A lot of writers and artists make Northumberland County home! One important reason my husband and I chose to settle here after two decades abroad is the many poets and visual artists who practice their craft here. What is poetry? According to Margaret Atwood, “Poetry is condensed emotion.” Poets often focus on epiphanies—flashes of understanding…
Category: Poets
April is Poetry Month by Mia Burrus
Festival Readers: April is Poetry Month! It started with Katie Hoogendam’s launch of her new collection, Spring Thaw, as part of Let’s Talk Books’ spring series, which continues Sunday, April 10, 2 PM, with Stuart Ross and Bruce Whiteman. https://www.facebook.com/letstalkbookscobourg/events/ Katie says it best herself: I’ve described the area behind Let’s Talk Books in Cobourg…
Picnic Table Anthology: a call for poetry submissions
“If ants are such busy workers, how come they find time to go to all the picnics?” Marie Dressler The Peoples Republic of Poetry (PRP) calls for submissions of poems for its Picnic Table Anthology 2022. The poems can be any subject but limited to 20 lines. Each poem will be on a transparency and…
Northumberland Art Lovers: Spirit of the Hills Writers’ Group
“I’m constantly blown away by the sheer number of people in this county involved in writing and publishing. I’m also awed by the amazing projects that have come out of this group.” Gwynn Scheltema In this series we feature interviews and discussions with Individual Artists, Leaders of Arts Groups and Organizations, Civic Leaders, and other…
Art for Change: Dane Swan on Changing the Face of Canadian Literature
Poet and writer Dane Swan talks to NFOTA’s Kim Aubrey about his experiences compiling and editing Changing the Face of Canadian Literature: a diverse Canadian anthology and his vision for the future of Can Lit. Dane Swan was a visiting writer at the 2019 Festival of the Arts and will be leading a workshop and…
A Positive Energy by Lynn C. Bilton
One of the beneficial aspects of an organization such as Northumberland Festival of the Arts, or Spirit of the Hills, is the ongoing support the members offer one another. That reinforcement in turn motivates and inspires others to participate and share their creative energy. If you look up “encouragement” in your Funk and Wagnall’s,…
Looking Out by Rosie Riviera-Lopez
Looking Out So much to look forward to A vacation A cruise A big birthday Plans are made. It’s January 2020 It’s a new dawn A new decade I’m feeling inspired. It’s only weeks later And we’ve opened a door A door to loneliness Addicted to the news. I look through my window Day after…
Calling All Writers, Poets, and Artists
Anthology 2022 Title: Hill Spirits V Submission Guidelines Theme In support of the Northumberland Festival of the Arts, which will take place across Northumberland County from September 16 – October 2, 2022, the inspiring theme for our fifth anthology is “Celebrating Resilience”. Consider the way a tree bends and flexes during a violent storm or…