Local poet Peggy Yocom to read in Rangeley on Aug. 5

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Hugh Ogden at his camp on The Island in Rangeley Lake. 5 August 2006. Photo by Peggy Yocom

RANGELEY – On Sunday, Aug. 5, lovers of poetry will gather at 6 p.m. in Rangeley at the Ecopelagicon nature store, 7 Pond Street, to honor poet Hugh Ogden, formerly of Poets’ Island, Rangeley (1937-2006). Peggy Yocom of Rangeley and Farmington will read from her new book. Sponsored by Ecopelagicon, the event is free to all. Light refreshments will be served.

Members of the Ogden family will begin the evening by reading poems written by their father. Community members are invited to read a poem of Hugh’s or one of their own that attends to what meant so much to Hugh: the beauty and mystery of the world, especially Rangeley, and peace among all living things. A sign-up sheet will be available just before the start of the evening, since time will be limited.

During the second part of the evening, poet and folklorist Margaret “Peggy” Yocom will read from ALL KINDS OF FUR: Erasure Poems & New Translation of a Tale from the Brothers Grimm – poems based on a controversial, little-known story. Erasing the Grimms’ words to reveal a young woman’s story of her journey to a new, full life, Peggy asks, “What would All Kinds Of Fur say if she could tell her own tale?” Readers can learn more about the book (and erasure poetry) and flip through 16 of its pages at Deerbrook Editions’ website: http://deerbrookeditions.com/kin-s-fur

Peggy has published on the Brothers Grimm, on Inuit storytelling in northwest Alaska, on family folklore, and on the folk arts of Maine logging communities, especially Rangeley. She has worked on exhibits, films, and other projects of the Maine Folklife Center, the Vermont Folklife Center, and more. Founder of the Folklore Studies Program at George Mason University where she taught for 36 years, she was presented with the American Folklore Society’s Goldstein Award for Lifetime Academic Leadership.

The wisdom of stories told through poetry links the work of Peggy and Hugh Ogden; please join us to celebrate their poetry. For more information, contact Peggy at 864-3421 (myocomATgmu.edu) or Linda Dexter at 864-2771, and visit http://ecopelagicon.com and http://hughogden.com and http://margaretyocom.com/poetry

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