Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival
biennial geraldine r dodge poetry festival largest poetry event north america th edition th anniversary biannual event took place newark new jersey october – next festival take place newark – october took place virtually fourday celebration poetry called “poetry heaven” – u poet laureate robert hass “a new woodstock” christian science monitor “wordstock” new york time festival sponsored geraldine r dodge foundation evennumbered year since festival immerses audience five dozen internationally acclaimed poet discussion reading conversation focusing poetry event held day evening performance venue accommodating anywhere people day ten separate stage simultaneously offer different activity th biennial festival took place newark new jersey njpac newark symphony hall venue around city th festival took place city october – th festival held september october waterloo village stanhope new jersey attracted nearly people th festival took place september soon january foundation announced financial challenge forcing foundation take different approach poetry activity specifically importantly foundation announced would unable produce poetry festival september scale past festival announcement noted maintain much work new jersey teacher poetry spring actually expand effort make audio video archive past festival readily available via youtube mean want enjoy yet must least take cycle biennial festival known depending thing turn may need reinvent festival either affordable scale affordable venue unfortunately last three festival production cost doubled mere festival budget went toward hiring poet center event among poet participated past festival chinua achebe taha muhammad ali claribel alegría yehuda amichai jimmy santiago baca amiri baraka coleman bark ekiwah adlerbelendez robert bly gwendolyn brook marilyn chin lucille clifton billy collins bei dao toi derricotte mark doty rita dove stephen dunn allen ginsberg jorie graham linda gregg donald hall robert hass tony hoagland linda hogan edward hirsch galway kinnell carolyn kizer yusef komunyakaa stanley kunitz kurtis lamkin liyoung lee linda mccarriston w merwin andrew motion taslima nasreen naomi shihab nye joyce carol oates sharon old alicia ostriker grace paley linda pastan octavio paz marge piercy robert pinsky adrienne rich sonia sanchez gary snyder william stafford gerald stern ruth stone sekou sundiata brian turner ko un derek walcott anne waldman richard wilbur adam zagajewski daisy zamora essential component festival series special program high school student teacher level elementary college student teacher throughout country participate conversation reading designed specifically first two day festival geraldine r dodge poetry festival extensively featured four pb television series bill moyers acclaimed eightpart language life series filmed festival providing look overall activity festival indepth conversation featured poet recently fooling word offered television audience frontrow seat festival official website