Come and celebrate the 17th anniversary of the W. T. Bland Public Library’s Poetry Under the Oaks – the annual celebration of poetry and poets – on Saturday, April 18 starting at 11:00 a.m. Anyone may sign up to read their own poetry or their favorite poem. Remember to bring a lawn chair and your lunch and feed both your body and soul.
Celebrate national Poetry Month beneath the library’s oak trees. Enjoy the beauty of nature and the artistry of poets from Central Florida and beyond. Bring your lunch. Read a poem. Hear others read “What oft was thought, but ne’er so well express’d.”
If you would like to read poem ‘Under the Oaks”, you may sign up to read either in person at the W. T. Bland Public Library or by calling 735-7180 option 5. Warner Brown will be the moderator.
In addition there will be a free poetry workshop taught by special guest award winning poet M. B. McLatchey on Saturday, April 18th from 9:00am to 10:30am. Pre-registration is encouraged as space is limited – no more than 25 participants. Ms. McLatchey will also do a reading of her poetry at Poetry Under the Oaks.
M. B. McLatchey is a 2015 Florida Poet Laureate Nominee and recipient of the 2011 American Poet Prize. She is the author of two books of poetry, The Lame God, for which she won the 2013 May Swenson Award and Advantages of Believing forthcoming in May 2015. She has received several literary awards, most recently the Annie Finch Prize for Poetry and the Spoon River Poetry Review’s Prize. Her recently completed educational memoir, Beginner’s Mind is currently under contact for publication; excerpts from the memoir have been published in MEMOIR and were recently awarded the Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Award.
Poetry Under the Oaks will be held at the W. T. Bland Public Library located at 1995 N. Donnelly Street in Mount Dora. All Library programs are free and open to the public. In case of rain or threatening weather, the poetry reading will take place in the Library’s Community Room. For additional information, call (352) 735-7180 option 5.