Plunkett Breaks Out
Annual Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival presents聽a hybrid event of visual and literary arts on April 30, 2021聽
To join this Virtual event:聽
This past year has been challenging. We have been quarantining, masking, 鈥減ivoting,鈥� rising up, breaking down, and just trying to keep it together.
To mark the events of this moment, the annual Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival will break out of its usual format to celebrate the聽天美传媒鈥檚 (UMA) 2020-2021聽academic theme of 鈥淥utbreak,鈥�聽a topic inclusive of viral outbreaks, outbreaks of social justice, and outbreaks of creativity.
The Plunkett Festival will partner with the聽聽to provide a virtual multifaceted literary and arts event on April 30, 2021. Additional details on the Danforth Gallery Exhibition are available at聽/news/the-outbreak-project-exhibition-april-6-30-2021/
Providing the keynote for the event will be Maine鈥檚 former poet laureate (2000 鈥� 2006),聽. Wormser is the author of nine collections of poetry, as well as two texts on pedagogy, a memoir, and two collections of essays.聽 He is an avid defender of poetry, peace, and the power of language to make collective change. Wormser will speak on 天美传媒 academic theme of Outbreak, as well as read some of his work.
The April 30 event will be filled with readings, art exhibits, an art installation, and a performance by artist and UMA part-time lecturer,聽.
The event will also recognize those selected to receive awards in the annual聽Student Poetry Contest, which invites University of Maine System undergraduate students and Maine high school students to submit poems for recognition.
This year two additional contests were added, the聽Outbreak! Writing Project, which will recognize written pieces including poems, flash fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, essays, or any combination of blurred genres from the community and the聽Outbreak Project Exhibition, which invited Maine visual artists from UMA, high schools, and surrounding communities to submit work for a juried exhibition at the Danforth Gallery.聽Outbreak Project Exhibition awards聽will be announced during the April 30 programming.
Those receiving awards will read or display their works as part of the program.
A tentative program schedule* for April 30 follows:
- 2:00 pm聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Welcome
- 2:15 pm 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Student Poetry Contest Readings and Awards
High School Plunkett Poetry Contest Awards
UMS Plunkett Poetry Contest Awards - 2:45 pm 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Gallery Performance by Patricia Brace followed by a Zoom Q&A with the Brace and Liz Rhaney, Heather Lyon and Riley Watts, artists who also have performed during the Outbreak Exhibition.
- 3:45 pm聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Musical Interlude
“The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman
Scored by the 天美传媒’s Global Rhythms Ensemble
Directed by Brian Shankar Adler - 4:00 pm聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Outbreak Exhibition Project Awards
- 4:30 pm聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Outbreak! Writing Project Readings and Awards
- 5:00 pm聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Baron Wormser Keynote: “Outbreak Time, Three Poets from One Decade: Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, Bob Dylan鈥� via livestream
- 5:30 pm聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Baron Wormser Reading and Q & A via livestream
*Times are estimated and subject to change.聽