young poets take the spotlight

The annual Young Writers’ Beat Night will take place on Thursday, Nov. 20 from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Press Room in Portsmouth.
This is an opportunity for young writers between the ages of 13 and 19 to read their work accompanied by live music. The event is free and open to all area teens, but minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Each writer can read one piece, up to three minutes long. Depending on the number of readers, there may be time for a second reading. Since readers will be working with musicians, they are encouraged to think in advance of what mood, style or instrumentation they want. There is usually guitar, percussion, bass, keyboard and flute.  

Beat Night, which has been running for about 10 years, takes place on the third Thursday of every month, but the Young Writers’ event occurs only once per year. Those interested in participating should contact host Larry Simon at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The Press Room is located at 77 Daniel St., 603-431-5186. 

a call for poetry

The Poetry Society of New Hampshire is accepting submissions for “The 2010 Poets’ Guide to New Hampshire: More Places, More Poets.” The book is the second volume in a series modeled after a travel guide with information about towns, history, geography, flora, fauna and life, all communicated through poems.

Submissions will be accepted until April 1, 2009. Each poet is encouraged to submit two poems. The first should be an original poem, one-page long or less, in which the location, action, imagery or metaphor is specifically related to New Hampshire. The second poem, called the “entry fee poem,” should match the same criteria but be by another poet.

The editor’s desire is to make the “Poets’ Guide” as richly inclusive as the New Hampshire poetry community. Poems will be edited cooperatively by the author and the editor. 

The previous volume is available for $20 from RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, Water Street Bookstore in Exeter or by contacting the editor. It contains 219 poems by 180 authors. It is alphabetical by town or geographical feature, as are most travel guides, and includes an index of poets and titles. It also includes a directory of current monthly poetry readings with contact information.

Poems were drawn from four categories: poems submitted for consideration by their authors; “entry fee poems” included with the authors’ submissions; poems gleaned by the editor from historical anthologies focused on the state; and poems requested by the editor from authors encountered at poetry readings over the previous seven years. Approximately half of the poems in the book were previously published.

Poets will be informed of the final decision by Sept. 1, 2009. Poems should be submitted by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , with the subject heading, “The 2010 Poets’ Guide to New Hampshire.” They may also be submitted to The Poetry Society of New Hampshire, 31 Reservoir Road, Farmington, 03835, ATTN: 2010PGNH.

mystery at RiverRun

Three mystery authors featured in the new anthology “Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England Writers” will read from their short stories on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth.

“Deadfall” features 25 original stories from well-known local writers, including Pat Remick of Portsmouth and Norma Burrows of Exeter. Kate Flora, one the anthology’s editors and publishers and the author of 11 books, will also read.

With criminals and cops, dysfunctional families and diabolical pets, from love to murder, the stories and characters in “Deadfall” let readers visit a darker place. Publisher Level Best Books has been recognized by the mystery community with several nominations and awards, including the Robert L. Fish Award, an Edgar nomination and the Macavity, Agatha, and Derringer Awards.

Kate Flora has written 10 crime fiction books and the Edgar-nominated “Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine,” which was also a Maine Literary Award finalist. Reviewers have praised Flora for her capacity to create complex, multi-layered characters. Her latest, “The Angel of Knowlton,” portrays police as regular people with strengths and weaknesses and a common goal of justice. Her stories have appeared in nine short story collections. 

The 2007 winner of the Al Blanchard Award for short crime fiction, Pat Remick was featured in last year’s anthology “Still Waters: Crime Stories by New England Writers” and moderated the short story panel at the 2008 New England Crime Bake conference for mystery authors and fans this year. Remick has co-authored two non-fiction books and is working on her first novel, “Murder Most Municipal,” while working for the city of Portsmouth.

Norma Burrows writes short stories and poetry. A previous story, “Scientific Method,” appeared in the Level Best anthology “Seasmoke.” She is working on her first novel, “The Grieving Circle.” She lives in Exeter with her family.
 
RiverRun Bookstore is located at 20 Congress Street in downtown Portsmouth.  For more information, visit www.riverrunbookstore.com or call 603-431-2100.  The event is free and open to the public.