Back from Poetry by the Sea
I’ve just returned from Poetry by the Sea: A Global Conference. And, as is always the case after a poetry-related trip, I am exhausted! I had a wonderful time at the Conference, serving as the first Poet in Residence. I was also lucky to be accompanied by my husband, who so many people know from the poems in Stateside. It was great fun to introduce him to friends and to say, “he does exist!”
In addition to participating in a faculty reading (where I read a number of poems from my forthcoming book, Dots & Dashes), I was thrilled to be part of a really delightful event, “Sound & Scents: An Interactive Panel,” alongside my dear friends, Lindsay Lusby and Moira Egan. We had so much fun indoctrinating the audience in the art and pleasures of perfume. We ended the panel with a writing prompt; everyone in the room was given something delicious to sniff and was then encouraged to write down their associations with the scent, associations that could lead to a new poem. I’m hoping to have many opportunities in the future to run similarly scented panels and writing workshops.
All in all, it was a wonderful few days spent by the water, full of lively discussions about poetry, meetings with friends, and even some good food. This is my second time attending Poetry by the Sea and, already, I’m looking forward to next year’s Conference.