The Midcoast Poetry Calendar organization is a 501(c)(3) public charity formed as a Maine Public Benefit Corporation to help connect Midcoast Maine poets, poetry groups and poetry organizations, and to help poets plan and promote public poetry events.

     Please see information at the bottom of the page if you would like to talk to us or email us about volunteering or donating, or want to send us information about poetry meetings and events in Midcoast Maine. You can also write to us or send donations via our official address:

Midcoast Poetry Calendar
(also Midcoast Poetry Journal Publishing)
151 Winslows Mills Road
Waldoboro Maine 04572

Our PayPal donate button also works. Thank you.

     The Midcoast Poetry Calendar and its online service and website and the Midcoast Poetry Journal are projects of Rockport Public Library Poets’ Corner and Thomaston Public Library Poets’ Corner with specific contributions from:

Thank you

Board Members

for your donations and for all of your time, energy, and support

• Eleanor Cade Busby lives in Damariscotta and grew up all over New England, a preacher's kid exposed early on to poetry and Shakespeare. She penned her first epic poem at 4. She attended Goddard College, Rhode Island Conservatory of Music and The School of Life, majoring in everything she could stuff into her head. She writes because there is no choice. Eleanor’s website is EleanorCadeBusby.com.
• Len Germinara, a member of several poetry groups including the Rockport and Thomaston Public Library Poets’ Corner groups, had the original idea for this online calendar and website and encouraged both groups to consider creating and publishing a poetry journal. Len collaborated with Bill when they secured the domain name. He also helped define the first version and review new versions of the Midcoast Poetry Calendar website. Len’s poetry website is LenGerminara.com.
• Eileen Herbert Hugo spends her time in Stoneham, Massachusetts, and Spruce Head, Maine. She has been published in the anthologies of Stoneham’s Writers Group Heels and Souls, Southern Breezes, and The Baby Boomer Birthright, published by Poet Works Press; and, most recently, The Taste of Ink, a collaboration of poets from Midcoast Maine. She serves as a poetry editor for The Houston Literary Review. In April 2015, her book Not Too Far: A Journey of Words was published. In 2018, her poem “Grandfather’s Passing” won an Honorable Mention at the Austin International Poetry Festival. Her latest book, Jenny’s Journey, is available now on Amazon.
• Mary Jane Martin started taking poetry seriously after joining the Moody Mountain Writers, a group that went on to publish their one and only chapbook, Stone In My Pocket, in 2007. Since then, she’s had the privilege of reading her poetry with several awesome local poets. Today she writes with the talented poets of the Thomaston Public Library Poets’ Corner.
• Paul McFarland was born and bred in Maine and has spent much of his life here in the Midcoast, except for a period of teaching in New Hampshire as a young man. His biggest interest of many is Poetry. He has participated in many local poetry groups and events, as well as having done readings of his own poems which rhyme amiably and are well‑loved by audiences. He has published the first of a trio of poetry books called MY FATHER’S SHOES. Currently he belongs to Rockport Public Library Poets’ Corner and has donated generously to their new poetry events calendar.
  
       Paul has a gift for creating wonderful rhyming poetry that tell stories of Maine and the people who live here. Please consider buying Paul’s poetry book Fathers Shoes by emailing him. This is a book you will be glad to own. Thanks.
• Frances Vigeant, a member of Rockport Public Library Poets’ Corner, will be coordinating Midcoast Poetry Calendar’s outreach to libraries in Midcoast Maine. Frances has written a book about libraries in Upper Peninsula Michigan, Bookin’ to Michigan Public Libraries in the Upper Peninsula.

Thank you

Volunteers

for your donations and for all of your time, energy, and support

• Megan Berman is a member of the Rockport Poets’ Corner group and lives in Rockport with her husband and two children. She grew up in Maine and appreciates all the inspiration afforded by living on the gorgeous Maine coast. She is a mental health counselor and enjoys writing poetry in her spare time.
• Charles Brown was born in Montana but has lived in places as diverse as Illinois, Tennessee, New York and France. He spent most of his professional life as a French teacher in high schools in upstate New York until he retired and moved to Owls Head. He writes poetry as a way of filling in those idle moments we all have occasionally. A few of his poems have been awarded prizes by the Rockland and Topsham libraries and by the Belfast Poetry Festival.
• Merrilee Brown New Yorker/Mainer, lives in Warren. Her mantra is “Life is but a dream.” She wrote her first poem in second grade: “Wake up, little flowers, it’s time for the showers/The sun is so bright with the gleam of its light.” She thinks she has made only a little progress since. Most of her poems are observational or journalistic, usually including a who, what, when and where. She sings with Down East Singers and Solace (a small a cappella hospice choir); other interests are genealogy, antiques, birds, and cherishing friends old (some from second grade and before) and new.
• Zachary Cole lives and works in Rockland, splitting his writing time between poems, short stories and novels. He rarely updates his book blog at attackthestackreviews.blogspot.com.
• Bill Eberle, moderator and member of both Rockport and Thomaston Public Library Poets’ Corner groups, designed, coded and provides hosting, certificates, support, etc. for the Midcoast Poetry Calendar website. Bill’s creative design and technical service business is wceDesign LLC. His poetry website is BillEberlePoet.com and his favorite “what can I dream up and create with AI” website is idearound.com with the beginnings (click on the strings panel button) of showcase systems for artists and poets to show their work and sell art and books to visitors.
• Dagney C. Ernest was a local radio personality “back in the day” and longtime Arts and Entertainment editor and writer for local newspapers until 2019. Recent Box Office Manager and Promotions Assistant at Camden Opera House Dagney also is a much‑loved dramatic, musical and comedy actor.
• Karyn Lie‑Nielsen’s poems have previously appeared in The Comstock Review, Poetry East, and Maine magazine; and broadcast on Maine Public's weekly radio program Poems From Here. She has also appeared in Midcoast Villager. Karyn has a chapbook, Handbuzz and Other Voices, published in 2015. She is a resident of Waldoboro.
• Sarah Oktay is executive director of the Herring Gut Coastal Science Center. She holds a doctorate in chemical oceanography from Texas A&M University, Galveston. Her first chapbook, Sifting Light from the Darkness, came out in 2020. Her second chapbook is in the works. She has performed her poetry in person and virtually across the country. She also has published one book of nonfiction, Naturally Nantucket: The Sea Vol. 1, available on Amazon and has three more volumes in progress. She has edited eight poetry books. She was the co-host of Spoken Word Nantucket with husband Len Germinara for 12 years.
• Daphne Lehava Stern is a native New Yorker and has been in Maine for the past 47 years. She retired after 20 years on the Hospice Team at Miles. She says, “My heart and sensibilities are always with hospice. However, I do find remembering back a learning and loving task!”
• Marjorie Strauss has revisited poetry with the inspiration of the Midcoast Poetry Journal and readings, and with the wild idea she could add to them. She did begin the journey a few years go participating with a ragtag “literary” group. She is a visual artist, with the enjoyment and the chance to put some ideas into words ... not just pictures.
• We also want to thank the Lesher Family Foundation for their friendship and for empowering community‑led change.

we are grateful for

These Poetry Reading and Workshop Venues

• Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
  New Poetry Series - first Monday of every month
• Herring Gut Coastal Science Center in Port Clyde – “Educating students and communities about the connections between the ocean, inland waters, and economy of Maine.”
• Jackson Memorial Library in Tenants Harbor. We’ve really enjoyed our readings here and hope to see a poetry group sprouting here soon.
• Rockport Public Library home of the 1st Poets’ Corner twice‑a‑month poetry group in Midcoast Maine. The well‑equiped downstairs public event room is perfect for poetry readings.
• Rockland Public Library home of the Poetry Peers poetry group. The main floor public event room with its tall ceilings and stone fireplace is a wonderful place with a historic feel for our readings.
• Skidompha Public Library home of the Weekly Virtual Poetry Circle. Skidompha has a well‑known, intimate public event room that works well for poetry readings. For more details about the Virtual Poetry Circle, please see Fridays at 10 a.m. on our Poetry Calendar. Thanks.
• Thomaston Public Library home of the 2nd Poets’ Corner twice‑a‑month poetry group in Midcoast Maine. Our readings in the magic spot created on the main floor for poets and audiences have each been memorable. One of our favorite places for poetry readings.
• Waldoboro Public Library – another wonderful place for readings. We hope to see a poetry group spring up here too.

Thank you to our

Midcoast Poetry Journal Retail Outlets

Midcoast Poetry Journal Volume 1 (with 28 Midcoast Maine Poets) and Volume 2 (with 48 Midcoast Maine Poets) paperbacks are available locally (only $10) at

• Barnswallow Books in Rockport,
• Hello Hello Books,
•       and Jensen’s Pharmacy in Rockland,
• Herring Gut Coastal Science Center in Port Clyde,
• and in Thomaston at Weskeag Farms
•       and Thomaston Grocery.

Supporting Midcoast Poetry Calendar and Midcoast Poetry Journal Publishing

     The Midcoast Poetry Calendar and the Midcoast Poetry Journal welcome the support of enterprises and individuals who would like to contribute financially or with their time and expertise or their time and willingness to learn to help us succeed.

Sponsors will have their contribution noted on this page along with one or two links to business, poetry or other websites of their choice.

     One important way to support Midcoast Poetry Calendar is to help us find out about recurring and special poetry events in Midcoast Maine and spread the word to poets and poetry groups about this free poetry calendar for Midcoast Maine Poetry.

And we will welcome poetry news and stories about poetry in Midcoast Maine for our Midcoast Poetry Calendar’s news page(s).

If you would like to help, please also see our Volunteer Skill List. Thanks.

     Note links and information provided by Midcoast Poetry Calendar’s for the public must not violate our organization’s commitment to the State of Maine that:

No substantial part of the activities of the Corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Corporation shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publication or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

     Certainly, individual poets and poetry groups can write and publish poems that are, or might be considered to be, political statements with our blessings. We believe in freedom of speech.

But the Midcoast Poetry Calendar and Midcoast Poetry Journal has simple goals for Midcoast Maine:

• to help connect poets, poetry groups and poetry organizations
• to provide a reliable calendar for recurring and special poetry events
• to plan and host poetry readings and workshops
• to provide news about Midcoast Maine poets and poetry
• and to create and maintain a printed journal for Midcoast Maine poets and poetry.

Thank you.