Date: Fri 01-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Polly-Brody-poet-Frost

Full Text:

polly brody to be featured in poetry series

wITH PHOTO

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

Those who yearn for a connection to nature and art may find a remedy in the

free discussion series After Frost: Poetry in New England, held in Connecticut

each Thursday through March 21 at 7 pm in the West Hartford Library. Local

poet and animal behaviorist Polly Brody has been invited to give a reading for

the March 14 session.

"I'm joining illustrious company," said Ms Brody, citing Galway Kinnell,

Maxine Kumin as past readers. "I'm very thrilled to be asked to do this... It

is such a serious and worthy undertaking throughout New England."

The program, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, is designed

to introduce contemporary New England poets to interested residents by

offering eight-week courses at 30 different locations in the six adjoining

states. It all begins with the poetry of Robert Frost - a familiar figure who

is not intimidating, said Connecticut's program facilitator Susan King.

"Every week we look at a Frost poem on a thematic issue: struggles of the

human soul and psyche, humans encountering nature, society and justice, and

visionary hopes for the good of mankind," said Ms King. Participants read 30

poems relating to each theme from an anthology; three or four of these are

discussed in depth during a class meeting. Poets, like Ms Brody, who are

actively writing and are living in New England are invited to give a

solo-reading of their work at some of the classes.

Fifty of Ms Brody's poems have appeared in publications nationwide, including

The Spoon River Poetry Review, Zone 3, The Midwest Quarterly, Blue Unicorn,

Potato Eyes, Poetpourri Amy, this play on words is correct , and The

Connecticut River Review. She has received the following awards in national

competitions: first place in the Winchell Award Competition sponsored by the

Connecticut Poetry Society, second place in the Cynthia Cahn Memorial

Competition, semi-finalist in The Anhinga Prize For Poetry, finalist in The

Sow's Ear poetry competition, and was recently named first place poet in a

national competition sponsored by the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield.

Mrs Brody also won honors for her work during her college years. She took a

long hiatus from writing while she raised her family, and then began again in

1978.

"The natural world appears in my poetry as material from which I can draw

metaphors and symbols for something...that might have to do with human

situations," said the poet. Or she might write "specifically about something

in the natural world that has resonance beyond itself."

She is a member of Wood Thrush Poets and has taught creative writing through

Newtown's Continuing Education on four different occasions. Ms Brody has

published seven prose pieces and is currently working on a collection of

essays.

Ms Brody will give her poetry reading for After Frost on March 14 at 7 pm in

the West Hartford Public Library, 20 South Maiin Street, West Hartford. She

will read for one hour and spend half an hour answering questions on how she

approaches the experience of writing poetry. Anyone may attend the reading, or

join the course any Thursday evening at the library through March 21. For

information, call the library at 203-523-3275.