Olson 100 is here!: December 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Charles John Olson

Here in Gloucester a foot or so of snow covers the ground. Power has now been restored to most, if not all, of Cape Ann.

Earlier this evening I read "An Ode on Nativity" & conjured Olson's Worcester in my Gloucester kitchen. I also read Donald Wellman & Kenneth Warren's essays on Olson in Warren's House Organ & found myself imagining a host of panel discussions that have not yet happened & few that for temporal & spatial reasons could not happen. Later this evening a cast of characters -- I will not be among them -- will read Olson poems to each other at the Rhumbline, a bar across from Gloucester depot.

G'night.
skål & sláinte,
James Cook

Olson 100 events in Gloucester

WEEK BEFORE COLUMBUS DAY
A special catalog and exhibition of rare, inscribed, and out-of-print books, letters, magazines and broadsides by Olson, sponsored and hosted by the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library (2 Dale Avenue) & curated by Greg Gibson of Ten Pound Island Book Company.

Related Exhibitions
Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street
Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, 23 Harbor Loop

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8
Memorial Service for Paul Sawyer
Friday, October 8, 3:00 p.m.
The Independent Christian Church (10 Church Street)

Marathon reading* of poems by Olson and by poets affected by Olson
readers include Ed Sanders, John Landry, Kristin Prevallet, Donald Wellman, Carol Weston, Michael Kelleher, Ricardo Cazares Grana, John Galloway, Jonathan Skinner, Christopher Rizzo, Michael Peters, Fred Dewey, Dale Smith, Ruthanne (Rufus) Collinson
Friday, October 8, 7:00 p.m., Independent Christian Church (10 Church Street)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
Children's program, including Henry Ferrini reading Little Charlie Goes to Gloucester
Saturday, October 10:00 a.m., Cape Ann Museum

Moderated "Town Meeting" Discussion:
"Remembering Olson" moderated by Peter Anastas
Saturday, October 9, 10:30 a.m., Cape Ann Museum

Moderated "Town Meeting" Discussion:
"Olson's Project" with Charles Stein, Kristin Prevallet, Fred Dewey, and Kate Tarlow Morgan moderated by Ammiel Alcalay
Saturday, October 9, 1:00 p.m., Cape Ann Museum

Henry Ferrini and Ken Riaf's Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place*
Saturday, October 9, 3:00 pm, Cape Ann Community Cinema (21 Main Street)

Reading featuring Diane di Prima & Michael Rumaker*
Saturday, October 9, 7 p.m., Independent Christian Church

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10
Maximus Walk with readings
Readers include Kevin Gallagher, David Rich, Henry Ferrini, Peter Anastas, Jim Cocola, Carol Weston, John Galloway
Sunday, October 10, 11 a.m., Downtown Gloucester
(meeting place Cape Ann Museum)
Click here for route.

Olsonian Performances*
Sunday, October 10, 3 p.m. Blackburn Performing Arts (Main Street)
3:00 p.m. Blue Suit, performed by Kate Tarlow Morgan and Ammiel Alcalay
3:30 p.m. Olson's Apollonius of Tyana, performed by Sarah Slifer, Mark Wagner, and others
4:15 p.m. Musical performance by Willie Alexander

Farewell party and reception
Sunday, October 10, 5 p.m. Alchemy (3 Duncan Street)

All events free and open to the public. Donations of $5 are suggested for events marked with an asterisk*.

Completed Events
THURSDAYS BETWEEN LABOR DAY & COLUMBUS DAY

Charles Olson Study Group
(9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7) at 7 p.m. at The Bookstore
(61 Main Street) led by Peter Anastas and James Cook

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3
Contemporary Art Installation
The Man Who Loved Gloucester by Susan Erony
The Big O by Paul Cary Goldberg
Saturday, October 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 3 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
White-Ellery House, 245 Washington Street

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3

Charles Olson: Letters Home, Book Signing
Reading and reception with the book's editor David Rich
Sunday, October 3 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street

Ammiel Alcalay reading from Islanders
Sunday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m.
The Bookstore of Gloucester, 61 Main Street

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4
"The Unusual Suspects": Rufus Collinson, Amanda Cook, Schuyler Hoffman, Kent Bowker, James Cook and others read their work
at 7:00 p.m.
Gloucester Writers Center, 126 East Main Street

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5
Peter Anastas reads his work & David Rich reads the fiction of Jonathan Bayliss
at 7:00 p.m.
Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6
Celebration of the work of Vincent Ferrini and Linda Crane
at 7:00 p.m.
Gloucester Writers Center, 126 East Main Street

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7
Gerrit Lansing & Charles Stein read poetry
8:00 p.m. (after the study group session)
The Bookstore of Gloucester, 61 Main Street

Gloucester Writers Center

Gloucester may soon be home to a new cultural and literary center. When Gloucester’s Poet Laureate Vincent Ferrini died on Christmas Eve 2007, many of his friends in Gloucester and around the world hoped his house could be purchased and
turned into a center where artistic activities could be shared with the community. Today this idea is very close to becoming a reality.

Plans are progressing to establish The Vincent Ferrini Writers Center at 126 East Main Street, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This former home of Vincent Ferrini (1913-2007) lies across the harbor from Charles Olson’s (1910-1970) 28 Fort Square home. These two poets, known as the consciences of our city for over half a century, wrote about Gloucester with enlightened passion and energy. Organizers of this project believe it is only fitting that a place that honors their work and keeps their vision alive be established.

Since Ferrini’s death Paul Sawyer, an old friend of Vincent’s who lives in California, has been advocating for the purchase of the house. This spring, Sawyer, a Unitarian-Universalist Minister, called Vincent’s nephew filmmaker Henry Ferrini to report that he has Pancreatic Cancer and has been given a year to live. With that time he wanted to put his energy toward helping to create a Vincent Ferrini Writers Center at Vincent’s East Main Street studio. The poet’s nephew was moved by Paul’s decision.

“Paul’s decision has motivated so many people close to Vincent, Charles and Paul to work to make this a reality,” Ferrini said.

To date the group has raised $23,000 and hopes to raise ten times that amount during the upcoming year. This would enable the organization to own the house outright,
repair the building and begin to develop programs for the site, including public readings, writing workshops and residencies for local and visiting writers.

According to Ferrini, the timing for this project could not be more perfect.

“This year is the Centenary of Charles Olson’s birth,” he says, “and attention is focused on the poet.”

The group hopes that by October when Gloucester celebrates Olson’s centenary the project will be up and running, presenting programs, providing a writer’s retreat and
functioning as one of the most innovative educational and cultural organization in the city.

Tax-deductible contributions for the establishing of the Center can be made to the Charles Olson Society and sent to Henry Ferrini, 5 Wall Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.

Olson 100 is here!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Charles John Olson

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