Sketchbook: A Journal for Eastern & Western Short Forms
Global Correspondent Report
Helen Bar-Lev
Report from Israel
12 December, 2006
Johnmichael Simon and I returned from a two-month tour of the Northeastern USA and Canada , the Northwestern USA and Canada on 5 October 2006. While there we were guest poets of the CPA at the Chocolate River Festival in New Brunswick 25.8.06 – 27.8.06 organized by Donna Allard, CPA President; in Hamilton Ontario 2 September where we met with Katherine L. Gordon, James Deahl, Ellen Jaffe and wonderful others; in Boston, guests of Doug Holder of the Ibbetson Press at the Newton Free Library; in Vancouver, guests of the World Poetry people, Ariadne Sawyer and Alejandro Mujica-Olea.
We returned elated from these wonderful meetings and readings and down to business immediately with getting the Voices Israel Annual Anthology submissions organized. Two plus months later this is continuing, and I, as Editor-in-Chief, have scheduled a meeting on the 26th of the month with the six members of the editorial board for discussion of those submissions which still have question marks as to their acceptance into the Anthology.
Another exciting project was a brainchild of mine – to have an exhibition for poets who are also fine artists at the Jerusalem Theatre – this is the most prestigious venue in Israel; tentatively we have fifteen people who will participate and a date in October 2007. Each artist will hang two paintings and a poem, and books of our poetry will be sold at the bookstore located in the lobby of the Theatre. Johnmichael will probably be putting out a catalogue of the show.
The Reuben Rose Annual Poetry Contest is currently being judged by Vera Rich of London (of Manifold fame) and the awards presentation will take place here in January, with a week of accompanying workshops. Vera, unfortunately, will not be able to come due to health problems, so other local poets will head the workshop this year. Possibly she will be able to make it later on in the year. Doug Holder will be judge for next year’s Reuben Rose Contest.
Johnmichael and I have been published in a wonderful variety of publications; Johnmichael has received a high distinction award for his poem PEANUTS from the John Reid Poetry Contest and will be published in the forthcoming Anthology SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME. And I was awarded third prize in the Dancing Poetry Contest of the Artists’ Embassy International based in San Francisco for my poem THE ENCHANTED DANCER.
We are moving up to our new home in Metulla, right on the Lebanese border, the middle-end of January and pray for peace.
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