Orenaug Mountain Publishing announces the release of Stirring the Muse: Nutmeg Poets Laureate Offer Verse and Recipes, edited by Susan Marie Powers (Scotland), at a special book launch at Vicinanza Studios, 493 Heritage Road, in Southbury, Connecticut, at 2 p.m. on October 18.
Many of the included poets will be on hand to share their words and samplings of their delectables at the free and open-to-the-public event.
Stirring the Muse came into being when Powers realized she wanted to do something during her tenure “to increase awareness of poets laureate, and our mission of promoting the arts and fostering literacy.” She added: “I am an avid cook, and poetry is central in my life. I’m frustrated sometimes by how reluctant many readers are to embrace poetry. One day, it clicked for me—I could put poetry and cooking together and showcase our poets.”
“There are few things that speak to us as intimately as food. A familiar aroma can carry us across years and miles. Stirring the Muse celebrates that delicious intersection where poetry and food meet,” said Pat Mottola, president of the Connecticut Poetry Society and a contributor.
“Connecticut’s talented poets laureate have transformed dishes and ingredients into verse, finding stories, emotions, and memories,” said Mottola. “Each poem offers its own flavor and perspective, inviting us to savor not only the words, but also the experience behind them.”
Pegi Deitz Shea, president of the Connecticut Council of Poets Laureate (CCPL), which seeks to promote the enjoyment of poetry, support the efforts of local poets laureate, and assist municipalities with appointing them, said, “This is the kind of project that we hope to assist local poets laureate in producing. Stirring the Muse not only promotes the art of poetry, it helps to enrich the cultural life of our local communities, and hopefully adds to your kitchen, as well.”
Past and present Poets Laureate contributing to the book are:
- Charlotte Rose Allen (Woodbridge)
- Gabriella Brand (North Haven)
- Leslie Bulion (Durham)
- Sandy Lee Carlson (Woodbury)
- Ginny Lowe Connors (West Hartford)
- Pegi Deitz Shea (Vernon)
- Donna Disch (Westport)
- Benjamin Grossberg (West Hartford)
- Judith Liebmann (Branford)
- Aanum Khan (East Windsor)
- Edward Lent (Madison)
- Hannah Lipman (Bethel)
- Diane Lowman (Westport)
- Elizabeth Morse Luoma (North Haven)
- Rick Magee (Bethel)
- Mark McGuire-Schwartz (Guilford)
- Pat Mottola (Cheshire)
- Victoria Northrup (Chaplin)
- Cheryl Panosian (Danbury)
- Anthony Paticchio (Ashford)
- Julia Paul (Manchester)
- Susan Marie Powers (Scotland)
- Atom Rush (Brookfield)
- Nadia Simms (Manchester)
- Elizabeth Thomas (East Hartford)
- Steve Veilleux (Thompson)
- Cathy Weiss (Clinton)
The Southbury Record 