Exploring the Source

January 7, 2010

This was the Fifth installment of the Exploring the Source reading series. Don Stanford started us off with some eye-opening observations of life and love, including a nice story about and a short piece from Walt Whitman. Sharon Smith Abbott returned with a nice set of poems focusing on a sense of place. Next, a newcomer to the series, Eric Dibner, explored the difference in voicing ones own work, often singing his words. It's always very interesting to see where the accents come for an author is a poem, and this was no exception. Our featured reader for February, Mike Corrigan, shared some lighter fare, with his own more whimsical poems and a poem from Jennifer Michael Hecht. Obi Fernand Boucher recited two of his own thought provoking poems, one involving a fairy. Next, Maya Critchfield shared her poem "The Snow Flies", which reminded us how refreshing new fallen snow can be! Geoff shared a powerful poem "Tender Grapes" by Robert M. Petersen along with the introduction from Robert Hunter. Lines from this poem like "Our love is the god in us" resonated with some of us. Finally, to celebrate the publication of Omphalos 10, James Day Leavitt read "She must be dust now", "Mixed Gifts", and "Train", his three poems from the issue.