Announcing Early Sign-up For Poetry Workshop Announcing Early Sign-up For Poetry Workshop Announcing Early Sign-up for Poetry Workshop
powerful, vivid metaphor and show you how to share your writing with the world via cutting-edge
social media marketing techniques. The workshop is a “Poet's Guide to Metaphor & Marketing.”
They'll first teach you how to make your poetry sing and then they'll show you how to sell it . There
will be small group exercises for writing and for pitching ideas.
The workshop will be Saturday, August 7,from 1-3 p.m. at the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC). The
postmark deadline for early-bird registration is Friday, July 9. Those, who register early receive a
discount on fees. The final mail-in registration date is Friday, July 30.
Seats will fill up fast, and the workshop is limited to the first 40 people registered.
“While being involved in the poetry scene in town, we've had people ask us about poetry workshops
and if there is one available,” said Woods. “The idea is for the workshop to be compact, but filled with
useful knowledge to help the poets to take their work to the next level.”
The MAC is located at 107 High Street beside of Hotel Morgan. Following the workshop, the Second
Annual Brewhaha will be held in downtown Morgantown. This one-of-a-kind event brings together
comedians, food and beer.
About the authors:
Ted Webb is a co-founding member of Morgantown Poets, a monthly event serving the
l literary arts community in north-central West Virginia. His poem, “Star Bus” was
recently selected for Mountain Line “Poetry on the Move” program. Webb's writing has
been published in Appalachian Sand & Gravel, West Virginia Words, Outstretch,
Appalachian Crier and Trillium, among other places.
Tamara Woods is also a co-founding member of Morgantown Poets. She has hosted
Tha.Speakeasy, a poetry slam open to the community since 2005. She has written for a
number of West Virginia newspapers including the Dominion Post and The Wheeling
News-Register. She currently blogs for Indyposted.
For registration information or to find out more about the workshop contact Ted Webb at:
tedwebb@care2.com or call: 304-285-8784
Kirk Judd featured by Mogantown Poets, April 15
| Poet, performance artist and West Virginia Writers, Inc. founding member Kirk Judd will be featured with Morgantown Poets at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 15, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC). |
Morgantown Poets features Elizabeth Savage

Author, educator and poetry editor Elizabeth Savage will be featured with Morgantown Poets at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 18, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
Morgantown Poets Spring Schedule 2010
Morgantown Poets extends a big THANK YOU to the authors who made our 2010 kick off event a great success. We were thrilled to see the gallery packed with many of our long time participants and friends as well as many new people we hope will join us again at future events. Thanks to our January featured authors Terry McNemar of Stonewood, author of "Ragdoll Angel," and Matt Anserello of Morgantown, author of "Cloud Shaped Room." One of our scheduled featured authors, Isaac Pressnell, was unable to attend due to the weather, but we are glad that he chose to be on the safe side, and weare very appreciative that Isaac was willing to volunteer to read with us in the first place.
Morgantown Poets Winter/Spring 2010 Schedule
(Note: All Morgantown Poets events are 7-9 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC), 107 High St. beside Hotel Morgantown,downtown Morgantown; for more information, email: morgantownpoets@yahoo.com)
Feb. 18 - Mark DeFoe, author of the poetry books, “Bringing Home Breakfast,” “Palmate,” “AIR,” “Aviary,” “The Green Chair,” and “Greatest Hits.”
March 18 - Elizabeth Savage, faculty member, Fairmont State University, poetry editor of Kestrel, FSU’s literary publication
(Note: WVU Spring Recess begins March 27.)
April 15 - Kirk Judd, performance artist and author of the poetry books, “Field of Vision” and “Tao Billy”
May 20 - Judy Byers, storyteller, folklorist, faculty member and director, The Frank and Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center, Fairmont State University
(Note: WVU Commencement is May 16.)
Morgantown Poets sends out a big THANK YOU to all our past and upcoming featured authors. THANK YOU all for volunteering your time and sharing your talents
with us. We wish you all the best with your work in 2010! Read More...
Morgantown Poet features Open Thread and three great authors

Three authors will launch Morgantown Poets winter/spring 2010 series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
T.W. (Terry) McNemar of Stonewood and poets Matt Anserello of Morgantown and Isaac Pressnell of Keyser will share their talents. Adam Atkinson, co-director and literary editor of Open Thread, a regional arts service organization, will introduce the poets.
The reading is free and open to the public. The MAC is at 107 High Street, downtown Morgantown (beside Hotel Morgan).
McNemar is a humor, short story and novel writer. His writing reflects the humanity, humor and conscience of everyday life, often in a strong Appalachian style. McNemar’s work has been featured in The Johns-Hopkins University ‘ScribblePress,’ the drama textbook, Young Women’s Monologues from Contemporary Plays, MountainEchoes, and Traditions, the literary journal of Fairmont State University. His novella, “Ragdoll Angel” (Booklocker, 2007), tells the story of a kidnapping in a small mountain village in 1952. McNemar is also the current president of West Virginia Writers, Inc.
Anserello holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from West Virginia University and lives in Morgantown with writer Emily C. Watson and two retired greyhounds. His poems have appeared in Bat City Review, Phoebe, Smartish Pace, and Versal, among others. Anserello is the West Virginia winner of the 2009 Open Thread Tri-State Chapbook Contest for his chapbook, “Cloud Shaped Room.”
Pressnell earned his Master of Fine Arts in poetry from WVU. His poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Tar River Poetry, Ninth Letter, DIAGRAM, Opium, Bravado, Lake Effect and OTQ: Open Thread Quarterly. He lives in Keyser where he teaches English at Potomac State College.
Emily Mitchell featured by Mgtn Poets


Novelist Emily Mitchell will be featured during Morgantown Poets 7 p.m. literary event Thursday, Nov. 19, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
The reading is free and open to the public. The MAC is at 107 High St., downtown Morgantown (beside Hotel Morgan).
Mitchell's first novel "The Last Summer of the World" was a finalist for the New York Public Library's Young Lion's Fiction Award in 2008.
"First time novelist Mitchell pulls off the dazzling trick of allowing readers to see through the eyes of art-photography pioneer Edward Steichen in her excellent reconsideration of his life and art," says Publishers Weekly. "This would be merely impressive if the book confined itself to the stormy end of Steichen's first marriage, a subtheme that gets its due and packs a psychological punch. Instead, Mitchell follows Steichen through his airborne reconnaissance work during WWI, providing a devastating portrait of the insanity of war in general and the Great War in particular... this commanding novel is about the images one can never quite burn from memory."
Read More...
Ethel Morgan Smith at Morgantown Poets
The reading is free and open to anyone interested in the arts. The MAC is at 107 High St., downtown Morgantown (beside Hotel Morgan).
Smith is the author of "From Whence Cometh My Help: The African American Community at Hollins College."
Her essay "Love Means Nothing" won the Mid-Atlantic Arts Prize for Nonfiction. "Outside of Dreams" has recently been published in "Shaping Memories: Reflections of African American Women Writers." Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Callaloo, African American Review, ThatMinorityThing.com, and other national and international outlets.
Smith has earned numerous awards and honors in the following literary and scholarly programs: Fulbright Scholar (Tubingen, Germany), Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship (Bellagio, Italy), DuPont Scholar (Randolph-Macon Woman's College), Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome, Visiting Scholar in the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Jane C. Camp Fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and others.
Her novel-in-progress, "The House of Flowers," placed second for the West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Competition, and her play for the stage, "African Violets," placed third for the same contest.
Smith is an associate professor of English at West Virginia University..
Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce). The MAC is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; please schedule ahead at least two days prior to the event by calling 304-906-7268, or write to info@monartscenter.com for more information. Read More...
Mgtn Poets features Stephen Earley Jordan II

Author, spoken word artist and cultural critic Stephen Earley Jordan II will be performing as a special guest of Morgantown Poets from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
The MAC is at 107 High St., Morgantown. The performance is being presented as an extra feature in addition to Morgantown Poets regular series of events. It is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available.
Jordan will be headlining the event with an opening spoken word performance by Ted Webb of Morgantown Poets.
"I'm thrilled Stephen is sharing his engaging work with the north-central West Virginia community," said Webb, who organizes the Morgantown Poets events at the MAC with Tamara Woods, Charlotte Firestone, Casie Fox and others. "Stephen's a multitalented writer and a dynamic speaker. This will definitely be a very special, unique performance in Morgantown you won't want to miss."
Jordan grew up in Huntington, graduating from Ceredo-Kenova High School (1995) and Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi (1999). He currently lives in Bronx, N.Y. Read More...
Morgantown Poets Fall/Spring Schedule (so far)
Oct. 15 - Ethel Morgan Smith, author of the nonfiction book, "From Whence Cometh My Help: The African American Community at Hollins College"
Nov. 19 - Emily Mitchell, author of the novel, "The Last Summer of the World"
(Note: WVU Thanksgiving Recess begins Nov. 21. Thanksgiving is Nov. 26....)
Dec. 17 - Sarah Robinson, "Guarding the Deep"
(Note: This falls on WVU Final Exam Week. WVU Winter Break begins Dec. 20. Christmas is Dec. 25.)
Morgantown Poets Spring Literary/Arts Series 2010
Jan. 21 - T.W. McNemar, author of the novel, "Ragdoll Angel"
Feb. 18 - Mark DeFoe, author of the poetry books, "Bringing Home Breakfast," "Palmate," "AIR," "Aviary," "The Green Chair," and"Greatest Hits"
March 18 - TBA
(Note: WVU Spring Recess begins March 27.)
April 15 - TBA
May 20 - TBA
(Note: WVU Commencement is May 16.)
Morgantown Poets features


Poet Mary Lucille DeBerry will be the featured reader during Morgantown Poets 7 p.m. literary event Thursday, Sept. 17, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
The reading is free and open to anyone interested in the arts. The MAC is at 107 High St., Morgantown. The event will be in Studio II upstairs.
DeBerry, a longtime resident of Morgantown, worked many years for West Virginia Public Television where she produced historical, cultural and public affairs series, segments and programs.
Her poems have appeared in Appalachian Heritage, Appalachian Journal, Hamilton Stone Review (Fall 2008: West Virginia Issue of the online journal), Now & Then, and Traditions. Her writing has also been published in the 2009 "Anthology of Appalachian Writers" and "Wild Sweet Notes - Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry." Read More...
Book Fair time at Barnes and Noble
Morgantown Poets to celebrate anniversary Aug. 28-30 at Barnes & Noble
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Morgantown Poets is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend (Aug. 28-30) with a special book fair event at Barnes & Noble.
The three-day event will feature free and open public readings by West Virginia authors. In addition, several area musicians will be performing throughout the weekend.
Barnes & Noble is located at the University Town Center, 3000 University Towne Centre Drive, just off the Star City exit off I-79, near Morgantown.
The book fair will serve as a fundraiser for Morgantown Poets so that the group can continue to conduct its regular monthly community-based literary arts gathering at the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC). (full press release after the click through)
If you are not available to attend the book fair or do not wish to make purchases at Barnes and Noble... donating directly to MAC is always the best way to support your local Arts and Culture center (or any non-profit)... which you can now do online!
Vouchers are available at MAC, all over this site and in our emails this month.
Click through below to see the full schedule and print a voucher. Read More...
Morgantown Poets features Dwight Harshbarger Aug. 20


Morgantown resident Dwight Harshbarger to be featured author Aug. 20 at MAC
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Author Dwight Harshbarger will be the featured speaker during Morgantown Poets 7 p.m. literary event Thursday, Aug. 20, 7-9PM at Monongalia Arts Center. Read More...
Morgantown Poets feature Ida Dorothy Stewart


Morgantown Poets’ literary event
7 p.m. Thursday, June 25
Monongalia Arts Center (MAC)
107 High St., Morgantown
The event will be in Studio II upstairs.
Ida Dorothy Stewart, a Morgantown native, poet & doctoral student at the University of Georgia, will be the featured author.
Following Stewart’s reading, the floor will be opened to any participant who wants to share his/her poetry, literature or talk about his/her art (painters, photographers, sculptors, actors, performers and other artists welcome).
Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce). The MAC is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; please schedule ahead at least two days prior to the event by calling 304-906-7268, or write to info@monartscenter.com for more information. Read More...
Morgantown Poets features FSU instructor Suzanne Heagy

Morgantown Poets meets May 21, 2009, 7-9:00 P.M.
This meeting has no associated fees for participation.
CONTACT: Ted Webb, Morgantown Poets
304-319-1762; morgantownpoets@care2.com
Morgantown Poets features FSU instructor Suzanne Heagy May 21
Suzanne Heagy, a faculty member at Fairmont State University, will be the featured speaker during Morgantown Poets’ 7 p.m. literary event Thursday, May 21, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
The reading is free and open to anyone interested in the arts.
Heagy is currently fiction editor at Kestrel, the literary journal of FSU, where she joined the Department of Language and Literature faculty in August 2008.
Her novel, “Meridian Inn,” was named a finalist in Sol Books Prose Selection Series 2008.
Heagy’s work has appeared in Dos Passos Review, Poetry Southeast, Oregon Review, Lynx Eye and Horizons, the annual publication of the South Carolina Writers Guild. Her writing will also be published this fall in Uphook Press' annual poetry anthology.
Heagy earned her undergraduate degree in English at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. She earned her master’s degree and doctorate in English/Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The author has lived in Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Currently, she lives and writes in Fairmont with her husband, Jim Heagy.
The MAC is at 107 High St., Morgantown. The event will be in Studio II upstairs.
Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce). The MAC is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; please schedule ahead at least two days prior to the event by calling 304-319-1762, or write to info@monartscenter.com for more information.
Morgantown Poets is an informal group in the community that meets from 7-9 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the MAC, providing literary enthusiasts the opportunity to express themselves, share their work, network and to connect up-and-coming writers with more established authors. New writers are welcome. Meetings usually begin with a spoken reading by a featured author that is followed by readings from attendees. Join Morgantown Poets’ mailing list by writing to morgantownpoets@care2.com or join the group on Facebook by entering “Morgantown Poets” in Facebook’s search.
Morgantown Poets

Morgantown Poets meets April 16, 2009, 7-9:00 P.M.
This meeting has no associated fees for participation.
CONTACT: Ted Webb, Morgantown Poets
304-319-1762; morgantownpoets@care2.com
Morgantown Poets features author, poetry teacher Susan Sailer April 16
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Susan Sailer, a published author and poetry teacher, will be the featured speaker during Morgantown Poets’ 7 p.m. literary event Thursday, April 16, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
The reading is free and open to anyone interested in the arts.
During the event, Sailer will share poems from her poetry manuscript, “Fault Zone,” as well as recent poems.
Sailer teaches a course in writing poetry each spring at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Morgantown. Her poems have appeared in Poetry International, Appalachian Heritage, Pearl, Pittsburgh City Paper, Kestrel, Voices from the Attic and 5 A.M. Indiana Review will also be publishing the author’s forthcoming book review of Jan Beatty’s third volume of poems.
The West Virginia Commission on the Arts in 2008 awarded Sailer a Professional Development Grant for Individual Artists that enabled her to spend last September in Albuquerque, N.M. revising “Fault Zone” for publication. The manuscript explores the January 2006 Sago Mine disaster.
Sailer previously taught 20th century Irish and British literature in the Department of English at West Virginia University. After retiring from WVU in 2000, she entered the low-residency Program in Poetry at New England College in Henniker, N.H., completing her master of fine arts degree in 2007. Her credentials also include a doctorate from University of Washington, as well as a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from The University of Chicago.
The author lives at Rock Lake, Marion County, with her partner Tom Miles.
The MAC is at 107 High St., Morgantown. The event will be in Studio II upstairs.
Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce). The MAC is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; please schedule ahead at 304-319-1762, or write to info@monartscenter.com for more information.
Morgantown Poets is an informal group in the community that meets from 7-9 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the MAC, providing literary enthusiasts the opportunity to express themselves, share their work, network and to connect up-and-coming writers with more established authors. New writers are welcome. Meetings usually begin with a spoken reading by a featured author that is followed by readings from attendees. Join Morgantown Poets’ mailing list by writing to morgantownpoets@care2.com or join the group on Facebook by entering “Morgantown Poets” in Facebook’s search.
Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce).
The MAC is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; please call ahead at 304-319-1762, email info@monartscenter.com for more information or view our Accessibility Information.
Morgantown Poets features nationally recognized author Sara Pritchard March 19
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sara Pritchard, whose writing has been acknowledged by the New York Times, will be the featured author during Morgantown Poets’ 7:30 p.m. literary event Thursday, March 19, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).
The reading is free and open to anyone interested in the arts.
Pritchard is the author of the novel-in-stories, “Crackpots” (Houghton Mifflin, 2003), which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and the linked-story collection, “Lately” (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).
She won the Bakeless Prize for Fiction in 2002, and has twice been the recipient of a West Virginia Literary Fellowship (2003, 2007).
Pritchard’s stories and essays have been published in Literal Latte, Arts & Letters, New Letters, The Mid-American Review, The Northwest Review, The Chattahoochee Review, and elsewhere.
The author is on the faculty of the Wilkes University Low-Residency M.A./M.F.A. Creative Writing Program in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Pritchard has an undergraduate degree in English from Susquehanna University and a master’s degree in creative writing from West Virginia University. The author lives in Morgantown, with her husband Kevin Oderman and their dogs, Fay and Brownie.
The MAC is at 107 High St., Morgantown. The event will be in Studio II upstairs.
Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce).
The MAC is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; please call ahead at 304-319-1762, email info@monartscenter.com for more information or view our Accessibility Information.
Morgantown Poets meets monthly, providing literary enthusiasts the opportunity to express themselves, share their work, network and to connect up-and-coming writers with more established authors. New writers are welcome. Meetings usually begin with a spoken reading by a featured author that is followed by a round robin of readings by attendees. Join Morgantown Poets’ e-mail list serve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/motownpoetry or join on Facebook by entering “Morgantown Poets” in Facebook’s search.