Poet Laureate Projects
Poet Laureate nominees are encouraged to continue their application project promoting poetry throughout the community, regardless if they were crowned or not. The following poets have shared their projects.
Paulette Garner
Poet Laureate Application Project:
On June 26, 2015, Paulette conducted a poetry workshop at the PWC Juvenile Detention Center. Approximately 15 teenage girls participated in this Popcorn and Poetry Session. Some of her poems were shared, along with poetry techniques before encouraging them to write and share their original poems.
Workshops at Manassas City Library:
On January 4, 2023, Paulette hosted a Journaling Workshop at the Manassas City Library. A mixed audience of children and adults attended.
Another Poetry Workshop was hosted on April 8, 2023, at the Manassas City Library. A local poet, Josue Rios, co-hosted this event. Along with a few of Paulette’s poems, the display showcased poems the attendees wrote and pictures of the aspiring poets reading their poem(s). Children and adults were in attendance.
John Dutton II
Poet Laureate Application Project:
In January 2015, John began an open mic at Grounds Central Station. He writes, “The idea for Spilled Ink came after I had attended a writers’ and poets’ night held at Deja Brew in Haymarket, Virginia, hosted by former Prince William County Poet Laureate, Robert Scott. My problem was that Haymarket was a two-hour round trip for me, so I could not attend the event on a regular schedule. I wished for something more centrally located so that more people in Prince William County could attend on a regular basis, myself included. I felt the people on the east side were missing out on a great opportunity.”
General Manager Matt Brower had allowed writers to meet at Grounds Central informally for some time, and he also displayed their books for sale. “At first, Spilled Ink sometimes only involved writers reading to each other,” Dutton says, “but as time went on we outgrew the space. Jirani Coffeehouse opened about the same time, so it was a perfect opportunity. We first met there in April of 2016” and has continued for the past seven years.
Dutton believes Spilled Ink is successful because of, “the relaxed attitude and community feel… It is meant to be fun. I want it to have a ‘no stress’ atmosphere.” Asked what he likes about the open mic, he replies, “I love the sharing of ideas and inspiration each month and seeing the smiles on the people’s faces. I also like to see people get together before, during, and after the event, talking about what they will be reading, what they have heard. Listening to them also increases my vocabulary.”
And why Spilled Ink? Jan Rayl, the former president of Write by the Rails, a group of local writers, notes that, “Spilled Ink is an important outlet for local writers since writing is a solitary craft and as authors we connect with others when we read our work aloud. Many of the works we hear at Spilled Ink may never be published, but they have an audience there.”
Spilled Ink also hosts the open mic at In the Company of Laureates and Arts Alive!. For more information about Spilled Ink, go to Spilled Ink VA.
Katherine Gotthardt
Poet Laureate Application Project:
In 2019, Katherine Gotthardt was awarded Project of the Year for Poetry Around Town. The project was initiated and sponsored by Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. It brought poems from local writers to businesses and government buildings throughout Prince William County, and eventually spread to Manassas and Manassas Park. Businesses were encouraged to display poems to the community to allow patrons to “stop and read a piece of literary art they otherwise might not — something short that would get them thinking in a different way.” At the height of the project more than 100 pieces of poetry were displayed in a variety of businesses. Katherine Gotthardt was recognized by the Poet Laureate CIrcle for her implementation of the poetry installation.
https://princewilliamliving.com/poetry-pops-up-around-prince-william/
