Language is plastic, so it's always building, it's always expanding. It always can be made to accommodate new ideas. - Nicole Terez Dutton On the Mass Cultural Council's Creative Minds Out Loud podcast, Nicole Terez Dutton (Poetry Finalist '20) discusses how she has used poetry to connect with community as a poet, teacher, editor, and the inaugural Poet Laureate of the … [Read more...]
Alexis Ivy: What Counts
Alexis Ivy (Poetry Fellow '18) can't get away from poetry. It informs her work in social justice, working with homeless populations. Even when she writes in different literary forms, the focus and specificity of poetry carries over. In this audio clip, Ivy reads her poem Taking the Homeless Census. She also discusses the poem's origin as well as the way creativity, social … [Read more...]
Anna VQ Ross: Poetry in an Apprehensive Climate
Anna VQ Ross (Poetry Fellow '18) writes poems that confront our current climate of apprehension and disconnection in an effort "to pierce it and understand it." In this audio clip, Ross reads her poem Almost a Mothering. She also discusses the poem's origin as well as the questions that drive her work. (Though Mass Cultural Council interviewed her long before the COVID-19 … [Read more...]
New Work New England
The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) has announced an exciting new grant opportunity for New England performing artists: New Work New England. What does it fund? New performing arts work in New England. It awards grants of $7,500-$15,000 to support the creation of new work that has the potential to engage multiple New England communities. The program has a special … [Read more...]
Poet Jacob Strautmann: What Changes, What Doesn’t
On March 2, 2020, Jacob Strautmann (Poetry Fellow '18) launches his poetry collection The Land of the Dead Is Open for Business (Four Ways Books) at the Blacksmith House Poetry Series. In this audio clip, Strautmann reads his poem For as Long as it Lasts (and it will Last if Money can be Made). He also discusses the poem's origin as well as his upbringing "in the shadow of … [Read more...]