Pictured Above: Carole A. Briggs-Coordinator
“We could not be more pleased with the number of poets that have responded to our search to find them.” Coordinator Carole A. Briggs is referring to the proposed illustrated book of poetry, a project of the R. M. Arthurs Memorial Library, that is now underway. “I’ve felt like a detective since October when we learned our application for funding was accepted! We’ve used Facebook pages of area libraries, local newspapers, Internet white pages, Google, letters, postcards, and word-of-mouth in our effort to get copyright permission for at least 100 of the 184 award-winning poems that we’ve identified. We met that goal in early January, so will begin the layout process with our photographer very soon.”
Briggs is working with Patty Zion and Pat Conroy, who have organized the annual poetry contest at the Arthurs Library for two decades. The proposed book of award-winning poems, written by poets in Jefferson and adjacent counties between 1996 and 2015, will feature photographs taken by Anna Dinger, a graduate of Brookville Area High School and Indiana State University, and whose photography business is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), through its Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) regional partnership with Elk County Council on the Arts (ECCOTA) announced the grants for the 2016-2017 grant cycle in October, including the proposal of the Arthurs Library to gather twenty years of award-winning poetry and publish an illustrated volume.
Briggs added that poems for the years 1996 and 1998 are missing from the library files. “We hope some of those poets, as well as award winners we have not yet reached, will surface before we finalize the layout. This week we will post their names on the library Facebook pages along with our deadline of January 31st. We’d sincerely hate to publish this book and then have a poet or two tell us that they were overlooked, so we hope in this day of social media that people will help us locate these missing poets and have them contact the Arthurs Library at 814-849-5512 or the coordinator at darrbriggs@windstream.net.”
Poets who have yet to sign copyright release forms include: Julie Aaron, Kaitlin Becker, Amanda Beyer, Brandy Blake, Stephen Boland, Jeremiah Bowley, Logan Bowser, Kayla Bruner, Linda Buchheit, Sabrina Bundy, Denise Burkett, Ann Buzard, Christina Clinger, Crystal Crosley, Krystie Davis, Kristin Dinger, Morgan Douglas, Trevor Doust, Sandy Eberts, Deborah Elder, Paige Emberg, Denise Fike, Nicholas Foradori, Johnathan C. Frederick, Betty Gattuso, Emily M. George, Mikyla Georgvich, Amanda Haag, Cecelia Harmon, Devin Himes, Cary Hook, Zach Kehl, Aaron Kennedy, Robin Lawson, Chaunci Letang, Emma Lisak, Rachel McGinnis, Bernie Murray, Jena Pallone, Chandni Patel, Tina Peace, Damien Porter, Emily Rend, Raul J. Rodriquez, Braden Schroeder, Dorena R. Shaffer, Hailey Shields, Sadie Shovestall, Alex Smith, Austin Smith, Deena Ann Smith, Shannon Smith, Emily Spencer, Angel Stahlman, Gretchen Stahlman, Jade Steele, Arlene Stewart, Michael Stewart, Jillian Taylor, Melody Titus, Ladonna Waite, Elizabeth Wingard, Madisyn Wolfe, Morgan Wynkoop, Aubrey Zerbach and Sue Zimmerman.
