Poetry Festival revives city’s tradition as cultural center
State’s prominent poets
will be on hand
for workshops, readings

BY KATHY HALL
Correspondent

RYAN BARNETT

‘Everything is regional,” according to the opening line of Robert Pinsky’s poem “Long Branch, New Jersey.” Pinsky, a Long Branch native and former United States poet laureate, could have been describing the New Jersey poetry scene.

“There’s so little opportunity for poets south of the Edison bridge,” observed Gloria Rovder Healy, poetry consultant to the Long Branch Poetry Festival.

The festival, organized by the Long Branch Arts Council as part of the city’s Centennial Celebration, will take place Oct. 15, 16 and 17 at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa.

“We want to nurture artistic activities in the city, and we were looking for a signature event to sponsor,” explained Gabor Barabas, director of the Long Branch Arts Council and executive producer of NJ Repertory Company. “Long Branch had a tradition in the past of being a culture center. We want to resurrect that. The fact that Long Branch is the home of a poet laureate, my own deep love of poetry and the fact that there are not that many outlets of an organized nature for poets to have their work heard all combined to make this event a natural for us.

“I have tremendous excitement and trepidation,” Barabas said. The festival is the first event to be sponsored by the Long Branch Arts Council.

“If we are successful, we are very committed to making this an annual event,” he said.

“This festival is a dream for me,” Healy said. “The Long Branch Arts Council is giving local poets, students and poetry lovers an opportunity to workshop, read or listen to New Jersey’s finest poets.

“In designing the program, I tried to bring the four different camps of New Jersey poets together,” Healy explained.

She has invited poets from groups that meet in Warren County, Cape May and Paterson to join Monmouth County poets.

“It is just the biggest treat — some of these poets have never met each other,” she added.

Emanuel di Pasquale, a Long Branch resident who will be reading at the festival, echoed Healy’s enthusiasm.

“I think it’s a miracle,” he said in describing the festival. “God touched somebody’s brain.

“Since 9/11 the world has become much darker, much uglier,” di Pasquale said. “The purpose of poetry, like all the arts, is to make an ugly and mean world beautiful. We can write angry and enraged poems but ultimately we bring order and beauty.

“I’m very proud of Long Branch,” he added.

Although Pinsky is not attending the event, almost 40 other New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania poets including Bob McKenty, Aberdeen’s light verse poet; Craig Canfield, Tinton Falls poet laureate; poet/publisher Frank Valentino (also of Tinton Falls) and poet/poetry reviewer Charles Johnson of Red Bank will offer readings and workshops for Monmouth County teachers, schoolchildren and the general public.

Writer’s Ink poetry group members, who helped Healy organize the festival, will be introducing their new book, “Poetic Reflections of Monmouth County,” with readings and book signings. The group is also staffing a bookstore where participating poets can sell and sign their books.

The festival begins Friday morning with a series of workshops and readings for Monmouth County teachers and students in grades four to 12. More than 100 public, private and charter schools from throughout Monmouth County have been invited, according to Healy.

Prize-winning poets Renee Ashley and B.J. Ward will join Marie Mazziotti Gillan, executive director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College; Laure–Anne Bosselaar, a member of Sarah Lawrence College’s MFA program; and more than 20 other local and regional poets in presenting readings and workshops for students. Frank Finale, author of “To the Shore Once More,” will host a workshop for teachers about publishing children’s poetry and organizing poetry programs in schools. Students will read poems they have written in the workshops.

The public portion of the festival begins Friday evening at 5:45 p.m. with a Dinner With the Poets at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa.

“It’s a great cast for people to come and hear,” said Healy, who will read along with award-winning poets Laura Boss, Joe Weil, Dr. Gretna Wilkinson, Johnson, Ward, Ashley, Finale and Bosselaar. Readings will take place both before and after the dinner.

During Saturday morning and afternoon, J.C. Todd, Priscilla Orr, Laura McCullough and Angelo Verga will lead workshops for fledgling and experienced adult poets. Other hands-on tutorials and panels include: “Psychology in Poetry,” Dr. Elaine Olaoye’s humorous application of the Rorschach technique to writing a poem, and “12 Steps to Revising a Poem,” presented by Bosselaar. Members of the public who bring two copies of a short poem may sign up for individual 10-minute consultations with selected poets.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet New Jersey poetry editors and obtain advice on how to get their poems published. Editors include Sandy Zulauf, Journal of New Jersey Poets; Tom Plante, Exit 13; Dave Roskos, Big Hammer; Laura Boss, Lips; Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Paterson Literary Review; Deborah LaVeglia, Black Swan; David Messineo, Sensations Magazine; and Gina Larkin, Edison Literary Review.

Poet and website designer Michelle Cameron will present a workshop on how to design a website for yourself, your poetry group or to promote a publication.

Saturday evening’s program begins at 6:30 p.m. with readings by six poets: Craig Canfield and Frank Valentino, Tinton Falls; Tony Gruenewald and John Larkin, Edison; Andrew Joseph Sapia, Asbury Park, and Robert Farley, Neptune. Following their presentations at the hotel, each will moderate open mike readings for the general public at six different sites throughout Long Branch from 7:30 to 9:30. p.m. Locations will be announced at the festival.

The program at the hotel continues with readings by Emanuel di Pasquale and Bob McKenty. Poet/entertainer Diane Wran Farris will perform Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” and Loraine Stone of Eatontown will present “My Short Skirt” from “The Vagina Monologues.” Sam Friedman from Edison will conclude the evening by hosting an open reading of political and anti-war poetry.

Sunday events begin with workshops led by Monmouth County poets Paula Newcomer, Alissa Pecora, McCullough, Finale, Rosenblum, Johnson and Healy. The Sunday session also includes “Hear the Professors Read: Brookdale Community College Meets Monmouth University,” featuring faculty members McCullough, Michael Broek, Colleen Lineberry Tom Reiter, Michael Thomas and Margaret Del Guercio.

The Long Branch Poetry Festival is partly supported by the Monmouth County Arts Council and the city of Long Branch. Tickets for the Friday night dinner are $65 per person. Packages for workshops range from $55 to $285 and include continental breakfast and lunch. All poetry readings are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Diane Munoz at NJ Rep at (732) 229-3166, ext. 102.

Pictured at the Long Branch oceanfront are poets Charles Johnson, of Red Bank; Gloria Rovder Healy, of Shrewsbury; and Emanuel di Pasquale, of Long Branch. The three will be among the poets who will give readings and workshops at the first Long Branch Poetry Festival Oct. 15-17.