A Call for Poets for Leaves of Tree of Life—A Virtual Verse Night

Poetry will return to the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry with a special evening of verse via Zoom on Saturday, December 11 from 7 to 9 pm.  Patrick Murfin will host Leaves of Tree of Life—A Virtual Verse Night and is issuing a call for participants.

Patrick Murfin, seen reading at a Tree of Life Coffee House in 2019,  will host Leaves of Tree of Life--A Virtual Verse Night.

There are ten slots available of up to, but not more than 10 minutes.  We welcome original work in any style from the McHenry County area.  Poets will have the option of logging onto the program live or submitting a recording.  Technical details will be forthcoming.

Please send a short two or three sentence statement to be used for introductions. 

The program will be free to the public, but donations to the Compassion for Campers program will be accepted and appreciated.  It is one of the Happy Together Events offered by the congregation to connect and celebrate the community.

Contact Patrick Murfin at pmurfin@sbcglobal.net before November 30.

 

Poets Gather for June Reading at Warp Corps

With Coronavirus restrictions finally lifted the monthly poetry reading hosted by Kenneth Balmes and Patrick Murfin will return for the third month at Warp Corps, 114 North Benton Street in Woodstock a 7 pm, Wednesday June 9.

These reading were the first reopening of the lively McHenry County poetry scene when they were launched in April.  Poets spanning generations and styles have participated.

Poets are invited to sign in and the public is invited to enjoy their work.  The event is free of charge.  Coffee is available and participants are invited to bring the other beverages of their choice.

Poetry Night at Warp Corps Spans Generations

When Poetry Night at Warp Corps ushered in a revival of the live spoken word scene in McHenry County as Coronavirus restrictions finally began to ease last month something remarkable happened.  The poets who read their work spanned generations.  About half of the readers who gathered that night were veterans and regulars on the lively local poetry scene north of 60.  The other half were young people 14 to maybe 20 who find congenial support and a safe haven at Warp Corps, the skate board/art/yoga shop on the Square in Woodstock that also does extensive social service outreach. 

Although generations were missing between the two groups, each found an eager and supportive audience.  And they learned a lot about each other in the process.  The young people wrote with great feeling about their lives and angst that goes with growing up and not quite fitting in with expectations or assigned identities.  The older generation recognized a lot of their own youthful experiences in them.  The youthful poets learned that the elders felt deeply and still saw the world with wonder, that they, too, loved, grieved, and celebrated.

Kenneth Balmes and Patrick Murfin, conveners and hosts of the program hope to see the connections blossom again this month—and maybe even hear a voice or two from those missing  cohorts—this Wednesday, May 12 from 7 to 9 pm at Warp Corps, 114 North Benton Street in Woodstock.  Poets are encouraged to bring those pent-up verses to share for the Open Mic. 

Covid-19 precautions will be observed.  Masks are required and seating will be spaced for social distance.  In keeping with current guidelines for indoor events, attendance will be limited to 20.

The reading is free and open to the public.  Coffee and water will be available.  Guests can bring other beverages of their own including wine and beer for the adults.

Poets in Resistance II Postponed Due to Coronavirus

The Poets in Resistance II program scheduled for Friday night, March 13 at the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry has been postponed due to a recommendation by the McHenry County Department of Health that all gatherings of 50 persons or more be suspended due to Coronavirus concerns.

“We look forward to rescheduling this event after the health emergency has passed” said Patrick Murfin Tree of Life Social Justice Team Chair and organizer of the program.