Welcome to Lehigh Valley Poetry, if you are new here. Maybe you landed here from Instagram or Facebook, or came to find out more about an event or project.
“But wait, where am I? And who are you?”
First, welcome. I’m Lynn Alexander and I started this website and associated projects years back when I came to the area and had trouble finding poetry events. I thought that others might be looking to connect and do readings, and projects. Like many of you, I wanted to find my others.
In the time that I have been here, I have tried to make it clear that this is a loose affiliation of people who move in and out as time permits, fluid and flexible, with the idea that we support one another where we are at without a formal structure. This group has grown to include support for Words in the Ward, Tuesday Muse, Poetry on the Square, 100K Poets For Change, Lehigh Valley Zine Swap, Easton Book Festival, Wicked Brew, Morrigan Wars, and over a hundred hosted events to create space for the poetry community. We have put work, money, and love into many things and made friends along the way. We have done cashless commerce swaps, art shows, readings, open mics, festivals, swaps, books, panels, radio, tv, podcasts, virtual events, workshops, and even travelled to other states. If you look back on our instagram accounts, you will see some of these things. (#lehighvalleypoetry) They are part of our archived stories of who we are and where we have been. We have done a lot, with little. I’m proud of that.
It is true that some projects have been started and fizzled out due to changes, the pandemic, funds, interest, people whose interests have shifted. We have learned lessons during the pandemic about inclusion, diversity, welcoming others and checking in. We shift and we transform, but we have remained here for over five years with continuous programs of one sort or another.
Today, I want to give a rundown of some of the plans for Winter 2022. I have added posts (previous, scroll through) to provide more details, and typically try to add updates to the Lehigh Valley Poetry Facebook pages and Instagram accounts.
Krampus Rumpus: (Link To Post Here) This annual poetry open mic will be virtual again this year, and happens on zoom on Monday, December 6. It will replace the usual monthly Salon, but the workshop will still happen as usual before. For the Facebook event page, go to Lehigh Valley Poetry and look under events. All welcome.
Monday, December 6, 2021. 8:00 Mini Workshop. 8:30 KRAMPUS RUMPUS OPEN MIC. The zoom ID for the monthly Salon and Mini Workshops is: 893 5219 4238. It is typically in Facebook events. (Subject to change, check in)
Lehigh Valley Poetry (Virtual) Salon and Open Mic: First Monday of the month, after the mini workshop. (Workshop 8:00-8:30 EST, Open Mic 8:30 EST) These are also on Facebook and Instagram. The Facebook event has the most current information and zoom ID to access. The LVP Salon is hosted by myself, E. Lynn Alexander, and Darrell Parry. Zoom ID: 893 5219 4238
Monthly Mini Workshops:
If you look under “Workshops” in the tabs above, a list should come up with each monthly topic. You can look back at previous topics, or check out future topics. They are posted until March 2022. I facilitate these, and the intention is to provide a quick, no strings free drop in session that is quick and has a few objectives: to provoke and encourage new ways to think about writing, to provide a quick exercise or technique, and to support those who benefit from discussion on craft and writing. It is to be approached without judgment or criticism, as a welcome space for those who want to participate. I believe that these spaces are important. Since they are short, thirty minute sessions, it isn’t generative as much as a way to exercise the poet mind and groups help us do this. The mini workshop descriptions contain some more about the approach. Meeting ID: 893 5219 4238 No registration, no hoops.
In November, (link) we tackled “I Was” and snapshots of prior selves, and it led to some great sharing.
For December, we will look at the role of storytelling and lore in the spirit of Krampus Rumpus Open Mic, to follow. Darrell Parry will be facilitating this month.
Link to Monthly Mini- December.
January will focus on the “prose poem”. Link to post.
February explores The Power of Myth and poetry- link to post. This one is really hard to cram into a half hour (maybe they all are?) but I was looking for a thoughtful topic of the sort that one can mull over in the winter.
March focuses on Catharsis. Post is here. Again, mulling. I will add the Spring topics when April gets closer.
2022 Zine Swap– Details are posted for this annual exchange, and timeline. Check that out here.
Easton Book Festival- We participated in another year of the Easton Book Festival and included poetry readings, panels, and Wicked Brew. You can check out the festival website for links to all of the videos- dozens of poetry programs and panels.
Words in the Ward- This Easton based series was transformed during the pandemic into a video, shown during the Easton Book Festival. If you scroll back on this website, you can see posts about this year and last year, and follow links if you want to view them. Many local poets are featured, with performances that I stitched together along with regional footage to include the Lehigh Valley. Post for Episode One, 2020. The video information for WITW 2021 is here. Again, scrolling through the posts will lead you to more details. Stay tuned on this and follow on Facebook.
Tuesday Muse- Find out more on the new direction of this performance series that ran at the IceHouse. This post explains what is next. There is a Facebook page for that, as well. Tuesday Muse.
The Friday Collapse- Virtual monthly poetry series- under “events” on the Collapse Press facebook page. Featured poetry and book launch events, and more. #collapsepress #thefridaycollapse to find posts. There is a FB group associated with the press- Letters for the End Times.
Lehigh Valley Poets Facebook Group– Speaking of groups, there is a group for discussion on Facebook associated with the Lehigh Valley Poetry page- Lehigh Valley Poets. You are welcome to join and contribute.
Stick Figure Poetry is back in person, at the Meuser Library in Wilson. There is a Facebook group and page, and website that has the online lit mag- Stick Figure Quarterly.
I could go on, that is probably enough for now. I am already working on events for the Spring and Summer, including a special poetry event at the IceHouse for Poetry Month in April. Local book releases, travel, and more are on the way. Let’s talk, let’s scheme, let’s keep going.
If you want to be included in the poet directory, please also reach out. All welcome.
I continue to do this without funding beyond my own, without charging, and without a lot of hands. A few have asked how to chip in for hosting, zooms, printing, workshops, travel, and more. You are welcome to donate, (Venmo @elynnarts) but please know that I do what I can and will continue to keep things going. It is important to me that those of us who can share, do. I’m not a fan of what capitalism and power and gatekeeping have done to the arts and creative spirits. Those of us who can’t spare money or time should never be excluded from our work here or shamed for that, so we don’t tend to mention finances. The shares of posts, likes, showing up, time, attention, engagement- all of that is helpful and Lehigh Valley Poetry is really based on the mission to build and lift, and kindness is free.
Please feel free to reach out (I’m on most platforms and easy to find) and until we cross paths- ONWARD AND UPWARD, POETS!
E. Lynn Alexander December 2021
