April is National Poetry Month. Here’s what’s happening in our area.
We're fortunate to have many poets in the region, including Goshen's own Bianca Stone, Vermont's Poet Laureate. Stone is reading poems and speaking about poetry weekly this month on Vermont Public Radio's "The Frequency". Last week she read "Dear Reader" by James Tate. Stone said, "A lot of the poems I love show a sort of paradox of things that can't be done, and yet we keep doing them anyway, and they keep working somehow."
Red Clover Open Mic. April 18, 5-7 p.m. at Red Clover, 43 Center Street, Brandon.
Be sure to attend the open mic evening at Red Clover, which features three poets: Ben Aleshire and Clare Welsh and Caitlin Gildrien. Ben has a photography studio and gallery in Brandon. Clare is an artist visiting from Pennsylvania whose work has been published by The Los Angeles Review, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Caitlin is a local artist, designer and poet. Each will read, then there will be about an hour for open mic. Everybody is invited to share a poem of their own or a poem they love by somebody else. Barbara from The Bookstore will be on hand with some poetry books for those who get inspired to read more.
Left to right: Ben Aleshire, Clare Welsh, Caitlin Gildrien
The Youth Alliance for Writers and Poets free annual writing contest
Calling all high school student writers! The Youth Alliance for Writers and Poets is hosting a free annual writing contest and exchange. Students in grades 9-12 are invited to submit writing of any genre in up to 3,000 words and anonymously read works from other young writers across the country. Every submission will receive peer feedback and join the Alliance's community of writers. Winning works will get publication, a certificate, and possible networking opportunities. Read contest details and rules. Submissions are accepted until Sunday, May 31, 2026. The submission form is here.
Library Workshop with Caitlin Gildrien. April 25, 2-3:30 p.m. at the Brandon Library, 4 Franklin Street, Brandon.
Caitlin Gildrien is leading a poetry workshop called "Dear Spring" that she describes: "It's a generative workshop, we will be writing new poems together, focusing on the epistolary form. Epistolary poems are written as letters to someone or something (such as a place, object, or idea). It's one of my favorite forms because it's very open and accessible (no rhyme schemes or meter to track), it feels a bit playful, and I find it frequently results in poems that surprise their writers." She says no experience is necessary, and that it will be a good place to start, with a first poem, or even for those who are more experienced. Spaces are limited. Please pre-register by emailing [email protected] or calling 802-247-8230.
And when you're in downtown Rutland...
...be sure to check out poems on display in the windows of downtown Rutland businesses during National Poetry Month. Poems are displayed from early April through the first week of May. The community is invited to celebrate by following the pop-up poetry path to read the poems in the window displays on individual and group journeys, typically culminating in a reading. 82 poems are now on display. The pop-up poetry path was created by The Paper Poet in collaboration with Phoenix Books Rutland and the Downtown Rutland Partnership. Find out about the upcoming walking tour here.
