By Peggy Yocom
RANGELEY – On Sunday, Aug. 6, 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). Sidney Wade of Rangeley and Gainesville, Florida, will read from her work. 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 Sidney Wade will read. She is the author of five volumes of poetry, including Stroke, Empty Sleeves, and, most recently, Straits & Narrows. Her sixth book of poetry, Bird Book, forthcoming in September, has received rave reviews. Her publisher, Atelier26, describes Bird Book as “a universal song of praise to the mysteries and intricacies of the animal world that surrounds us, and a wide-awake hymn, by a master lyricist, to the delights and surprises of our common language.” Poet Randall Mann describes Sidney as “both the supreme heir to Wallace Stevens and one of the most original poets in our language.” Sidney received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Houston, and has served as president of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. A Fulbright scholar and translator of Turkish poetry, she is professor emerita at the University of Florida. A summer and winter resident of Rangeley since 1963, she also writes of the people and places of western Maine.
To read her poetry, visit http://www.sidneywade.com
The wisdom of the natural world links the poetry of Sidney Wade and Hugh Ogden. In “Fir on the Oquossoc Shore,” Hugh wrote: “Year after year I reach straight/ up, my trunk and voice grounded/ in incremental rhythms evergreen.” In this spirit, friends of poetry will gather on August 6th, please join us. For more information, to join our e-mail list, or to contribute to the fund set up for this event by the Ogden family, contact Peggy Yocom at 864-3421 (myocom@gmu.edu) or Linda Dexter at the Ecopelagicon 864-2771. Visit http://ecopelagicon.com and http://hughogden.com and http://margaretyocom.com/poetry
