Poet Laureate

Some closed their eyes, as though depicting on a canvas in their own minds the words that escaped a deep, gentle voice. Others bowed their heads, as if to let the words wash over them, saturating their skin. Such was the scene at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts on Friday when Maryland's poet laureate Stanley Plumly took the stage to wax poetic before an audience of a about 60 people. Some, like Nan Roberts, 39, came for influence. “I attempt to write poetry, and I wouldn't mind the inspiration from this,” said Roberts, of Hagerstown.

Stanley Plumly has received many awards and published many books in his long career in poetry. And for the past four years, the University of Maryland, College Park English professor has been Maryland's poet laureate. But this particular honor doesn't go to his head. “I guess it's an honor. I was talked into it,” Plumly said by phone from his office in College Park, Md. “The governor (Martin O'Malley) is very good. He's very literate. And he loves to quote poems. He knows a lot of old Irish poems.

1. Parade of pride Smithsburg Pride Days opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 17. Events on Saturday, May 18, include: 7 a.m. all-you-can-eat breakfast at fire hall; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. food and craft vendors, live music and displays at library; 11 a.m. parade (shown) on new route; fireworks at dusk. Events on Sunday, May 19, include: 8 a.m. community worship; noon to 5 p.m. food and craft vendors, live music. Events at Veterans Park and throughout town of Smithsburg. Call 301-824-7722.

pepperb@herald-mail.com Arizona summers pointed a young Michael Collier to the cool comfort of his hometown library, giving him a bookish upbringing that brought the now state poet laureate to Washington County Free Library on Tuesday in hopes of luring area residents back to the lyrical language. Collier, who was named poet laureate of Maryland by former Gov. Parris Glendening in 2001, spun in poetry stories of his childhood memories and adulthood epiphanies for more than 30 listeners Tuesday night in the lower level of the county library.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Poetry, said Matthew Kearney, a Mercersburg Academy English teacher, in his introduction of former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky Monday, is "where the spoken word connects the speaker and listener so intimately. " Pinsky was the fourth of five speakers in the academy's 2003-04 lecture series. Pinsky's topic was ethics and morals and the first thing he told the audience that nearly filled the school's chapel was that he wasn't a Christian.

shappell@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Michael Glaser said he often is the first person to remind others that just because he is Maryland's current poet laureate that does not mean he is the best poet in the state. One could hardly come to that conclusion on Monday as a group of about 40 people at Hagerstown Community College hung on his every utterance and, aside from the occasional chuckle, made nearly none of their own. Glaser, who spoke at Kepler Theater, was chosen for the 17th Annual Kreykenbohm Lecture, a series dedicated to Helen Kreykenbohm, who began her long stint at the college as a teacher in 1946, said Terrie Angle, chair of the college's English and humanities department.

HAGERSTOWN Of all of the challenges teachers face, the one that Maryland's poet laureate presented Friday was one they welcomed. "I think we all got into teaching because we believe in developing a great human being," said Michael Glaser, the state poet laureate. "Sometimes, it's hard to remember that in the face of all this testing, which is never for the quality of the student's life, but for how well they take tests. " Glaser, who teaches at St. Mary's College of Maryland, read and discussed his poems for students, teachers and literature buffs on Thursday, said Martin Potash, coordinator of secondary English for Washington County Public Schools.

Poetry in school often feels more like shop class than English. Teachers ask you to take a poem apart, line by line, word by word, cog by cog. They want you to spread it across your desk and dismantle its meaning. Poetry becomes mechanical. A chore. Perhaps that's why some people don't like poetry. Or maybe it's because teens never like the poems they have to read in class. They think they're dusty, pompous and dead. Poetry is not dead. Poetry doesn't have to be boring. Poetry is not limited to the girl in the corner of the cafeteria comparing her love for Josh to a hungry raven.

Northern Middle places third in color guard competition The Northern Middle School Indoor Color Guard was awarded third place in the Keystone Indoor Drill Association competition at Linganore High School on Feb. 4. The group is under the direction of Danielle Myers-Cox and Jess Sasser. Poet laureate to read at Western Heights Middle Michael Glaser, poet laureate of Maryland, will read and discuss his poetry Thursday, March 30, from 7 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium at Western Heights Middle School, according to a press release from Washington County Public Schools.

Tonight The Orion Society will host a Mid-Summer's Day celebration at Antietam National Battlefield with music, luminaires, poetry and more. There will be a rededication by Barry Lopez, poetry readings by Pattiann Rogers and past Poet Laureate of the United States Robert Hass. Award-winning writer Terry Tempest Williams will introduce an open forum. The free program starts at 7:45 p.m. and is open to the public. The Orion Society is an environmental education organization that supports a network for grassroots environmental and community organizations across North America.

Some closed their eyes, as though depicting on a canvas in their own minds the words that escaped a deep, gentle voice. Others bowed their heads, as if to let the words wash over them, saturating their skin. Such was the scene at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts on Friday when Maryland's poet laureate Stanley Plumly took the stage to wax poetic before an audience of a about 60 people. Some, like Nan Roberts, 39, came for influence. “I attempt to write poetry, and I wouldn't mind the inspiration from this,” said Roberts, of Hagerstown.

Stanley Plumly has received many awards and published many books in his long career in poetry. And for the past four years, the University of Maryland, College Park English professor has been Maryland's poet laureate. But this particular honor doesn't go to his head. “I guess it's an honor. I was talked into it,” Plumly said by phone from his office in College Park, Md. “The governor (Martin O'Malley) is very good. He's very literate. And he loves to quote poems. He knows a lot of old Irish poems.

1. Parade of pride Smithsburg Pride Days opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 17. Events on Saturday, May 18, include: 7 a.m. all-you-can-eat breakfast at fire hall; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. food and craft vendors, live music and displays at library; 11 a.m. parade (shown) on new route; fireworks at dusk. Events on Sunday, May 19, include: 8 a.m. community worship; noon to 5 p.m. food and craft vendors, live music. Events at Veterans Park and throughout town of Smithsburg. Call 301-824-7722.

The Rohrersville Cornet Band of Washington County will open its 277th season Sunday, May 19.   The spring concert in the band hall on Main Street in Rohrersville  will begin at 3 p.m.  Holly Feather will direct the band as it performs concert favorites and introduces new compositions. Sherry Kemp (flute) and Jack Emanuelson (trumpet) will be featured soloists. The concert is free and open to all. Donations are accepted and appreciated. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 301-992-9767 or go to www.rohrersvilleband.com . Halfway  Little League selling discount cards Halfway Little League has discount cards available.

Ron Ballard named Senior Poet Laureate for Maryland

Hagerstown Community College Professor Emeritus Ronald L. Ballard has been awarded senior poet laureate for Maryland for 2009. Ballard entered the contest in June with two poems, one of which was chosen for the national competition. His winning poem is titled "In the Hedge Apple Forest. " Ballard retired in 2006 from HCC, where he taught English and philosophy for 36 years.

HAGERSTOWN -- Linda Pastan's poems are like pages from an ordinary person's diary. There are thoughts about love and loss, children and spouses, and the mundane chores of the day. Some musings are sad, some are flecked with humor, others are a little irreverent. But all of her writings come from the soul. Pastan has been writing poetry since she was 10 years old. Now in her 70s, she has published 12 books, has won numerous awards, including, in 2003, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for lifetime achievement and was Maryland's Poet Laureate from 1991-95.

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Washington County Free Library, in partnership with the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, is pleased to present "A Reading and Conversation with Poet Linda Pastan. " Pastan will read her poetry at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m. A reception will follow the reading. Maryland Poet Laureate from 1991 to 1995, Pastan has won a Ruth Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award for her work, among other honors.

Writing about death was productive for poet Michael Collier, who collected elegies for his book "Dark Wild Realm," but the writing certainly was not therapeutic. "These poems come from a profound sense of loss," Collier said of the book that is the cumulative effect of losing several close friends in a short period of time. "Writing about loss is a way of keeping alive what you felt for people you love and miss," he said. "That helps, but you never get over their dying. It's not therapeutic.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - This year's Sotto Voce Poetry Festival will be the biggest yet, with nearly five times the number of registrants and more poets and workshops than it had when it started in 2005. Sotto Voce (pronounced "SOT-toh VOH-chee") is a free yearly festival of workshops and poetry readings led by prominent national poets and regional writers. The event starts Friday and wraps up Sunday, with events scheduled at various places in Shepherds-town. Workshops and readings will be led by seven writers: Michael Collier, Steve Orlen, Richard Garcia, Amy Holman, Katherine Williams, Alan Tinkler and Christa Mastrangelo.