EAST PALESTINE Library seeks entries for poetry festival

The deadline for submissions is 8 p.m. Thursday.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- The staff of East Palestine Memorial Public Library is seeking aspiring poets of all ages for the ninth annual poetry festival scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 24 at the library.
Dr. Jeff Buchanan of Youngstown State University's English department will review all poems submitted by 8 p.m. Thursday.
Lisa Rohrbaugh, library director, said the festival is an opportunity for people who enjoy writing and reading poetry to share their work with others.
Everyone who submits at least one poem and attends the festival will receive a gift, she said. Each person can submit up to three poems.
"Dust off those poems you stuck in a drawer years ago, or write some new ones," Rohrbaugh said. "The festival is very informal. It is meant to be fun, and anyone can participate."
Rohrbaugh said that during previous festivals, submissions came from all over the area. Pennsylvanians have submitted poems as well, with entries coming from as far away as Sewickley.
Finds feedback helpful
James Carmany of New Middletown has participated in previous festivals. He said he has written a lot of poems over the years, and found it helpful to have feedback from knowledgeable people such as Buchanan.
He said that since most of his poems are rhyming, it's good to hear other styles.
During the festival, participants will read their poems aloud. Buchanan will offer comments on the entries and the group will discuss them, Rohrbaugh said. Sometimes she or Buchanan will read poems if participants feel awkward doing so.
"Reading aloud gives poetry life that sometimes isn't there when you read it silently," Rohrbaugh said. "It's even more special when a poem is read by the person who wrote it."
She said besides making notes on poems beforehand and discussing the submissions during the festival, Buchanan will be available at the end of the evening to anyone who wants to discuss their work with him in a one-on-one session.
Rohrbaugh said she is grateful for Buchanan's willingness to be involved. She said that he has also moderated the library's annual prose festivals, and that he "volunteered for this" before she asked him.
Anyone wishing to submit poems for the festival can mail them or drop them off at the library at 309 N. Market St., East Palestine 44413, by fax at (330) 426-4950, or e-mail at eplibmail@yahoo.com.