According to The Poets Corner, in a news release, DownEast books is set to launch a ground-breaking new literary journal, The Maine Standard, in 2024. The publication will showcase a special section titled “Obsessions,” featuring the Nine Poets Collective, accompanied by an insightful introduction by the presidential inaugural poet Richard Blanco.

To commemorate this new literary entry in Maine, The Poets Corner invites the public to join a reading with the Nine Poets Collective, on Sunday, January 14, from 4 - 5:30 p.m., on Zoom. The event is free and open to the public. To register go to www.thepoetscorner.org/events.

In his introduction for this special section in The Maine Standard, Richard Blanco reflects:

“The pages that follow are graced by the work of nine poets I had the honor and pleasure of facilitating a six-month course on the crafting of chapbooks offered through Maine Media Workshops and College in 2020. Though the course was entirely online because of the pandemic, it proved to be equally as powerful as in-person—perhaps more so—because it provided a much-needed, life-affirming space to create art despite the chaos engulfing the world at the time.

Blanco continues, “Early in the course, I shared with them the notion that every poet is figuratively writing one poem all their life, meaning that a poet’s body of work is informed by a unique obsession that has taken hold of them. As such, every poem is an attempt to investigate that obsession, to decipher some part of it, only to devise new questions about it, over and over again. Getting in touch with that obsession is key to finding one’s voice and life’s work as a poet.”

The Nine Poets Collective comprises eight poets from Maine and one from New Jersey including: John Paul Caponigro (Cushing), Chrystena Hahn (Yarmouth), Shawne McCord (Freeport), Audrey Minotulo-Le (Bridgton), Chris Madsen (Bath), Pam Smith (Brunswick), Susan Tenney (New Jersey), Meg Weston (Camden), and Lucinda Ziesing (Rockport).

These poets have been dedicated to meeting monthly as a group for over three years. They are each at various stages of their journeys into the world of writing and publishing poetry, with an unwavering commitment to honing their unique voices and honoring the obsessions that drive their writing.

About The Poets Corner:

The Poets Corner is a virtual platform dedicated to creating community for writers and readers of poetry and short prose. Co-Founded by Meg Weston of Camden, Maine, former president of Maine Media and Kathrin Seitz, writing coach, in June of 2020, today it has over 4,500 members from around the world. The Poets Corner hosts virtual readings, discussions, craft talks, competitions, and more offerings that connects poetry lovers, writers, and scholars, and creates a vibrant space for the appreciation and creation of poetic expression. Visit www.thepoetscorner.org for more information.

About The Maine Standard:

A new literary magazine from DownEast books launches in spring 2024. The Maine Standard publishes stand-out writing that captures the true character of Maine, writing that sings!