AUGUSTA — The annual Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival, which calls on makers and writers to contribute works for a hybrid event of visual and literary arts, will be held on April 30.
To mark the events of the moment, the annual poetry festival will break out of its usual format to celebrate the University of Maine at Augusta’s 2020-21 academic theme “Outbreak,” a topic inclusive of viral outbreaks, outbreaks of social justice and outbreaks of creativity.
The Plunkett Festival will partner with the UMA Danforth Gallery on the event. The event will include readings, art exhibits, an art installation and performance by artist and UMA part-time lecturer Patricia Brace. Brace’s work addresses the relationship between intersectional feminism and politics through her use of dance, new media and installation.
More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Maine’s former poet laureate Baron Wormser will be the keynote speaker. Wormser is the author of nine collections of poetry, as well as two texts on pedagogy, a memoir and two collections of essays.
Anyone interested in contributing one or more creative works to the festival may visit uma.edu/plunkett for details. Submissions are due by March 1.
The Plunkett Festival, is held every April, established in 2002 to honor the memory and accomplishments of Terry Plunkett, an English professor at UMA for nearly 30 years. A mentor to many students, Plunkett was also co-editor of “Kennebec: A Portfolio of Maine Writing,” an annual magazine published by the university from 1977 to 1992 and distributed free throughout the state.
