Welcome to the 2016 30 for 30 Poetry Celebration

For the last couple of years, I have had the pleasure of presenting poets whose voices have filled my web site with their verse. Some of them are well-known and others have never before published a poem. This event has given these poets a place to showcase their work, to mingle, virtually, with others of their calling and to converse, both with poets and readers, on what is most important to them: their vision and their creative output. In the past, poets have come from as far away as France, Israel and Pakistan as well as from cities from all across the United States. This, I hope, has given a chance for those who might not otherwise have met, to share their hopes and dreams, their wishes and fears and their visions for a better, more unified world. That is one of the purposes of this event: to give a place for voices to come together in harmony.

This year’s poets range from Massachusetts to Washington DC and Virginia,  from New York, to Michigan and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, no one from overseas has stumbled upon my cal this year but, hopefully, the poetry that will be presented will echo the voices of those from afar.

As for the theme, The Artifice of Politics, it was, I thought, something that would fit in with the political season here in the US and all that that involves. And politics, as many of you know, is something that has always interested me, both as a poet and as a citizen. It did not, it seems, interest enough others — or perhaps, there were those who did not wish to delve into that topic. And so I opened it up. Therefore, we will have a wider and, ultimately, richer array of discourse.

I hope you will enjoy the poems presented this month. And I hope you will join in discussion on this site with the poets and the readers who come here each day.

And please mark your calendars for April 12th when 30 for 30 will once again make an appearance on The Radio Hotline with Dennis Price at 8 PM ET.  Just go to www.radiofairfax.com to listen live. And if you have questions for the poets who will be appearing, simply email me at mikemaggio@mikemaggio.net during the show and we will respond.

Thank you and enjoy National Poetry Month and all that April has to offer.