PORTLAND — Maine poets and those who love poetry will gather at Longfellow Square in Portland at noon Wednesday to read their favorite poetry.
The event, organized by Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, is in response to the lack of poetry planned for the inauguration of Gov.-elect Paul LePage, also set for Wednesday.
“This is a celebration, not a protest,” alliance director Josh Bodwell wrote in an e-mail. “We’ll be holding this event at one of the most obvious places in Maine to celebrate poetry: in front of the statue of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Longfellow Square.”
Participants are encouraged to bring and read and their favorite poems.
Maine has a rich history of poetry, beginning with Longfellow and continuing through today. Some of the most respected poetry journals in the country are based in Maine, and the state’s literary community includes dozens of nationally known poets, Bodwell said. In addition, over time Maine has been home to several of the most popular poets in the world, including Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edwin Arlington Robinson and Louise Bogan. Millay and Robinson won Pulitzer prizes in poetry, and Bogan was the U.S. poet laureate in 1945.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.