On this episode of the Deerfield Public Library Podcast, we have the great pleasure of presenting the voices of three local poets: Herb Berman, MJ Gabrielsen, and Jacqueline Nicole Harris. They are all members of the Library Poets group, which meets every Tuesday evening at the Library for a poetry workshop.
You’ll hear a wide variety of poems, covering nighttime walks through Deerfield, the drama of wild horses, and the politics of Beyoncé. We also discuss the inspirations and stories behind the poems.
Meet the poets
First up is Herb Berman, a retired labor lawyer, arbiter and mediator, and a co-founder of the Library Poets group. Herb reads his poems “Ugly Poets” (nominated for a Pushcart prize) and “Twilight.”
MJ Gabrielsen, another co-founder, is our second poet. MJ reads “Egret” and “After Wildfires,” the latter of which appears in her forthcoming chapbook Watching Earth, available from Redbird Chapbooks this summer.
Closing our show is Jacqueline Nicole Harris, whose most recent book On Life won the 2017 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Self-Publishing Literary Award for Poetry. Jacqueline reads “America (Why You Mad?)” and “The Open Wound in My Heart.” You can check out her books On Life and 7 Random Things at the library.
If you’d like more information about the Library Poets group or how to join, email deerfieldworkshop@gmail.com.
We hope you enjoy our 18th episode! Each month we’ll be releasing an episode featuring a conversation with a dynamic guest with a Deerfield connection. Learn more about the podcast on our podcast page.
You can listen to all of our episodes in the player below or on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. We welcome your comments and feedback—please send to podcast@deerfieldlibrary.org.
