Fischer Prize finalist Melissa Studdard set to
read at June 1st Bardic Trails Zoom poetry series
Prizewinning poet and author Melissa Studdard of Texas will be the featured reader at the Bardic Trails Zoom poetry webinar Tuesday, June 1st at 7 p.m. A production of the Talking Gourds Poetry Program, Bardic Trails is an a free event open to any who pre-register. Register by May 31st on-line at the Wilkinson Public Library to get URL & password. Go to telluridelibrary.org/events.
Studdard was selected as the First Outstanding Finalist in the 2020 Fischer Prize contest for her poem “Migration Patterns” (previously appearing at the Poetry Society of America and Winning Writers websites). She is the author of five books, including the poetry collection I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast and the poetry chapbook Like a Bird with a Thousand Wings.
Studdard’s work has been featured by PBS, NPR, The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, and has also appeared in periodicals such as POETRY, Kenyon Review, Psychology Today, New Ohio Review, Harvard Review, Missouri Review, and New England Review. Her work has won or placed in The Penn Review Poetry Prize, the Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize, the Tom Howard Prize, The Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize, the Lucille Medwick Memorial Award, and more.
Her website is here, and a wonderful video of her poem “Like a Bird with a Thousand Wings” can be viewed here.
Following Studdard, there will be a short Question and Answer session with co-hosts, Goodtimes and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.
Future Bardic Trails
Our future Bardic Trails dates are July 6 with Partridge Boswell of Vermont (“Prey”), Aug. 3 with Jane Lunin Perel of Rhode Island (“Sky”), Sept. 7 with Anna Scotti of California (“Fuel”), Oct. 5 with Renee Podunovich of Cortez (“Tree”), Nov. 2 with Debbi Brody of New Mexico (“The New”), and Dec. 7 with Al Zolynas of California (“Flesh”).
Talking Gourds Poetry Club Meeting
Following Bardic Trails, we’ll have our Talking Gourds club member meeting (for Club members and their invitees only). We will end the Bardic Trails Zoom gathering around 7:30 p.m, then start a new Zoom meeting for the Talking Gourds Poetry Club (all current members will receive the link separately by May 4th). The Poetry Club meeting won’t officially start until 7:45, leaving time at the start for socializing as we used to do in our live meetings.
Talking Gourds Poetry Club Membership
To participate in the private session, one can join the Poetry Club at the Talking Gourds website. The membership page will ask them to email Galaxy Dancer notifying us of having paid their Club fees to ensure that they receive the Zoom info in time for the private meeting.
A one-time membership donation of $25 (or more) places one on our mailing list permanently and makes one current for the calendar year in which the donation was made. Each following calendar year, there’s a $10 renewal fee to remain current – payable by check or online with plastic.
For those who like writing prompts, the one for June 1st is “Mountains.” However, members and guests of members may read a poem or share thoughts on any topic they wish.
Club members in good standing receive a monthly PDF copy of the handsome broadsides created by Daiva Chesonis for each featured reader. The PDFs can be printed for free at the Wilkinson. Chesonis will also have copies available for purchase at her Between the Covers Bookstore.
