Tra La! It's May!

National Poetry Month may be ending, but May in my neighborhood is an equally rich time

Thanks to the global reach of the internet, you may be reading this post at the other side of the world from me, but my primary audience calls Greater Boston (more particularly, Newton, Massachusetts) home, so occasionally I’ll post about neighborhood events, especially when they arrive in abundance. You who are not in the neighborhood, feel free to read and envy.

Here’s what the next three weeks hold in store:

Haiku Newton

For the third spring in a row, Newton is presenting a set of haiku selected from over 200 entries. I saw the selected entries today outside of the Newton Free Library, and as always, was enchanted by how deep you can go in a mere 17 syllables. This year, I submitted a haiku of my own, and while my poem was not selected, interested folks will eventually be able to see all the submissions in an online anthology. For much more, please click here for the Poetry Newton Website.

Epic Bookclub: The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson

Newtonville Books is hosting its roughly-every-other-month Epic Bookclub, where this Friday’s meeting, at 6:30 pm in the Newton Center store, will feature The Odyssey. I promise you you will enjoy the hour, even if your most recent encounter with Odysseus’ tale was back in college. Or perhaps, if you have young children, maybe this is in your recent past:

Martin Poetry Path

This coming Sunday, May 5, marks an important date for Newton’s Martin Poetry Path, celebrating its fourth year in 2024. On that morning, I’ll be joining a handful of poetry/nature lovers to clear the path of leaves, twigs, and assorted detritus as a part of Newton Serves, a massive community endeavor that brings together residents and civic projects. Even if you haven’t signed up at the Newton Serves website, we’ll be happy for your help; show up at the conservation land on Circuit Avenue sometime between 9-12 (ideally with a rake, and ideally closer to 9; if we finish early, we won’t necessarily hang out until noon) and we’ll put you to work.

Also, May 5 marks the deadline for you to submit a poem for possible inclusion on the Poetry Path later this spring. I’ve had the honor of being represented for our first three years, although I’m still waiting for inspiration to strike this year. For submissions, or questions you may have, here’s where to direct your email:

Lisa Leavitt: monalisa10@comcast.net or
Julie Leavitt: injewel1@gmail.com

Newton Festival of the Arts 2024

This year’s Newton Festival of the Arts runs from May 17-19, at various locations. Visit the Festival website for all of the events, but I particularly call your attention to a spoken word poetry event on Saturday, May 18, at 4 pm, at the Allen Center for the Arts, 35 Webster Street, in West Newton, with poets Amanda Shea and Grey Held. Grey is the force behind Haiku Newton as well as a member of the poetry salon I host, so I can speak from personal experience when I suggest you have to be there.

If you know of any event of interest I may have missed, that’s what the comment section at the bottom of this post is for.