Off the Coast literary journal will join 24 other small presses from the northeast to participate in the 2009 Massachusetts Poetry Festival's Small Press Fair on Saturday, October 17, in historic downtown Lowell, MA. The Small Press Fair will be located at 45 Middle Street, Lowell, MA 01852, site of the former Bombay Mahal Indian Restaurant, and will run from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
The festival will highlight small press publishing at the fair to show its importance to the craft of poetry-without a small press culture, there is no sustainable American Poetic Tradition. At the Fair, editors and publishers of the presses and magazines will have their books and journals for sale and be available to "talk shop." Many of the presses will be offering discounts and deals. This will be a central location for the festival and will also host book signings from featured poets.
Off the Coast, now in its fifteenth year of publication, has long been a respected member of the small press community. The journal's editors, Valerie Lawson and Michael Brown of Robbinston, Maine, believe small presses and literary magazines are the lifeblood and testing ground for all writers. Though a small handful of writers break through to major houses, there is a much larger voice that would go unheard if not for small presses and literary magazines. At Off the Coast we feel honored to publish fabulous poems by many writers as yet unknown to readers and to fulfill our mission to become recognized around the world as New England?s international poetry journal, a publication that prizes quality, diversity and honesty in its publications and in its dealings with poets. For more information about Off the Coast, including submissions and subscriptions, visit: www.off-the-coast.com
Historically, Massachusetts has been a center of American poetry and home to numerous great writers, small presses, literary publications, and poetry groups. The Massachusetts Poetry Festival, now in its second year, was founded in conjunction with the Massachusetts Poetry Outreach Project as an annual festival to celebrate the array of literary talent throughout the Commonwealth.
This year's festival includes readings, workshops, and panel discussions that focus on creating a discourse between writers, educators, and poetry enthusiasts. The small press/magazine fair will showcase fine publications currently active and provide an opportunity for writers to meet editors and representatives of these publications.
The festival kicks off with events throughout the state on Thursday evening, October 15. Friday, October 16, the festival opens in Lowell with readings and other events throughout the day and evening. Saturday, October 17 will be another day of readings and events, including the Small Press Fair and the headline event with readings by Robert Pinsky, Louise Gluck, Anne Waldman, and Afaa Weaver. For complete festival information: www.masspoetry.org.
For more information:
Contact: Valerie Lawson
Phone: 207/454-8026
email: soshorepoet@aol.com
WWW: www.off-the-coast.com
