Berks Bards: February 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Now Accepting One-Minute Poem Submissions!

Berks Bards is welcoming submissions for One Minute Poems that will air on BCTV during National Poetry Month in April.

There are three options for recording a one-minute poem:1. Zoom2. Submitting a self-produced video3. Recording a poem in-person at Berks Community Television's studio, 401 Penn Street Reading, PA 19601 on Wednesday afternoons, March 1 or 8, 2023. (Validated parking is available at the Chiarelli Plaza Garage at 3rd and Washington.)Whichever option you choose, please schedule with Marilyn Klimcho at:klimcho@msn.com

First Thursday Poetry Reading with Brandon Krieg

Join us Thursday, March 2ndfrom 6:00 - 7:45 p.m. for1st Thursday Poetry at Goggleworks Center for the Arts201 Washington St., Reading Meeting Place: GoggleWorks Cafe berksbards@gmail.com https://berksbards.blogspot.com/We welcome Featured Poet Brandon Krieg and Kutztown University student writers for First Thursday Poetry on Thursday, March 2nd.

The Featured Poet for March isBrandon Krieg with KU Students

Brandon Krieg's most recent collection of poems is Magnifier, winner of the 2019 Colorado Prize for Poetry, chosen by Kazim Ali, and a finalist for the 2022 ASLE Book Award in Environmental Creative Writing. He lives in Kutztown, PA, and teaches at Kutztown University.

- Sieve -

Stolen selahs and orchard

steeps, hourless flowers

of our grafted speech, this rest

before the branch becomes

instrument is infinite

decimals to reach one reached

in one nakedness, is the you not yours

to give you give

as hail-dimpled sand

vanishes through a starry sieve

Open Mic to follow the Poetry Reading!

Donate & Make a Difference—

Berks Bards has thankfully survived a hard world since 2020, both as an organization and in budgetary-speak, with state arts grants impacted initially by economic impacts of COVID-19. As a local 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Berks County, Pennsylvania, with reach well beyond just locally since 2020, Berks Bards gratefully welcomes donations via PayPal. Donate via PayPal Donations.

Donations as checks can be written to Berks Bards and mailed to Vanessa Helms at 100 Hemlock Drive, Fredericksburg, PA, 17026.

Support to our nonprofit allows us to be able to keep our community impact through poetry advocacy going. We thank anyone who is able to contribute, whether now or in the future.

About Us Poetry-Types

We are Berks Bards, a grassroots poetry group and nonprofit meeting on First Thursdays of each month at 6 pm at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts at 201 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601. These monthly poetry readings include a featured poet and a community open mic.

We also host a Second Tuesdays open mic at 6 pm at Aladdin Restaurant at 401 Penn Avenue, West Reading, PA 19611.

We are excited to be able to return to some live programming! Please look for an upcoming announcement about our April event. Our March open mic night will continue to be virtual as planned.

In April, we celebrate National Poetry Month through what we call Bard Fest, poetry workshops, readings, musical collaboration performances, and other types of events around Berks County.

To contact us, email berksbards@gmail.com.