Today, on My Poetic Side, we focus on the exciting festival announced that will begin with an evening of poetry, film and music. We also look at the Cape Cod author, who is raising money for reproductive rights, and the Pope’s endorsement of poetry in training for future priests.
The B Side Festival
The B Side Festival has announced that it will be arranging an evening of music, poetry, and film for its arts and community celebration. The festival, which will take place between September 5 and Sunday, September 8 at Portland Marina, will be a celebration of cultural experiences, performance and art. The festival’s theme this year is ‘Who do we think you are?’. It explores the narratives of identity and migration and is inspired by the announcement of the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge. The festival launch evening will feature short films and a live sound poetry performance by Belinda Zhawi, who penned “Viva Voce”. This piece is a displacement-themed poem that powerfully explores the role of water in home and loss narratives.
Cape Cod author supports reproductive rights
A Cape Cod author, Susan Lambert, has released a new poetry book entitled “The Wild Edge Of The Heart: Women Poets Raise Their Voices”. The collection aims to bring together art and social justice as well as inspire the community to raise money for reproductive rights advocacy and to fund the push for better legislation.
As a licensed psychotherapist, Susan Lambert came up with the idea for the collection back in 2019. Throughout her time working on a podcast, she forged relationships with various poets, including Alexis Rhone Fancher and Mirabai Starr. Lambert then suggested compiling an audiobook before the pandemic hit, and the project was shelved.
A number of years later, the project was reinvigorated, and the collection now comprises 12 female poets from diverse cultures who extol themes of politics, love, and identity. Half of the audiobook’s proceeds will go to the National Institute for Reproductive Health.
Pope advocates for poetry as part of priests’ education
Pope Francis has recently penned a letter to extol the virtues of reading poems and novels and the use of such literature to train future priests. He speaks of the necessity of such literature as a vital part of ensuring those who undertake pastoral work truly understand those they are working with. His main point was that it is vital to listen to even challenging voices. Poetry and literature can counterbalance the cultural vacuum some find themselves in and could mean that challenging views go unheard, which may be detrimental.
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