The Poetry Project

Nagueyalti Warren

2010-05-10T09:38:00.001-04:00

Dr. Nagueyalti Warren of Emory University, read from her persona poem, Margaret, and her women's poetry anthology, Temba Tupu! on April 24, at Ida Hilton Public Library in Darien. This Poetry Project event was sponsored by a Grassroots Arts Program grant, which is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly as administered by Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association, the GCA designated Grassroots Regional Partner.

Click HERE to watch the video.

Memories of Memorizing

2010-03-04T10:59:00.002-05:00

Those of us of a certain age remember how, back in the day, we had to memorize poems for a variety of occasions for school and for church.

It's a tradition that's still hanging on at churches throughout the South, although many children these days manage to get away with reading from a slip of paper instead of memorizing their verses. (Read an interesting essay about this tradition here.)

At the February poetry reading at Ida Hilton Public Library in Darien, one of the participants recalled her childhood and the poems she learned without ever really knowing much about the writers or what the poems meant. Flora said that one of those poems was Invictus by British poet, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) in the photo above.

Flora read the poem, and explained that she now has a greater appreciation for the words ... words that also inspired Nelson Mandela while he was imprisoned over many years in South Africa. (Invictus is also the title of a recent film about Mandela. Also check out the book, Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation by John Carlin; Penguin, 2008.)

Other poems read in February included Claude McKay's The Negro's Tragedy and If We Must Die, and Maya Angelou's Weekend Glory. Aysia, who is in the eighth grade, recited from memory two lengthy poems -- Grandmother's Way and Special Miracle.

Next Open Mic:
The next reading will be at 7 p.m. on March 26, at Ida Hilton Public Library. Read your original poetry or one of your favorites written by someone else.

New Book: Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry, edited by Camille T. Dungy.

Crowns and Phenomenal Women

2010-02-01T12:37:00.002-05:00

Several poets and poems were discussed at our first reading on Jan. 29, at Ida Hilton Public Library. Rosa talked about Maya Angelou, and the book Crowns, for which Angelou wrote the foreword.

Angelou's Phenomenal Woman was read by Mary. Michele read her original poem, Sweet Dream, and two poems by Alice Walker, from her book Absolute Faith in the Goodness of the Earth: New Poems. Rodney shared a unrequited-love poem he wrote when he was in college.

Is there a poem stuck in your head? Was there a poem you had to memorize for school or church, and it has stayed with you? Perhaps you had to learn Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Share your thoughts.

QUESTION: Who wrote the poem that repeats the line, "the house by the side of the road?"
ANSWER: The House by the Side of the Road was written by Sam Walter Foss. Read it here.

The next poetry reading will be at 7 p.m., Friday, February 26 at Ida Hilton Public Library. Bring a poem -- original or a favorite by someone else -- and a snack, too, if you like. There will be giveaways for those who read original poetry.

Welcome!

2009-12-02T13:26:00.016-05:00

The Poetry Project is a virtual venue for poets in McIntosh County, Georgia. It's a place where local poets can learn about poetry workshops and events, meet others interested in poetry and find inspiration. The hope is that The Poetry Project will encourage creative people to come together to form poetry clubs in McIntosh County. We're here to help you get started. Let us know what you think!