Basketball, Blazes and Bots: Three Poets Explore Sports, Love and the Farthest Reaches of the Galaxy

Jefferson will be reading at the Yarmouth Public Library with fellow poets David Sloan and John Reinhart.

Free lunch!!

At the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland! FMI and tickets: https://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/

Jefferson will be reading with a bunch of excellent poets to celebrate the launch of Mike Bove’s book, EYE. Register for the free event at Mechanics’ Hall HERE.

A talk with Jefferson Navicky & Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.

Harrison Bird Brown of Portland was one of 19th-century Maine's most successful marine and landscape painters. Maine State Historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. will discuss Brown's life and career. His illustrated remarks will be based on his publication, "A Century of Portland Artists, 1820-1920: Landscape Paintings from the Maine Historical Society Collection." Brown served as inspiration for poet and archivist Jefferson Navicky’s most recent book, Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands. The story is a novel in prose poems about three generations of landscape painters, starting with a fictionalized Harrison Bird Brown. Navicky will read selections from the book, and will speak about how Harrison Bird Brown and landscape painting inspired his latest book.

About the presenters:

Jefferson Navicky is the author of four books, most recently Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands (2023) as well as Antique Densities: Modern Parables & Other Experiments on Short Prose (2021), which won the 2022 Maine Literary Book Award for Poetry. He works as the archivist for the Maine Women Writers Collection.

Earle Shettleworth, Jr. became interested in historic preservation in 1961 when, at the age of 13, Portland's Union Station was destroyed in favor of a strip mall. In 1970, he earned a B.A. in Art History from Colby College. He also earned an M.A. in Architectural History from Boston University in 1979, an L.H.D. from Bowdoin College in 2008, and an L.H.D. from the Maine College of Art in 2012. Earle served as president of the Maine Historical Society from 1977 to 1979. In 2004 Governor John E. Baldacci appointed him as State Historian, and he was reappointed to a second term by Governor Baldacci in 2008 and to a third term by Governor LePage in 2014.

Jefferson will be in conversation with Annaliese Jakimides about Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands at the Russell Poetry Grove at the Common Ground Fair — 1pm, Friday Sept. 22.

Jefferson will be joining Irene M. Drago on her zoom Maine’s Reading Connection to talk about Head of Island Beautification.

Irene writes, “If you haven't read Jefferson Navicky's HEAD OF ISLAND BEAUTIFICATION FOR THE RURAL OUTLANDS, I hope you will because every chapter from "The Silence" to "Mask V" is poetry in prose. Though the work is fiction, the story is inspired by the personal history of Harrison Bird Brown and his family. To discover the difference between truth and fiction, join Maine's 2020 Reading Connection and award-winning author Jefferson Navicky on August 28 at 7 p.m. EST. For an invitation to Zoom with us, please email irenemdrago@gmail.com before noon on August 27.

Jefferson will be speaking about Ruth Moore and her poetry as a part of Ruth Moore Days on Mount Desert Island.

“Harrison Bird Brown in Fact & Fiction” with Earle Shettleworth, Jr and Jefferson Navicky

• Friday, June 23, 2023

• 6:00 PM 7:30 PM

• Northeast Harbor Library, 1 Joy Road, Mount Desert, ME, 04662 (map)

Join us for a lively conversation that interweaves history and fiction. Harrison Bird Brown of Portland was one of 19th century Maine's most successful marine and landscape painters. Maine State Historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. will discuss Brown's career as it intersected with Mount Desert Island, based on his 2023 Chebacco article. Brown also served as inspiration for poet and archivist Jefferson Navicky who will speak about how Harrison Bird Brown and landscape painting inspired his latest book, Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands. Sponsored by the Mount Desert Island Historical Society and the Great Harbor Maritime Museum. Free and Open to the public.

Due to space limitations, registration is recommended. The program will be recorded for later viewing on our website. Go to https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/10584897?hs=a to reserve your seat.

Jefferson will be reading with fellow poets Maya Williams and Maya Stein in Portland.

Jefferson will be at the Peaks Island Library on Saturday, May 13th @ 3pm to read and talk about Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands.

Register for the workshop here.

This workshop is made possible by an American Rescue Plan/Maine Projects Grant sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, and administered by SPACE Gallery. Co-sponsored by Freeport Climate Action Now, and Freeport Conservation Trust.

UPDATE: And here are a few photos from the Freeport Workshop

The Bookey Readings at the Bailey hosts Jefferson Navicky and Pam Burr Smith at the Bailey Public Library in Winthrop, April 29th at 1 PM. Join us for a wonderful afternoon of some wonderful poetry.

Reclaiming the Prose Poem: An Introduction

• Saturday, April 15, 2023

• 10:00 AM 3:00 PM

• Online

A Poetry Workshop

ALL LEVELS

As poet Charles Bernstein once said, prose poems are often looked at with suspicion not only by the usual haters of poetry, but also by many poets themselves. And yet they contain so much possibility for expansion, for fun, and for subversion. This workshop will serve as a gateway into the joyously liminal form of the prose poem. We will look at a wide variety of prose poems across history including works by Charles Baudelaire, Russell Edson, Miho Nonaka, and Mary Ruefle. We will also write our own prose poems in a supportive environment. In so doing, we will make ourselves suspicious! Poets and prose writers of all levels welcome – prepare yourself to swim into the murky yet invigorating waters of the hybrid genre.

Jefferson Navicky is the author of four books, most recently the novel-in-prose-poems, Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands (2023), as well as Antique Densities: Modern Parables & Other Experiments in Short Prose (2021), which won the 2022 Maine Literary Book Award for Poetry. Jefferson works as the archivist for the Maine Women Writers Collection

Book launch and reception for Jefferson Navicky's Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands (2023) at Meetinghouse Arts in Freeport. Navicky will read from the book, engage in discussion with former Maine Poet Laureate Betsy Sholl, and take questions from the audience. Music will be provided by Eric Schwan. The event is FREE, — RSVP here.

Jefferson will be reading along with Cate Marvin and Jonathan Pessant on February 12th at the Brunswick Library as a part of Longfellow Days 2023.

Join the staff of Bowdoin College’s Special Collections & Archives for the monthly tradition of turning the page of John James Audubon's magnificently large "Birds of America." Learn about Audubon, birds, art, book culture and more each month as we engage with this remarkable work. This month poet and archivist of the Maine Women Writers Collection, Jefferson Navicky joins.

This event is in-person and will be streamed live via www.youtube.com/channel/UCMgjqqV4njJ2mSFHdHi_iAw.

The Future Tents Project: Artistic Collaboration in Freeport

October 1 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

For the 2021 Belfast Poetry Festival, artist Rebecca Goodale and poet Jefferson Navicky rented a campsite for a week in September at Wolfe’s Neck Oceanfront Campground. They spent the week creating images of tents, writing swimming poems, doing some actual swimming, and walking the campgrounds in search of new and compelling tent structures to draw. The result of this process was their collaborative project, “Future Tents.” Later that year, Rebecca created an artist’s book of the same name, which included Jefferson’s poem and hand-colored drypoints.

Please join Rebecca & Jefferson as they talk about their collaboration, the importance of self-made residencies, and the general creative spirit necessary to collaborate. Jefferson will read a few poems and Rebecca will exhibit her artist’s book, “Future Tents” as well as unframed drypoints and serigraphs inspired by Wolfe’s Neck Center and Wolfe’s Neck Oceanfront Camping.

The public is encouraged to participate in this lively dialogue about artistic collaboration in Freeport.

Suggested admission: $5-10. All ticket proceeds to be donated to the Wolfe’s Neck Farm Camp scholarship program. And a percentage of the sales from Jefferson’s poetry books and Rebecca’s artwork will benefit Meetinghouse Arts!

Jefferson and poet Jeri Theriault will host via zoom MWPA’s Gather 47 for Poetry. It’s a wonderful, low-key conversation about poetry and the poetry world with friends and colleagues. Please join them! Click on the above link to register.

The Offshore Islands Belong to Themselves:

Ruth Moore & Her Poetry

Ruth Moore was one of Maine’s most beloved 20th century writers. Jefferson’s presentation will include highlights from the Ruth Moore collection at the Maine Women Writers Collection, as well as touching on some of her most well-known books including Spoonhandle. He will especially focus on her often-neglected poetry. Jefferson will share a variety of Moore’s poems and invite audience participation.

September 10th @ 3pm — Falmouth Library

Friday, 9/9 @ 6pm in Payson Park!!