FARMINGTON – Two Farmington women will be representing Franklin County on Saturday at Portland Public Library’s presentation of 16 Counties Poetry Series- a reading that highlights the work of poets across the state.
Meg Willing and Shana Youngdahl first met when they were paired up for the Belfast Poetry Festival – Willing covering the visual art component and Youngdahl the poetry. Now teaming up again, the duo will present a complex blend of word, art and interaction in their reading on Saturday.
“Sometimes poetry can feel really ostracizing. We’re hoping that adding a visual aspect that is interactive will draw a bigger audience,” Willing said.
Willing spends much of her time in what she calls the “hyper genre” of poetry and art, working as an editor/designer for two different publications. She also participates in Maine’s first community-supported art share, CSArt Maine, as an Associate Director.
Youngdahl moved to Maine six years ago and now teaches at The University of Maine at Farmington and co-directs the Longfellow Mountains Young Writers Workshop.
The reading will include a total of 10 poems, five by each poet. As each poem appears on the screen an image will slowly slide over the bulk of the words, leaving a select few words left- a process that Willing calls Stop Motion Erasure Poetry. Each poet worked with the other’s work to select the words that would stay.
“It takes a lot of trust to hand over something you’ve been working on a long time and see it turned into something else. To see that shift feels really liberating,” Willing said.
The collaboration brings not just a dynamic final performance for the reading series, but encourages the concept of supportive arts.
“There’s this image that art happens in isolation. But it can’t happen without a community to support it and help you get through those moments of sitting at your desk wondering what you are doing,” Youngdahl said. “Franklin County has an incredibly rich community of poets. We feel really honored to have been chosen for this.”
The presentation will take place at the Portland Public Library on Saturday Oct. 21 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
