It was another busy month for NPEC members as news and announcements went out into the world to spread the joy of poetry. Here is a recap of November’s member news.
We start with the sad news that we learned of the passing of Charles Coe––poet, friend, educator, and long-time Board/Advisory Board member of NEPC. We are truly bereaved by this untimely loss. We will miss our dear advisor and inspiration–that rare person capable of lifting the spirits of everyone around him. He brought his humor, warmth, and wisdom to every aspect of his life, especially his poetry and musical performances. We cannot help but smile, remembering his generous hospitality, fine casseroles, and the deep moan of his didgeridoo. Rest in peace, dear friend. We’ll truly miss you.
Stephen Haven read from The Flight from Meaning (Slant Books, 2025) alongside Rosa Lane, author of Called Back (Tupelo Press, 2024), at three events this month!
The New England Poetry Club and the Worcester County Poetry Association hosted an afternoon of poetry at the historic Salisbury Mansion at 40 Highland Street in Worcester. The program featured readings by Linda Carney-Goodrich, author of Dot Girl (Nixes Mate, 2024), Steven Ratiner, author of Grief’s Apostrophe (Beltway Editions, 2025), and Elaine Reardon, author of Stories Told In A Forgotten Tongue (Finishing Line Press).
NEPC Member Leticia Priebe Rocha hosted “Celebrating Voices of Diaspora: Poetry Reading & Open Mic,” an in-person event.
Red Letter Live! 2 happened at the Robbins Library in Arlington. It featured Regie Gibson, Dzvinia Orlowsky, and Red Letter founder Steven Ratiner, with music by Rick McLaughlin.
NEPC board member Doug Holder interviewed poet Jim Dunn, who led a Beacon Hill walking tour of John Wieners’s old haunts to celebrate the reissue of Behind the State Capitol: Or Cincinnati Pike. Read the full piece: https://loom.ly/vOH2SM4
Congratulations to NEPC member David Gullette, whose poem MALPRACTICE INSURANCE FOR POETS was published in issue #36 of the New Ohio Review!
NEPC hosted the 2025 New England Poetry Club Contest Reading! You can re-watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTshRy9izxs
NEPC member Carla Schwartz’s poem, “For Hummingbirds Who Prefer Red,” was curated in Blue Unicorn in the Fall 2025 issue. (Available soon at https://loom.ly/272c_9o).
Carla read in person alongside singer-songwriter Amada Maffei at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts.
NEPC and Beehive Poetry hosted a reading Arlington Poet Laureate Jean Flanagan, featuring Krysten Hill & Heather Treseler with intros by NEPC President Steve Rapp.
NEPC member Ralph Culver announced three poems in the Fall 2025 issue of The Main Street Rag (https://loom.ly/n4tAVqM), two poems posted at Modern Literature on 10/20/25 (https://loom.ly/9GC709Q), and two haiku/senryu in the October 2025 issue of Chrysanthemum (https://loom.ly/OGEnwaE).
NEPC member, Carla Schwartz’s poem, “Knotweed Triolet,” was curated in the lovely new anthology, “The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America’s Lands, Waters, Wildlife, and other Natural Wonders,” Paloma Press, 2025. Get it now at https://loom.ly/3K5ybi0
NEPC hosted an evening of poetry with Linda Haviland Conte, Jenny Grassl, and Scott Ruescher. A celebration of voice, vision, and verse.
NEPC Member Kymm Coveney’s translations of Mónica Ojeda’s poetry appeared online and in the November issue of World Literature Today. https://loom.ly/uOZzBNk
NEPC Board Member David P. Miller’s poem “Themes w/ Variations,” a response to paintings by Philip Guston, was published in The Ekphrastic Review on November 20. You can read it here: https://loom.ly/KMfHj9U
Somerville poet John Pijewski spoke about his upcoming Collected Father in an interview with NEPC board member Doug Holder. Read it here: https://loom.ly/magDMnk
Thank you everyone who submitted news! If you are an NEPC member, submit your news!