By Jan Howard

Lovers of poetry will be treated to readings by two poets during “An Evening of Poetry” sponsored by the C.H. Booth Library.

Helen Ruth Freeman and Doris Henderson will present some of their poems on Friday, March 24 at 7 pm in the meeting room of the library. Admission is free. A book signing and dessert reception will follow the reading for attendees to meet with the poets.

Ms Freeman, a former teacher and supervisor of English in the New York City high schools, founded the New York City High School Poetry Festival. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors of Poetry House.

A graduate of Wellesley College with a master of arts degree from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature, she divides her time between New York City and East Hampton. She was a part-time resident of Newtown from 1990 to 1996.

Ms Freeman said she has been writing poetry all her life, but it’s only in the past ten years that she has actively pursued it since she is no longer working. “I need a lot of reflecting time,” she said.

She has taken some writing courses. “I had the benefit of the criticism of other members of the class and some good poets,” Ms Freeman said. “They encouraged me.”

That encouragement paid off with the publishing of her first book of poems, Diurnal Matters, by Canio’s Editions. A selection of her poems appears in the latest issue of the literary magazine Tin House, as a new voice in poetry.

Ms Freeman describes her poetry as personal. “It reflects my own experiences, but I try to work from the personal into the universal. If a poem is about one person, it represents many people.”

 While she likes form and rhyme, she writes mostly in free verse. “I like to experiment. Contemporary poetry allows you to do that. You are free to express things.”

However, she noted, because poetry represents your experiences and the world around you, “It can’t all be abstract. It is grounded by personal experiences and observations, from your joys and sorrows.”

Ms Freeman loves words and the way they sound. “I get great pleasure from them. Words to me are like colors for painters.”

She writes mostly in the morning, using pencil and pad for the first version, then typing it on a word processor. “I write down phrases as they come to me,” she noted. “Sometimes I put a poem on the back burner and go back to it later to flesh it out.”

Doris Henderson’s poems have appeared in Slant, Calliope, The New Press, Comstock Review, Connecticut River Review, and other journals and anthologies. A former teacher and drama coach, she has given readings at venues in Connecticut and also with Golden Fleece Ltd. in New York City.

She holds a master of arts degree in literature from Columbia University.

Ms Henderson has been writing poetry for about 20 years. “I write on a variety of subjects,” she said. “The majority of my poems are free verse. You have to find your own form to fit the subject.”

She said she has learned a great deal, including various techniques, from workshops and seminars she attended that featured well-known poets. “I’ve had over 40 poems published,” she said.

Ms Henderson also likes to do poetry readings.

A resident of Danbury for 15 years, she is vice president of the Connecticut Poetry Society and president of its Danbury area chapter, which meets once a month.

She also meets with a group of poets on Wednesdays at Bethel Arts Junction. “It’s a venue that’s always there. You get feedback on your poems.”

Her poetry comes from free writes, she said. “I keep a journal. You can write whatever comes into your mind. This increases your word fluency, makes you able to get the words out. I then take a phrase or idea and expand on it. Sometimes I respond to a dream that I remember when I first wake up in the morning.

“I do a lot of revising, but the original poem must be spontaneous or it’s not real,” Ms Henderson said. “You pour your thoughts out on paper and later make a poem out of it. You’re surprised at what you find when you go back.”

Ms Henderson writes about three or four times a week. “I write in my journal as often as I can. Then I write out a poem in longhand first, then I put it on the computer and do revisions.

“Some poems are finished in the first draft; others may go through months, or even years, of revision. There seems to be no difference in the quality of the poem, either way.”

Both women said they have always loved poetry, though Ms Henderson noted she has always been more interested in the performance side of it.

Ms Freeman said, “All my life I have loved reading and reciting poetry. I loved to hear my mother read poetry to me when I was a little girl. It’s been a special pleasure to me all my life.”

For further information about the poetry readings, please call the library at 426-4533.