Associates lecture, led by Kenneth Price. $35 fee. Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. DW, National Mall, DC. http://residentassociates.org/. 2012 Split This Rock Poetry Festival, March 22 through March 25, various locations in the U Street and Columbia Heights neighborhoods, DC. Readings, panels, workshops, youth events. $100 fee (some scholarships available, special rates for students). Featured poets include Homero Aridjis, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jose Padua, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Kim Roberts, Sonia Sanchez, Venus Thrash, Alice Walker. http://www.splitthisrock.org/.     AREA READINGS and PERFORMANCES Wednesday, February 1 at Noon Langston Hughes Birthday Celebration, with readings by Dolores Kendrick and Evie Shockley. Items from the Library's collection on Langston Hughes will be on display Free. Library of Congress, Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE, Capital Hill neighborhood, DC. (202) 707-5394. Wednesday. February 1 at 6:00 pm "Voices Out Loud: A Celebration of Bayard Rustin," with spoken word by Chris August, Regie Cabico, and Twain Dooley, plus film, personal remembrances, and multimedia from the Gandhi Youth Brigade. Sponsored by the Leadership Conference Education Fund and Split This Rock. Free. National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW, DC. (202) 787-5210. RSVP to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/215760. Thursday, February 2 at 7:00 pm HearArts Series: Yvette Neisser Moreno reads poetry, with music by the Columbia Recorder Quartet. Hosted by Philip Wexler. Free. VisArts Gallery, 155 Gibbs St, 2nd floor, Buchanan Room, Rockville Town Center, Rockville, MD. (240) 899-6514. Friday, February 3 at 8:00 pm Andrew Fogle, followed by open mic $5 Admission. DC Center, 1318 U St. NW, historic U Street neighborhood, DC. (202) 682-2245. Saturday, February 4 at 1:00 pm Mike Maggio reads from The Keepers Free. Lake Anne, 1623 Washington Plaza North, Reston, VA. (703) 435-9772. Saturday, February 4 at 4:00 pm "Inspired by Gertrude Stein" reading, hosted by Karren Alenier. Sponsored by The Word Works. Free. Stanford in Washington Art Gallery, 2661 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC. (301) 581-9439. Monday, February 6 at 7:00 pm Cafe Muse: Maryland Poets Association reading from the anthology Life in Me Like Grass on Fire: Love Poems, featuring Shirley Brewer, Frank Joseph, Danuta E. Kosk-Kosicka, Margaret Mullins, Fernando Quijano III, and Laura Shovan. Plus a tribute to Edward Weismiller. Hosted by Adele Steiner and Laura Golberg, with classical guitar by Michael Davis. Free. Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase, MD. (301) 656-2797. Monday, February 6 at 8:00 pm La-Ti-Do Series $10 Admission, includes one drink. The Black Fox, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW, Dupont Circle neighborhood, DC. (202) 483-1723. Monday, February 6 at 8:00 pm Beltway Poetry Slam presents: Women of the World Poetry Slam Qualifier, featuring Danny Fox-Moles, Natalie E. Illum, Candice Iloh, Angelique Palmer, and others $5 Admission. The Fridge, 516 8th St. SE, rear, Barracks Row neighborhood, DC. (202) 664-4151. Tuesday, February 7 at Noon Elizabeth Dowling Taylor discusses A Slave in the White House: Paul Jennings and the Madisons Free. Library of Congress, Mumford Room, 6th floor, Madison Building, DC. (202) 707-5221. Wednesday, February 8 at 7:00 pm the lowercase series: Volunteers from the 826DC youth workshops read Free. Big Bear Cafe, R and 1st Streets NW, Bloomingdale neighborhood, DC. (202) 470-5543. Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 pm Yusef Komunyakaa $15 Admission. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE, Capitol Hill neighborhood, DC. (202) 544-7077. Thursday, February 9 at 9:00 pm Nine on the Ninth Series: Jade Foster. Hosted by Derrick Weston Brown. $5 Admission. Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Streets NW, DC. (202) 387-POET. Thursday, February 9 at 8:00 pm Cheryl's Gone Series: Hosted by Wade Fletcher. Free. Big Bear Cafe, 1st and R Streets NW, DC. (202) 470-5543. Friday, February 10 at 8:00 pm Speakeasy DC presents: "Sucker for Love" Valentine Show, featuring Geraldine Buckley, Luis Contreras, Beth Flores, Mark Pagan, Alex Petri, Carol Scott, Anne Thomas, John Tong, and Travis Wright $20 Admission. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE, Brookland neighborhood, DC. (202) 269-1600. Friday, February 10 at 11:00 pm (doors open at 10:00) 11th Hour Poetry Slam $5 Admission. Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Streets NW, historic U Street neighborhood, DC. (202) 387-POET. Sunday, February 12 at 2:00 pm Open Door Series: Eric Denzenhall and Eric D. Goodman read fiction Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, MD (301) 654-8664. Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 pm Iota Series: Tarfia Faizullah and Mark Fitzgerald. Hosted by Miles David Moore. Free. Iota Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Clarendon neighborhood, Arlington, VA. (703) 256-9275. Sunday, February 12 at 7:30 pm An Evening of Poetry in Yiddish and English: readings by Zachary Sholem Berger and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, followed by discussion moderated by Miriam Isaacs $12 Admssion. Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16th St. NW, DC. (202) 882-1605. Sunday, February 12 at 8:15 pm Articles Press Hour: Hosted by Ethan Edwards Free. Iota Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Clarendon neighborhood, Arlington, VA. (703) 256-9275. Monday, February 13 at 8:00 pm mothertongue Anti-Valentine's Day Slam, hosted by Sarah D. Lawson $8 Admission. The Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW, DC. (202) 667-4490. Monday, February 13 at 8:00 pm La-Ti-Do Series $10 Admission, includes one drink. The Black Fox, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW, Dupont Circle neighborhood, DC. (202) 483-1723. Monday, February 13 at 8:30 pm The Garden Open Mic: Sandra Beasley $5 -10 suggested donation. Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW, Columbia Heights neighborhood, DC. (202) 567-7713. Tuesday, February 14 at 7:30 pm Contemporary Voices in German fiction: Erwin Uhrmann, Inka Parei, and Catalin Dorian Florescu in a bilingual reading, and discussion in English. Followed by reception Free. Austrian Embassy, 3524 International Ct. NW, DC. RSVP to: http://www.acfdc.org/events-registration. Wednesday, February 15 at 9:00 pm LOVE the Poet, followed by open mic. Hosted by Gowri Koneswaran. $5 Admission. Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St. NW, DC. (202) 789-2227. Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 pm "Shakespeare's Sisters": Rita Dove, Linda Gregerson, Elizabeth Nuñez, Jacqueline Osherow, Linda Pastan, and Jane Smiley $25 Admission. Folger Shakespeare Library, Old Reading Room, 201 E. Capitol St. SE, DC. (202) 544-4600. Thursday, February 16 at 7:30 pm Third Thursday Series: "Summer Becomes Absurd": The Poetry of Brendan Ogg, hosted by Michael Dirda with Kathleen Staudt Free. Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, MD. (301) 589-3717. Saturday, February 18 at 6:30 pm 10th Annual "The Poet in Progress" reading, hosted by Dolores Kendrick, sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts Free. Folger Shakespeare Library, Haskell Center, 301 E. Capitol St. SE, DC. (202) 724-5613. Sunday, February 19 at 2:00 pm Open Door Series: Marsha Coleman-Adebayo reads non-fiction Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, MD (301) 654-8664. Sunday, February 19 at 5:00 pm Sunday Kind of Love Series: Jehanne Dubrow and Becky Thompson. Hosted by Sarah Browning and Katy Richey $5 Admission. Busboys and Poets, Langston Room, 14th & V Streets NW, DC. (202) 387-POET. Monday, February 20 at 8:00 pm La-Ti-Do Series $10 Admission, includes one drink. The Black Fox, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW, Dupont Circle neighborhood, DC. (202) 483-1723. Wednesday, February 22 at 2:30 pm Clifford Bernier reads from The Silent Art Free. Miriam's Kitchen, Western Presbyterian Church, 2401 Virginia Ave. NW, DC. (202) 452-3926. Wednesday, February 22 at 7:00 pm Writers Here and Now Series: Catherine Barnett and Colm Toibin Free. University of Maryland, Tawes Hall, Ulrich Recital Hall, College Park, MD. (301) 405-3820. Thursday, February 23 at 6:30 pm "Time Shadows: Music," featuring poems in English, Mandarin, and German. The featured American poets are Brian Gilmore, Rod Jellema, Sunil Freeman, and Fred Joiner. The poets writing in Chinese are Xi Murong, Liao Waitang, Song Lin, and Yi Lei. The poets writing in German are Norbert Hummelt, Hans Raimund, Brigitte Struzyk, and Jutta Richer. Poets will participate in the reading in person or by telephone link. "Time Shadows" is presented by the Goethe-Institut with partners the Chinatown Community Cultural Center, the Confucius Institute at George Mason University, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Public Library. Reading followed by light reception. Free. Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh St. NW, Chinatown neighborhood, DC. RSVP to: rsvp@washington.goethe.org. Thursday, February 23 at 8:00 pm Speakeasy DC presents "Born This Way: Stories About Queer Culture in America" $20 Admission ($12 students). Intersections New America Arts Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab One, 1333 H St. NE, DC. (202) 399-7993. Friday, February 24 at 9:30 pm "Read: White and Blue," presented by the hip-hop theater duo The Hueman Prophets $15 Admission. Intersections New America Arts Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab Two, 1333 H St. NE, DC. (202) 399-7993. Saturday, February 25 at 3:00 pm "Lyrical Rhythms: The Sounds of Freedom," open mic for poems on the themes of slavery, freedom, the underground railroad, the civil war, and Uncle Tom's Cabin. Poets ages 14 and up can sign up for a 3-minute slot. Followed by reception. Free. Josiah Henson Special Park, 11420 Old Georgetown Rd., North Bethesda, MD (301) 650-4373. Saturday, February 25 at 5:30 pm "...And Bid Him Sing": A reading by poet-educators from the Folger Shakespeare Library: Sarah Browning, Joel Dias-Porter, Sami Miranda, Kim Roberts. Introduced by Teri Cross Davis. $5 Admission. Intersections New America Arts Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab One, 1333 H St. NE, DC. (202) 399-7993. Saturday, February 25 at 7:00 pm Speakeasy DC presents "Born This Way: Stories About Queer Culture in America" $20 Admission ($12 students). Intersections New America Arts Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab One, 1333 H St. NE, DC. (202) 399-7993. Saturday, February 25 at 7:00 pm Ruthless Grip Series: Elaine Kahn, and Heather Christie Free. Black Fox Lounge, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW, Dupont Circle neighborhood, DC. (202) 483-1723. Sunday, February 26 at 2:00 pm "Read: White and Blue," presented by the hip-hop theater duo The Hueman Prophets $15 Admission. Intersections New America Arts Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab Two, 1333 H St. NE, DC. (202) 399-7993. Sunday, February 26 at 2:00 pm Open Door Series: Laura Ellen Scott and Matthew Norman read fiction Free. The Writers Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, MD (301) 654-8664. Monday, February 27 at 7:00 pm Clifford Bernier performs with musicians Mike Gillespie, Geoff Reecer, James King, and Nasar Abadey. $25 Admission. Vicino's, 959 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring, MD. (202) 290-0107 or (202) 726-6515. Monday, February 27 at 8:00 pm La-Ti-Do Series $10 Admission, includes one drink. The Black Fox, 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW, Dupont Circle neighborhood, DC. (202) 483-1723. Monday, February 27 at 8:30 pm The Garden Open Mic: Caroline Rothstein $5 -10 suggested donation. Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW, Columbia Heights neighborhood, DC. (202) 567-7713. Wednesday, February 29 at 7:00 pm Perry Epes and Kathi Morrison-Taylor Free. Kensington Row Bookshop, 3786 Howard Ave., Kensington, MD. (301) 949-9416.     PLEASE NOTE: Open mic events are not listed on this page. Please see our full listing of Reading Series for more information.