The Great Boston Poetry Marathon of 2010 – October 11

Massachusetts is one of ten areas nationwide to celebrate the first Dead Poets Remembrance Day holiday. This Columbus Day public readings will take place in six locations around Boston, from Gloucester at sunrise to Concord at sunset, including Beverly, Peabody, the Old South Church in Boston, and Cambridge. Along the way we’ll the visit the graves of over 30 poets as well as hear special presentations from actors who will play Anne Bradstreet, Edgar Allan Poe, Maria White Lowell, and Henry Thoreau.

Here is a list of the events and when they take place:

6:15 to 7:15 AM : Gloucester Waterfront

Meet at the Fisherman’s Memorial for a sunrise reading of the Gloucester-related poetry of Vincent Ferrini, T. S. Eliot, Henry Longfellow, William Moody and Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, among others. The group will then visit the nearby grave of poet Charles Olson for a cemetery reading and discussion of his unique but endangered tombstone.

8:45 AM to 9:45 AM : Lynch Park, Beverly

Gather with others on the North Shore at beautiful Lynch Park for a special reflection on the life and poetry of John Updike by his son, Michael, and others. Listen to the 19^th Century poetry of Beverly’s own Lucy Larcom as well as poems by Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Bishop, and Sylvia Plath, all of whom had connections to the North Shore.

10:00 to 10:30 AM : Old South Cemetery, Peabody

Gather round the tombstone of Transcendentalist poet Jones Very as we compare the poetry of three generations of preacher-poets from Massachusetts. Listen to the works of the Puritan best-selling poet, Michael Wigglesworth, the 19^th Century Methodist preacher, Timothy Flint, and the strange Rev. Jones Very, who once declared himself Christ and became the first of a long line of venerable Massachusetts poets to be hospitalized at McClean Psychiatric Hospital.

11:30 to 12:30 : Irish Famine Memorial.Step back into Boston history and listen to the poetry of the famous slave-poet, Phillis Wheatley, read near the Old South Church she attended. This event includes a special visit from Anne Bradstreet herself, the first female superstar poet in the colonies. Hear the amazing story of the famous Irish-American poet, John Boyle O’Reilly and top the hour off with a visit from Edgar Allan Poe as he discusses his connections to and feelings about Boston.

2:00 to 4:30. : Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge

Attend this 21-grave salute & walking tour, “Sweet Auburn: An American Parnassus.” Join poets Rhina Espaillat, Marjory Wentworth, and Lisa Starr reading at the graves of famous bards, while independent literary scholar, Rob Velella, gives historical background on many of the poets. We’ll be examing the ancient symbols of lyres and laurels in relation to funerary art and poetry under the gorgeous canopy of October trees. There will also be a special presentation on Rev. John Pierpont, Sr., the famous abolitionist, poet, and preacher, by the dynamic literary duo, The Proper Ladies, who will also lead us in singing the Battle Hymn of The Republic at the grave of Julia Ward Howe.

5:30 to 6:30 : Author’s Ridge, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord

Come meet Henry Thoreau in person as he ascends Author’s Ridge to tell us about his four friends buried there while members of the community read from their poetry. End the day with a sunset poetry service at the grave of Emerson’s son, Waldo.
Who is going to be reading at these event?