In Memoriam: Turner Cassity, 1929-2009

Turner Cassity, a longtime board member of Poetry Atlanta and founder of the Poetry at Callanwolde series, died last Sunday. His poetry and community service will be missed.

From The New Georgia Encyclopedia: Poet, playwright, and short-story writer Turner Cassity has earned fame for his prolific publication of formal poetry. His work shares sentiments with the New Formalist movement that matured in the 1980s, exhibiting such characteristics as an avoidance of the autobiographical, a preference for meter and rhyme over free verse, stylized language, and the unfolding of a poem through narrative. Cassity's verse is known for its wit, humor, stringent satire, and iconoclastic views, as well as for its musicality.

Read the entire entry about Cassity at this link.

The Path Worn in the Grass Reading

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, more than 20 Atlanta poets took part in a marathon reading of Walt Whitman's Song of Myself. The event, The Path Worn in the Grass, was held at Composition Gallery to celebrate Whitman's 190th birthday. Rupert Fike, Tania Rochelle, Kodac Harrison, Karen G., Theresa Davis, Alice Lovelace, Collin Kelley, Stephen Bluestone, Karen Head, Franklin Abbott, Cleo Creech, Robin Kemp and many more took part. Cleo Creech created the slide show above. The event was organized by Rupert Fike and co-sponsored by Poetry Atlanta and Composition Gallery.

Remembering John Stone

Atlanta poet John Stone passed away on Nov. 6 after a battle with cancer at the age of 71. He was a brilliant poet and physician and we at Poetry Atlanta had the pleasure of hosting him two years ago at the Voices Carry reading. His writing and voice will be missed not only here in Atlanta, but to all those he touched with his work. For more about Dr. Stone, visit this link. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution article about his passing, poetry and indelible contributions to the medical field can be found at this link.

Remembering Shannon Leigh