I’m looking forward to sharing some poems from Inheritance Of Aging Self as well as some newer work at the September 1rst Diverse Gaithersburg Poetry Reading at the Casey Center (810 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877) at 7 pm. CL will be the other featured reader and there is an open mic as well. Great thanks to Kristin Kowalski Ferragut for inviting me to read! I’ll have copies of my book with me if you would like to buy a copy, autograph and quilted bookmark included!
The schedule for the Gaithersburg Book Festival is now online and you can find both the adult and children’s schedules here! I will be talking about Inheritance Of Aging Self at 11:15 at the Edgar Allen Poe Tent on a panel with Jay Hall Carpenter and Lisa Tice, moderated by Shaquetta Nelson and I’ll be signing books (available for purchase at the book festival) right after the panel concludes. This is an amazing book festival with something for people of all ages and interests and this year there is a full day of poetry panels for the first time! The festival is at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, MD.
I had so much fun participating in the Quilt Improv Studio’s Primary Colors quilt challenge which asked participants to make a quilt using primary colors plus black and white fabrics and to use the line as its primary element. It quickly became obvious to everyone participating that every choice of color and shape was important because there is no such thing as subtle in a quilt using that color palette and many of us intentionally drew on the work of artists such as Mondrian for inspiration, and a few of us thought of Lego creations. I was more in camp Lego with a bit of influence from Maria Shell’s amazing quilts that use lines as their primary element. It was a lot of fun seeing the work of other participants and chatting with some of them about our efforts. There is a blog post about the challenge here that includes several snippets from me (@stitches_and_stanzas) and here is a picture of my entry, “Primary Considerations”:
I’m delighted that my mini quilt, “Contractions” was chosen by Curated Quilts for their issue focused on red quilts. “Contractions” is machine pieced and quilted using improv quilting techniques.
I am delighted to have 2 of my quilt-themed poems in the Maryland issue of Quiltfolk Magazine. The poems are “Anonymous Quilted” (along with a picture of the quilt by the same name and “Sunbonnet Sue”, an ever so slightly snarky homage to that enduring and endearing quilt block pattern. I also wrote a short guest piece for their “From The Community” feature talking about my own quilting. The magazine is print only, you can order the Maryland issue or order a subscription on their website.
I am delighted to be one of the poets presenting at the Gaithersburg Book Festival this year on May 21rst. Cross fingers, this is planned as an outside event, hopefully won’t have to be moved online this year, but details and the time I’ll be presenting when we get much closer.
I am so grateful to Kristin Kowalski Ferragut for interviewing me about my book, quilting, and more. Kristin is a gifted poet, artist, and musician and has also interviewed a number of other poets and you should definitely check out all of that on her website!
Here is a snippet from the interview:
“You create some beautiful visual arts in your quilting. Might you describe something about that part of your life? It seems to me another full-time occupation — contests, articles, photoshoots… How do you fit it all in? What is the most rewarding aspect of that work? And might you describe your approach to creating a piece?
Thank you! I have always been a multi-creative and quilting has been on my bucket list of things that I wanted to do for a long time. I gave it a try many years ago but really didn’t have the time to pursue it at that point. And then it dawned on me a few years ago after seeing some gorgeous quilts in a show that it might be a good time to delve back into it. I am almost entirely self-taught, so the learning has always been part of the journey.
Quilting is part idea, part puzzle-solving, part meditation for me. When you are quilting, it is best to stay focused, presuming you don’t want to poke or cut yourself, not to mention actually get all the pieces to fit together and stay together, so that focus is a way for me to clear my head of all the other mayhem of the day. I’ve always had an affinity for making art that brings joy and makes you smile and quilting my way through the pandemic has ensured that I have a readily available supply of pretty things even when everything else is a mess…”
I was so looking forward to reading at DiVerse Gaithersburg next week, but because of the Omicron Covid surge, I’ve asked to re-schedule. There is still a plan for a reading at an outdoor location and kudos to Kristin Kowalski Ferragut for rolling with the organizing punches to make her first reading as host a happening event. Here is a link to the details for the January reading and when my reading is rescheduled, I’ll post the details then.
NOTE: This will be re-scheduled at a later date.
I am thrilled to be reading at the January 8th DiVerse Gaithersburg Poetry Reading along with the great Teri Ellen Cross Davis, hosted by Kristin Kowalski Ferragut. This will be the first in-person DiVerse reading since the series shut down because of the pandemic and Kristin’s first time as host and my first time not hosting, quite the number of turning points to celebrate! The reading will be from 1:30-3:00 pm at the Quince Orchard Library (15831 Quince Orchard Rd./Gaithersburg 20878) and will be followed by an Open Mic. Please note the switch from Sunday to Saturday and the time change from the old schedule. Feel free to bring a poem that you have written to share (one page maximum).
I am humbled and grateful for this lovely review by Kristin Kowalski Ferragut of Inheritance Of Aging Self in the latest issue of Beltway Poetry Review. Many thanks as well to Beltway editors Sara Cahill Marron and Indran Amirthanayagam.
Here is a screenshot of the first paragraph:
Click here for links to the usual book buying options.
Lucinda Marshall, photo by Jaree Donnelly