Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On March 22nd, we welcome the return of Martin Willitts Jr. and Linda Griggs.
Martin Willitts Jr and Linda Griggs are from Syracuse, New York.
Martin Willitts Jr graduated from Syracuse University with a MLS in Information Studies. He has been an oral storyteller, puppeteer, and “Science Magician” that can bounce eggs and throws ordinary playing cards into hypnotized watermelons. He is currently a Senior Librarian in upstate New York. He is a visual artist of Victorian and Chinese paper cutouts. He was one of nine winners of the international 2003 John Cotton Dana Award for library programs and publicity. He was the winner of the 2007 Chenango County Council of the Arts Individual Artist Award funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. He was recently nominated for two Best of The Net awards and his 5th Pushcart award. He has an online interview http://www.caperjournal.com/ (issue 8).
He has print chapbooks "Falling In and Out of Love" (Pudding House Publications, 2005), “Lowering Nets of Light” (Pudding House Publications, 2007), The Garden of French Horns” (Pudding House Publications, 2008), “Baskets of Tomorrow” (Flutter Press, 2009); online chapbooks "Farewell--the journey now begins" on (http://www.languageandculture.net/, 2006), “News from the Front” (http://www.slowtrains.com/, 2007), “Words & Paper” (http://www.threelightsgallery.com/, 2008); edited a poetry anthology about cancer, “Alternatives to Surrender” (Plain View Press, 2007); two full length books "The Secret Language of the Universe" (March Street Press, 2006), and “The Hummingbird” (March Street Press, 2009). He has four new chapbooks: “The Girl Who Sang Forth Horses” (Pudding House Publications, 2010), “Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for Cezanne” (Finishing Line Press, 2010), “True Simplicity” (Poets Wear Prada Press, 2011), and “Art Is Always an Impression of What an Artist Sees” (Muse Café, 2011). His website is: http://www.redroom.com/member/Willitts.
Linda Griggs has a BS in art education and a MPS degree in the Applied Work of the Humanistic Psychologists. Currently an adjunct professor at SUNY Empire State College, Syracuse Unit, she worked as an art teacher and private mental health counselor, and she has worked with at-risk youth in Syracuse. She is a Conscientious Objector Counselor, a past member of an anti-racist response group, and a member of Syracuse Interfaith Works. Linda was published in anthologies Poetry From Art (2008) and Poetry From Nature (2010). She has been a featured reader at Mud Puddle Cafe (New Paltz, NY) and Cubbyhole Cafe (Poughkeepsie, NY), and was a guest reader at Veela Festival (New Paltz, NY) and the Strathsmore Art Festival (Syracuse, NY). She wrote the chapbook "Love Poems of the Universe". She wrote and illustrated a children's book The Night of Starfish People, which is awaiting publication. She is the host and founder of the Palace Poetry Group (Syracuse, NY).
