Art on the Trails 2017: Poetry Walk and Closing Ceremony to celebrate art, poetry, nature and community this Sunday, September 24th, 4-6pm at Beals Preserve

The public is invited to the Poetry Walk and Closing Ceremony of Art on the Trails 2017 – Finding Solace in the Woods at Beals Preserve in Southborough on Sunday, September. 24, from 4-6 p.m.

At 4 pm Catherine Weber, program director, will deliver a brief introduction at the main entrance, and State Representative Carolyn Dykema will speak, followed by a moving poetry reading at 4:15, when the group will proceed with the Poetry Walk, visiting each of the 15-art installation along the trail.

During the Poetry Walk, the 13 selected poets, led by the editors Cynthia Franca and Maura Snell, will read their original poems in respond to each artwork displayed at the trail.

At each station, Maura and Cynthia will introduce the reading poets and wait until the audience comes together before reading each poem. After the last poem, the group will walk back together, and join the reception at the Kiosk, celebrating together the project.

The book
The chapbook is a beautiful collection of ekphrastic poetry written in response to the art exhibited at Beals Preserve in Southborough, MA all through the summer of 2017. From emerging to established, the poets and artists whose work is included here is a stunning commentary on how art connects the individual to the community, to nature, and to the world.

Each poem speaks to the unique experience the poet has in connecting with the art and each art piece in turn links with nature, and the community that comes to Beals Preserve, thus completing a wonderful cycle of human experience with nature, art, and words.  

The chapbook will include the selected poems and the art installations that inspired them will be available for sale on that day for $15 (cash or check). All proceeds of the sale of these books will help fund future Art on the Trails exhibitions.  All poems submitted will appear on artonthetrails.com

The poets
After reading work from over 20 local and regional poets, jurors Maura Snell and Cynthia Franca have selected 25 poems by 13 writers for inclusion in a chapbook which features both the art and poetry and is generously published by The Tishman Review.

Kiera Akus – Southborough
Brian Bogosian – Worcester
Chelsea Bradway – Southborough 
Lisa Breger – Wayland 
Cynthia Franca – Hopkinton
Trisha Knudsen – Northborough
Moira Linehan – Reading
Michele Mendelson – Northborough
Mary Pinard – Roslindale
Carla Schwartz – Framingham
Maura Snell – Westboroutgh 
Lawrence Spezzano –Southborough 
Catherine Weber – Southborough 

Parking
As the Poetry Walk begins at the Main Entrance of Beals Preserve, the public can use 144 Main Street, Southborough in their GPS. 

The organizers recommend to park at Chestnut Hill Farm at 7 Chestnut Hill Road or in the Field adjacent to the preserve, on Route 30 (Main Street).  Refreshments will be served in the gathering time before the reading, and during the reception afterward. 

If you have questions, please email the program director Catherine Weber at cweber@artonthetrails.com or call 508-523-3605

 



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