May was a busy month for NEPC members! Here is a recap of all the member news announcements for May 2025!
Poet, translator, videographer, and NEPC Board Member Nidia Hernández was featured in a new interview on Doug Holder’s blog. In it, she discusses her creative work, her background in Venezuela, and her journey to the U.S. Read more: https://loom.ly/fkupcpc
NEPC Member Trapper Markelz’s poem “A Reading From Isaiah” was available on Page 49 of Issue XIII in The Closed Eye Open journal that month! You can read the issue and Trapper’s poem at https://loom.ly/6dGxXN8
NEPC Member Trapper Markelz’s Poem “Final Wishes” was featured this month at The Dewdrop. You can read the poem here: https://loom.ly/pshFoPc
We announced NEPC member Dan Murphy’s upcoming release of his debut poetry collection, Estate Sale, winner of the 2024 Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry! It includes a foreword by Ange Mlinko and praise from Natasha Trethewey, Robert Pinsky, and Dan Chiasson. Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Estate-Sale-Shahid-Prize-Poetry/dp/1647692326
Doug Holder, NEPC Board member and founder of Ibbetson Street Press, was featured in the latest Creators on Creating interview from Poetose. He shares insights from his decades supporting the Boston poetry scene, teaching at Endicott, and building literary community. Read the full interview: https://loom.ly/xwwpbTY
Congrats to NEPC member Monica Ong! Her new collection, Planetaria: Visual Poetry, was released on May 31, 2025. The book features astronomy-inspired visual poems that have been shown at the Poetry Foundation and collected by over 50 institutions. Buy the book: https://loom.ly/s5WsKno
New Book Alert from NEPC Member Gloria Monaghan! We’re thrilled to share that The Diary of Saint Marion, the latest collection from Gloria Monaghan, was published by Lily Poetry Review in March 2025. Gloria is a Professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology and a valued member of our poetry community. Purchase a copy of the book here: https://loom.ly/irdHkv0
We announced a new poetry release from NEPC member Jason O’Toole! His third full-length collection, The Strange Misgivings of the Sadly Gifted, is out now from Dead Man’s Press Ink. Jason served as the 6th poet laureate of North Andover. Buy the book: https://loom.ly/-4OLFTo
A special congrats to NEPC member Diana Cole for her First Place selection in the Notable Works 2025 Poetry Contest! The final Judge was Tina Cane, former Poet Laureate of Rhode Island.
The announcement can be watched here: https://loom.ly/SIrkSBQ
You can learn more about Notable Works at: https://loom.ly/-Uvm7J0
The winning poem is available to read here:
“In Concert”
Diana Cole
Iridescent blue,
with gray waistcoat and snow-white bellies.
Two birds on the roof of a volary,
still, but alert and ready.
Wings shudder,
then lift to join the flock converging
then expanding, like an accordion,
until wings flash, a sudden code to fall,
and foliate the hickory tree.
What inner solidarity
triggers pinion, nerve, and muscle?
What twitch of wing ignites this fierce choreography?
My breath wheels, eager to be swept up
with such ease, such common intent.
If I could be part of a larger beauty
I’d worry less about my divided self.
(photo by Jen Scungio originally appeared in the Notable Works Newsletter)
We announced that NEPC member Max Heinegg has been appointed as the next Poet Laureate of Medford, MA! A dedicated educator, accomplished poet, and talented musician, Max brings a wealth of experience and passion to this esteemed role. His deep roots in the community and commitment to the arts make him an ideal candidate to continue enriching Medford’s cultural landscape. Read the full announcement here: https://loom.ly/BePDNL4
Congrats to all our NEPC members and their amazing accomplishments this month!
If you are an NEPC member and have anything to announce, please send it to us using the member news form.
If you are not an NEPC member yet and want your news promoted, please become a member now!