Laureates Three Quatre: a fundraiser reading, Windham NH, Tuesday May 23

I’m still buzzing from the excitement of announcing my Writers Exchange Award news, but life marches on! On Tuesday I’m taking part in a reading in Windham, NH, to help raise funds for the Poetry Society of New Hampshire’s Poet Laureate Fund. This is a highly commendable attempt to raise enough money that the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire can be given a stipend, rather than having to work for free. I am all for this—we poets, like all artists, should be paid for what we do, reflecting the years of work and the professional skill that we bring; and when I was Hampshire Poet back in England, I was certainly grateful that I was paid for almost all the writing and teaching I did. So I’m happy to do my bit.

There are three readers: Marie Harris, NH Poet Laureate emeritus; Chard DeNiord, current Poet Laureate of Vermont; and me. (I get in by virtue of having been Hampshire Poet). That makes up the Laureates Three; as for the Quatre part, this is the fourth such fundraising reading. I haven’t met either Marie or Chard before, so I’m looking forward very much to that.

The reading is at the Common Man Restaurant in Windham, NH. The reading starts at 7,45, and the suggested donation is $20. There’s also a dinner beforehand, starting at 6; I don’t know if there are places left on that but if you’re interested you can email Rodger Martin, the organizer. Please come if you can, and support a good cause while listening to good poetry too. What could be better than that?

And for a couple more details, see the Laureates Three Quatre flyer.

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