April 21, 2023

Celebrate PoetryMonth!

South Windsor Poets

Did You know South Windsor has a new Poet Laureate?

Two in fact! Steve Straight has been named South Windsor's New Poet Laureate and Ria Saxena has been named South Windsor's First Student Poet Laureate.

This week's Musings from Main takes a look at South Windsor's Poets Laureate, past and present, and showcases two poems from Steve Straight's latest book of poetry, Affirmation. If you enjoy poetry, come out and meet our new Poet Laureate Steve Straight, at a free author event this Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 7pm.

Steve will read a selection of his poems, and then lead a discussion with Q & A. He will also have signed copies of his books, including his latest release, Affirmation available for purchase. We hope to see you!

Charles Margolis:
South Windsor's Previous Poet Laureate

Charles Margolis has been South Windsor's Poet Laureate since November 2009.  A retired art teacher, Charles is author of the poetry book, Class Dismissed, A Teacher Says Goodbye.  Charles was the committee chair for both South Windsor Voices, an anthology featuring the poems of South Windsor residents and South Windsor Voices 2: Thoughts of School; School of Thoughts, a book of short stories about school.

Charles is also a founding member of the Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate (CCPL) the mission of which is to promote the enjoyment of poetry and be a resource for communities.

South Windsor's New Poet Laureate:
Steve Straight

Steve Straight was named South Windsor's new Poet Laureate on March 6, 2023. He is a retired professor of English and former director of the poetry program at Manchester Community College. A South Windsor resident, Steve often times uses his everyday surroundings as inspiration for his poetry, as illustrated by the poem below, "Wildlife Trail".  Perhaps you live on one of the streets he references in this poem.

Wildlife Trail

Perhaps it was naïve of me
to turn down Apple Orchard Lane
past the new McMansions
with their pairs of spindly new maples
and expect to find at the end of the street
an apple orchard.

I should have known
there are no longer foxes on Fox Run,
no blueberry bushes sagging with fruit
on Blueberry Circle, and of course
no old farm on Old Farm Road,
no farm at all.

Eventually it dawned on me
that the one thing I would not see
on Pheasant Way, Quail Run, and Woodcock Lane
is a pheasant or a quail or a woodcock,
all having long ago departed
for some small remaining rectangle of space. 

Named for what they replace, or drive out, 
like the generic doom of Wild Life Trail,
they might as well be called Dodo Avenue, or
Passenger Pigeon Place, or Woolly Mammoth Terrace.

Why not some honest names
for these mausoleum streets:
Overconsumption Highway,
maybe, or Entitlement Circle,
or perhaps just the Boulevard of Greed.

"Wildlife Trail" and "Glitter" are from Steve's latest book of poetry, Affirmation (2022) for which he was recently presented with the 2023 William Meredith Award in Poetry. Former Connecticut Poet Laureate Margaret Gibson has described his work as "restorative, playful and wise poems by one of Connecticut's best poets."

Steve's previous full-length collections include The Almanac (2012) and The Water Carrier (2002), which was a finalist for the Connecticut Book Award in Poetry.

“Steve Straight is a poet of everyday experience whose disarmingly casual voice can lead the reader into deeper waters of insight and modest epiphanies. Every one of the poems in The Almanac achieves that rare thing in the streets of contemporary poetry: they are just plain interesting.” —Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003)

Don't miss our upcoming event celebrating National Poetry Month visit www.WoodMemorialLibrary.org for more details.

Sources used for this Musing are listed below.

- Charlie Margolis page of the Connecticut Center for the Book website, accessed April 20, 2023.

- Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate (CCPL) website, accessed April 20, 2023.

- Steve Straight is Presented with the 2023 William Meredith Award in Poetry, The William Meredith Foundation website, accessed April 20, 2023.

- The William Meredith Foundation website, accessed April 20, 2023.