Former Poets Laureate
| Maren Tirabassi | Robert Dunn | John Perrault | Mimi White |
Mimi White
Mimi White, poet and teacher, was poet laureate from 2005-2007. She has been working for over twenty-five years with students of all ages to help them create original and authentic work, be it poetry, memoir or non fiction writing. Mimi White has worked in a variety of settings including schools, libraries, prisons, residencies for the elderly, and universities. She has been a member of the faculty at the University of New Hampshire, Northern Essex Community College, and Lesley University. Her poems have been published in dozens of journals. They include Poetry, Harvard Review, West Branch, The Seattle Review, Yankee and Rivendell. Her book of poems, "The Last Island" was published in 2008.
Read some of Mimi White's poetry.
Read about her What is Home project .
John Perrault
John Perrault practices law, teaches literature, and writes.
His The Ballad of Louis Wagner and other New England Stories in Verse, published by
Peter Randall, is being distributed by University Press of
John is available for readings, concerts, and writing workshops. He also presents a ballad
program for libraries, historical societies, schools and other non-profit organizations
through the New Hampshire Humanities Council entitled "The Ballad Lives." For
information, please go to www.nhhc.org -type in
"John Perrault" and follow the links. He is also on the New Hampshire State
Council on the Arts Touring Roster. Go to www.nh.gov/nharts
-click on "arts & artists" and follow links. John's website is at www.johnperrault.com He may be contacted
directly at rockweed@comcast.net
John's project as poet laureate was to pair artists and poets to create a combined work, displayed in various public locations in Portsmouth. Find out where here.
| Third Shift Hunching over his overtime work he watches words rattle down the line minding the verbs how they vibrate minding the sound of the nouns scooping out duds for the bin-- all night he labors under the overhead lamp making little black widgets according to type stacks them in stanzas labels the tops wraps them up ready to ship out invoices tucked inside. by John Perrault |
|
Maren Tirabassi
Maren C. Tirabassi is author or editor of eleven books. New this year are Daybook
For New Voices with her daughter Maria I. Tirabassi, Transgendering Faith -
Identity, Sexuality and Spirituality with Leanne McCall Tigert and The Artist's
Hand a book and CD collaboration with singer/songwriter Bryan Sirchio. Celebrating its
“first anniversary” is the holiday spoken word CD -- Sticky Mittens and Angel
Feet with Yankee humorists Neil English and Rebecca Rule. Portsmouth Poet Laureate
from 2001-2003 her first project was the book Portsmouth Unabridged - New Poems for an
Old City which boasted more than ninety local poets from age nine to one hundred. Her
second year she ran a “Humor in Poetry”’ festival. Maren teaches poetry in
a wide range of settings and travels as a facilitator for United Church of Christ
(Congregational) workshops and conferences.
| Bang and Spangle in
Portsmouth |
||
| This
fourth of July I am little proud to be american, as we pursue our unjust war against people starved by our embargo, whose tyrants we created, eat our grotesque carb-less meals, drive our belugas, choose for president the madman with the stuffed god in his pocket. Circling the tattered remains of parade are boys on decorated bicycles while girls with glow circles in their hair sit on blankets. One old man with a slice of blueberry pie held like a blue-mouthed duck’s bill is entertaining a toddler wearing chocolate ice cream. I find my place on the hill above this little New Hampshire town and pray that it is not willingness to be deceived that makes us stare into the night at shooting stars, but something deeper a waiting to be surprised by beauty, by hope for tomorrow. I will start by believing in fireworks, and just maybe I can fumble my way back to the country. by Maren C. Tirabassi |
Maren Tirabassi  |
|
Robert Dunn
Robert is a "recovering poet laureate" and longtime resident of Portsmouth who
has, on occasion, distributed copies of his poems to people he met on his walks around
town. One of Robert's undertakings as poet laureate was to bring poems out into the street
and we can now enjoy various
works around the city and in the parking garage. In 1997, during his tenure, the Poetry Hoot was born. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire.
Robert says he is "an apple picker, currently celebrating his salad days."
He recently published I Hear
America Singing.
| Rumors I hear you can tell the trees apart by the sound of the wind in their branches: The sighing of the pines is nothing at all like the wind in the willows. Elms in full foliage gently rustle, aspen are easily rattled. All under the leaves of life they tend: Oaks to creak at a higher pitch and maples more apt to tap imperiously at your window. And I have heard the news and so have you, so let us talk of things indifferent. And the wind will tell the trees apart by the rumors passing through. by Robert Dunn |
Robert Dunn © Photo: Nancy G. Horton |
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Esther Buffler
Esther came to poetry later in life from a long career in story telling and
professional theater. She devoted the last 25 years of her life to writing, teaching and
sharing her talents in New Hampshire.
She staged a touring production about American women poets, was poet in residence at star
island
and promoted poetry in local schools. She published five collections of poetry
including Only Now.
She produced the audio CD compilation "High on Poetry with
Esther Buffler and Friends" highlighting the best of the Portsmouth Poet Laureate
Program of 1998. Her last book, It's All Ahead, is published by Phineas Press and
is available at RiverRun book store. Esther died in August, 2002 at the age of 93.
Currently a fund in her memory supports an annual poetry residence in the Portsmouth
schools.
| No Skirmish at 80 A great pile of things; coming up at 90 can be even more; who cares? Amazingly memory does. by Esther Buffler |
Esther Buffler  |
Buy
"High on Poetry - With Esther Buffler and Friends"