The Massachusetts Poetry Festival 2016

Faculty and a senior student from the University of Maine Farmington will read excerpts from their diverse works and discuss a variety of approaches to making a living (and a life) as a poet. Points of discussion will include the role of teaching, the workshop as pedagogical practice, the relationship of contemporary poetry to the academy, and the complexities involved in balancing the demands of art with the demands of paid work. This panel features writers at four different stages of their careers. The panel welcomes discussion with audience members working to fashion their own writing lives and will draw strength from the variety of experiences the panelists had prior to teaching as they were building their writing lives.