The College of Southern Maryland's Spring 2016 Connections series will feature Naomi Shihab Nye, Michael Glaser and Demetria Martinez, three award-winning poets and authors all of whom explore, as Connections Coordinator and CSM Professor Neal Dwyer explains, “how poetry can help us address the complex issues of our times, prod us to more fully embrace our own humanity and shine light on the ways that the long arc of history may bend toward the arc of justice and peace.”
A prolific poet, Nye has been a Lannan Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow and a Witter Bynner Fellow in addition to having been awarded numerous honors including awards from the International Poetry Forum and the Texas Institute of Letters. She was selected by W.S. Merwin for the Academy of American Poets' Lavan Award and was elected a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2009. Her poetry, marked by her humanitarian spirit, gives voice to her heritage and experience as an Arab-American.
Nye will read from and discuss her work in the framework of an informal conversation with Glaser, who served as Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2004 to 2009. He is professor emeritus at St. Mary's College of Maryland and serves on the board for the Maryland Humanities Council. A co-leader of retreats which embrace poetry, both through writing and reading, as a means of self-reflection and personal growth, Glaser has published seven collections of poetry, edited three anthologies and co-edited a collection of the poems of Lucille Clifton.
Martinez is an author, poet, activist and journalist based in New Mexico. Her work is particularly relevant, Dwyer noted, at a time when issues of immigration have generated national debate and passions. She considers her writing and activism as ways to explore and bridge borders between people. “Being an activist is where I find meaning,” she has said. “Involvement with something larger than myself compels me to write.” Her novel “Mother Tongue,” which won a Western States Book Award for Fiction, is based in part on her 1988 trial in which she was acquitted of the charge of smuggling Salvadoran refugees into the country. Martinez teaches creative writing in all genres including poetry workshops at a youth detention center.
Connections readings will be held with Nye and Glaser at 7:30, March 3, at the La Plata Campus, Fine Arts Center, and with Martinez at 7:30 p.m., April 1, at the Leonardtown Campus, Building A, Auditorium. Rounding out the series will be the Connections literary magazine publication reading at 7:30 p.m., May 6, at the La Plata Campus, Center for Business and Industry, Dr. John M. Sine Conference Room, BI-103.
Deadline is March 17 to submit poetry, short stories or black-and-white photography for consideration in the magazine.
Tickets for the March and April Connections Readings are $3 in advance or with a CSM student ID, or $5 at the event. The Connections Magazine Reading May 6 is free.
For advance tickets, contact the CSM Box Office at bxoffc@csmd.edu or 301-934-7828. For information on Connections, study guides and author links visit www.csmd.edu/Connections. Books featured are available at any CSM College Store or online at www.csmd.edu/CollegeStore.
Calendar Listings
CSM's Connections Literary Series: An evening with Naomi Shihab Nye in conversation with Michael S. Glaser. 7:30 p.m., March 3, College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Fine Arts Center, Theater, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata. CSM's Connections Literary Series welcomes author Naomi Shihab Nye in conversation with Michael S. Glaser, Maryland Poet Laureate from 2004-09. This program will explore how poetry can help us address the complex issues of our times. Tickets are $3 advanced sale through the CSM box office and $3 at the door with a student ID. General admission at the door is $5. 301-934-7828 or www.csmd.edu/Connections.
CSM's Connections Literary Series: Connections Magazine Publication Submission Deadline. March 17. Deadline to submit poetry, short stories, or black-and-white photography for Spring 2016 issue of Connections Magazine. Guidelines for submission are available at www.csmd.edu/connections.
CSM's Connections Literary Series: Demetria Martinez. 7:30 p.m., April 1, College of Southern Maryland, Leonardtown Campus, Building A, Auditorium, 22950 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown. CSM's Connections Literary Series welcomes author, poet and activist, Demetria Martinez to read from and discuss her work. Tickets are $3 advanced sale through the CSM box office and $3 at the door with a student ID. General admission at the door is $5. 301-934-7828 or www.csmd.edu/connections.
CSM's Connections Literary Series: Connections Magazine Publication Reading. 7:30 p.m., May 6, College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus, Center for Business and Industry, Room 103-104. Contributors to the Spring 2016 issue of Connections will read from and discuss their works. Free. 301-934-7828 or www.csmd.edu/connections.