Turning History into Poetry: Giving Voice to Historic Essex County Women

Writers Carl Carlsen, Ginny Connors, and James Scrimgeour create poetry from historical sources. The rich history of Essex County MA, as well as its three largest cities (Lynn Salem, and Gloucester) are represented in their work. This panel will focus on the voices of women who embody the spirit of a particular period in each of these cities’ histories. The panel will address the questions: How do you craft a poem in a voice rooted in history? How do your render that voice poetically? How do you turn history into poetry?

Panelists will describe the principles and processes they use in their work and will illustrate their remarks by reading from their work.