Joan Murray, a nationally celebrated poet, will give a reading titled “Poems about Mothers – and Other Memorable Women” at the Chatham Public Library at 3 pm on Saturday, May 11—the day before Mother’s Day. After Murray’s reading, adult audience members are invited to read a poem of their own, which focuses on a mother or another woman. Since time is limited, those who’d like to read are asked to sign up before the reading begins.
As Murray points out, “Though many experiences with our mothers are filled with joy, some may be tinged with disappointment or complicated by guilt or sorrow. And there are other women in our lives— wives, daughters, sisters, friends, teachers and more—who may also be memorable enough to be the subject of poems. This reading will explore our responses to these individual women.”
Joan Murray’s books include Dancing on the Edge and Queen of the Mist (both from Beacon Press) and Looking for the Parade (W. W. Norton), which won the National Poetry Series Open Competition. Her poems have also appeared in many periodicals, including The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Ms., The Nation, and The New York Times. She is also the editor of the Poems to Live By anthologies and The Pushcart Book of Poetry.
The reading is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a brief Q & A, refreshments and a book signing. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Chatham Public Library, and is funded by Poets & Writers, Inc. with public funds from the New York State Council of the Arts and the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York Legislature. The Library, is located at 11 Woodbridge Avenue in Chatham Village, and is handicapped accessible. For more information, call 392-3666.
