Live Poetry: Poetry for Dummies with John Timpane & more

Wednesday, June 3rd @ 7pm ET

Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia 19107

Poetry for Dummies, Second Edition, has dropped. It’s not for dummies; it’s for the same everyone poetry is for! John, former editor/writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer and a longtime face in the Philly poetry crowd, celebrates the second edition of a book he first wrote in 2000. How did he get to write two editions of Poetry for Dummies separated by 26 years? He’ll tell the wacky tale. And exactly how has the poetry world changed in between? That’s a great story, too. PFD2 takes readers on a tour of * poetry itself – * reading and interpretation – * the 5500-year history of the art – * the craft of writing poetry, both formal and open-form, along with exercises and examples of revision; and   * the communication-age poetry world, including online communities, reading groups, beta-readers, open-mics, slams, and publication.  We also learn the ways of the Entrepreneurial Poet (if you want to be one).

We’ll also have readings by Philly-area poets featured in PFD2, including:

Charles Carr, Mark Donowsky, Valerie Fox, Ernest Hilbert, Lynn Levin, Joanne Leva, Donald Riggs, and more! And there will be books on sale.

Come celebrate Poetry for Dummies, the book Lawrence Ferlinghetti called “wonderful” because it “demystifies poetry for all.”

Your host: John Timpane