Edward Fisher to read at Poetry on the Loose

Middletown — Poetry on the Loose will feature poet Edward Fisher reading his work at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 6 Orchard Street (at Main) in Middletown. An open reading will follow, at which audience members may perform original work on any theme. Fisher’s work has been published widely, in small presses such as Writers’ Journal, Poetry Motel, and The Writer, and many other journals, as well as in the chapbook “The Estrangement of the Moon.” His work has been recognized, with prizes such as second place in the Dorothea Neale Memorial contest, and in the New York Poetry Forum’s 14th annual “Praise of Poetry” competition. Holder of a doctorate in psychology, Fisher worked as a play therapist and adventure-based counselor with special needs children for thirty years. He provides the following biographical sketch: “Combine one mixed-up childhood with a ‘military brat’ upbringing all over the world. Beat regularly, and add a pinch of naïve belief in Superman, the Lone Ranger, and the American Way. Stir in several speechless moments in the 1960s, as tanks rumbled through the heart of Dixie on their way to Ole Miss. Cut and splice several frames from Zapruder’s film of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Roll in the Alaskan earthquake of 1964 and shake well. Add four years at Reed College, during the height of the Vietnam War. Serve over two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda during the bloody coup of Idi Amin. Cover-up with 18 missing minutes from the Nixon tapes. Pour over whole libraries of Tolstoy, Dickens, Chomsky, and Sartre. Bake in a brown study of censored proletarian literature. Heat up and sprinkle with generous helpings of Dylan Thomas, Ginsberg, Blake, and Rimbaud. Bring to a boil working 30 years with handicapped children. Let cool, and season well with one inter-racial marriage and two salt-and-pepper offspring.” Admission is by donation. The reading and performance series is supported this year with funding from Orange Arts, Orange County Tourism, and the County of Orange. Dan Wilcox is scheduled to read a month later on Saturday, August 5. For further information, call 294-8085 or write to seaton@frontiernet.net.