This year, The Rensselaerville Library’s 10th Annual Celebration of National Poetry Month is dedicated to the memory of poet Galway Kinnell, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and author of more than two dozen volumes of poetry, as well as numerous translations.

He is recognized for a body of work that “pushed deep into the heart of human experience,” according to his “New York Times” obituary. In 2010 and 2012, he honored our village with readings at Conkling Hall.

Community online poem

Join Rensselaerville poets Tom Corrado and Linda Miller, as well as your neighbors and friends in a Community Poem. Add a line to the virtual poem at www.rlcpp.blogspot.com.

Then come to our Favorite Poem Project on Sunday, April 26, from 2 to 4 p.m., to hear it read aloud and you will receive a copy.

Favorite Poem Project

Dedicated to the Memory of Poet Galway Kinnell (1927-2014), on Sunday, April 26, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Conkling Hall, join us for an afternoon of poetry, good company, and refreshments. It will be emceed by Claire North.

This event will open with readings of Kinnell’s work, followed by your readings of your favorite poem or an original poem. Of course, you can just sit back and enjoy an afternoon of poetry.

Can you remember a poem you loved as a child? A poem taught in school, sent to you by a friend or lover, or read in a book? Are you a poet with an original poem to share?

Or would you simply enjoy the pleasure of getting to know your neighbors in new ways as they read aloud their favorite and/or original poems?

If your response is yes to any of these questions, please join our Favorite Poem Project. Refreshments will be served.

Poetry Roundup

On Thursday, April 30, at 7 p.m., join us for The Big Poetry Roundup: Cowboy/girl Poetry at The Palmer House Café .

Western poems and ballads were collected by our favorite cowgirl Janet Botaish, and by audience volunteers like you. Come enjoy heritage poetry and music inspired by a life herding cattle and spending long nights under the stars around a campfire.

Free program begins when Cowgirl Janet will bring on the poems and range tunes from local musicians. Make an evening of it: The chuck wagon dinner menu created by Palmer House chef, Micah Kuhar, starts at 5:30 p.m. There is a cash bar all evening. Coffee is compliments of the library. For dinner reservations call 797 3449 or e-mail us at palmerhousecafe.com.

Savvy Social Security

On Tuesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m., join us for social security information. Please Register.

Story time

On Friday, May 15, we will have story time with Linda Styer. There is pizza at 5:30 p.m., and stories and crafts at 6 p.m. This month’s theme is dance.

Book sale

On Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., we have our book sale. Gently used books can be dropped off the week prior.

Board meets

The library’s board of trustees will meet on Monday, May 18, at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 7, is Take Your Child to the Library Day. Visit the Rensselaerville Library and see our children’s play area and check out what resources are available for children.

Story time

Story time is back starting on Friday, Feb. 20, at 5:30 p.m., with an art theme.

Writing group

The library’s writing group will meet on Thursday, Febr. 12, at 7 p.m. This informal and supportive writing group is designed for writers of all interests, backgrounds, and abilities. Participants have time to write and share works in progress, and receive the support needed. If you have questions please call Linda Miller at 936-4402.

Poetry group

The library’s poetry group will be meeting on Tuesdays, Feb. 10 and 24, at 7 p.m. If you have questions please contact Tom Corrado at .

Board meets

The library’s board of trustees meeting is on Monday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.

On Saturday, Aug. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m., the Rensselaerville Library will be hosting the Annual Lawn Party fund-raiser, at the Palmer House Café Courtyard (New Location).  Tickets are $20 and available at the door. Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.

Fine amnesty

Do you have overdue Rensselaerville Library books, audiobooks, movies, magazines? Starting Aug. 26 through Sept. 2 is fine amnesty.  So dig through the closets, book bags and drawers, search the bookcases, and family car, and recover those library items. Fine amnesty does not apply to damaged or lost items. 

Library meeting

The library’s annual meeting is on Monday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. The regular board meeting to follow.

Tours

The library will be participating in the Discover the Hilltowns – Farm and Artisans Tours on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a used book sale. If you have books to donate please bring them to the library during operating hours by Sept. 12.

Sign up month

Getting ready for back to school? We know every parent wants their child to succeed, and one of the simplest ways you can ensure your child’s academic success is by making a quick trip to the library. 

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when the Rensselaerville Library joins with the American Library Association and public libraries nationwide to make sure that every student has the most important school supply of all – a free library card. 

Fishing

Going Fishing? Stop into the library and check out a fishing rod. The library has five rods to loan. Just remember if you are over 16 you need a fresh water-fishing license. The program is made possible with assistance from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Museum passes

The library has museum passes to the Clark and a 50 percent discount pass to the Adirondack Museum.

New website

The library’s website has been redesigned. Come visit www.rensselaervillelibrary.org.

Poetry group

The library’s poetry group will resume meeting on Sept. 9 and 23, at 7 p.m. If you have questions please contact Tom Corrado at [email protected].

Writing group

The library’s writing group will resume meeting on Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. This informal and supportive writing group is designed for writers of all interests, backgrounds, and abilities. Participants have time to write, share works in progress, and receive the support needed. If you have questions please call Linda Miller at 936-4402.

The Rensselaerville Library is holding its annual Poetry Month Celebration with Conkling Hall to engage the community in poetry; the library received the Upper Hudson Library System 2012 Library Program of the Year for rural and small libraries for a similar program.

Attention — cowgirls and cowboys, naturalists and farmers, humor lovers and word lovers, musicians and friends: You don’t have to be a poet to enjoy poetry.

Thursday celebrations

The month begins with the first of four Thursday celebrations — relaxing and stimulating evenings at the library, listening, reading and discussing poetry with friends and neighbors: 

— On April 3 at 7 p.m.: Poetic Humor, Laughing Our Way into Poetry Month, hosted by Richard Ronconi, teacher, beekeeper, and occasional writer.

As a teacher, he found humor to be a good “entrance” into poetry. 

We don’t always connect poetry with humor. Often we think of a poem as an expression of beauty, love, or some other deep emotion. Humor is also an emotion favored in poetry. Together, let’s read some light-hearted poems that have been written by some distinguished and not-so-distinguished poets to make us laugh and have fun. This hour is for readers of all ages, so kids, teens, and adults, let’s cheer each other up with an hour of fun poems; 

— On April 10 at 7 p.m.: How to Read, and Perhaps Enjoy, Very New Poetry, hosted by Tom Corrado, poet and coordinator of the Library’s Poetry Group. 

Isn’t poetry poetry? Isn’t all poetry the same? Using sound, imagery and concision to tell a story, convey a message, extract meaning from experience? Isn’t new poetry pretty much like old poetry? Simply new wine in old bottles? Not really! Some interesting things are happening in poetry, and new poets are shepherding poetry into new arenas, crafting poems that at times can be intimidating, befuddling, seemingly meaningless. Find out about new poetry and new poets; 

— On April 17 at 7 p.m.: Birds, Bees, Trees, and more: The Poetry of Nature, hosted by Virginia Carter, teacher, artist, and bird-watcher. 

Poets have always been inspired by nature, from the ancient Greeks to contemporary poets. Enjoy an evening reading, listening to, and discussing a variety of poetry that was inspired by the natural world; and

— On April 24 at 7 p.m.: Easy Chairs and Saddle Sores: Cowboy Poetry hosted by Janet Botaish, Equine Specialist, EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) certified.

“To me, horses and freedom are synonymous,” said Veryl Goodnight. 

Cowboy poems have a life of their own. They are built with words that are spawned not only from labor, but also from an occupation with which the poet’s very existence is expressly linked. A cowboy or rancher lives where he or she works, and what they do in their work determines their survival. This is the essence of cowboy poetry. Come and be enchanted by words, both old and new, that are attached to a life few know firsthand. 

Three more events

These are the other Poetry Month events:

— On Saturday, April 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Conkling Hall: Inspiration: An Afternoon of Music and Poetry hosted by Peter Boudreaux, musician and writer 

This event features poet and Whitman scholar Howard Nelson, who will read from his own work including All the Earthly Lovers: Poems Selected and New due out this spring, as well as from the poets who inspired him; soprano Sarah Nelson Weiss who will perform an original piece inspired by Walt Whitman and composed and performed by Peter Boudreaux; the wonderful Village Voices; and Musicians Dian Ryan and Hank LaBrecque who will share pieces inspired by poetry or written by folk-poet songwriters; 

— On Saturday, April 26, at 11:30 a.m., enjoy your Saturday morning cup of coffee with guest poet Marilyn McCabe 

Marilyn’s poem “On Hearing the Call to Prayer Over the Marcellus Shale on Easter Morning” was awarded A Room of Her Own Foundation’s Orlando Prize in the fall of 2012 and appeared in the Los Angeles Review. Her book of poetry, Perpetual Motion, was published by The Word Works in 2012 as the winner of the Hilary Tham Capitol Collection contest. Her work has appeared in literary magazines such as Nimrod, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and Painted Bride Quarterly; French translations and songs on Numero Cinq; and a video-poem on The Continental Review; and 

— Sunday, April 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Conkling Hall: Now It’s Your Turn!

All are invited to read a favorite poem at our annual Favorite Poem Project emceed once again by the inimitable writer/actress/reverend Claire North. The Favorite Poem Project, part of a national movement begun by former poet laureate of the United States, Robert Pinsky, encourages communities to come together to share poetry.

Over the past eight years, neighbors and friends have gathered to read aloud their favorite poems, everything from the silly to the serious, favorites from childhood as well as adulthood. Bring a favorite poem to this year’s event. If you are a writer, you may also bring one original (as well as one favorite) poem or other short piece to share. Of course, you can come just to listen. 

All events are free although donations to the library are welcome. 

Refreshments will be served at all Poetry Month events. 

For more information about any of these events, call the Rensselaerville Library at 797-3949 or visit the library’s website at www.rensselaervillelibrary.org. 

Please note: Conkling Hall is located at 8 Methodist Hill Road in Rensselaerville. All events not in Conkling Hall will be held at the Rensselaerville Library, 1459 County Route 351, Rensselaerville.