The Betty June Silconas Poetry Center at Sussex County Community College honors the memory of Betty June Silconas, a Sparta resident, who celebrated life in her poems. The joy and love she had for family, friends, and her home are evident in her work. Ms. Silconas never sought to be recognized. She wrote for the bliss she experienced as she chronicled the events in her life “ seasons, celebrations, and her spirituality.”

With a generous donation from her family, the Silconas Poetry Center is a place where anyone can come to read and write poetry. The Betty June Silconas Poetry Center also be sponsors events such as: readings, workshops, and even a poetry contest.

For more information contact Priscilla Orr at 973-300-2194.

Silconas Poetry Center Spring Events

Hi poetry lovers. We have an exciting season of poetry planned for this Spring.

Friday March 7: Awards Anthology Reading in the Performing Arts Center Atrium

On Friday, March 7, we'll celebrate the publication of Poets from the Center, the Awards Anthology sponsored by the Silconas Center. Our readers that evening will be the twelve poets whose work appears in the anthology. We'll make the celebration really festive by meeting in the Atrium of the new Performing Arts Center, a cozy but elegant space in the new building on the lower campus. This reading begins at 7:00 p.m. and goes to 9:00 p.m.

Friday, April 4: Idiom Reading Series in the Library

On Friday, April 4, our readers will be John McDermott and Adele Kenny. 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the Library.

Friday, May 2: Idiom Reading Series in the Library

On Friday, May 2, we'll at last be able to hear B.J. Ward and Norma Bernstock, whose reading was canceled due to icy roads last November. 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the Library.

Poetry Workshop

On Saturday, April 19, from 9:30 A.M. until 1:30 P.M., the Silconas Center will sponsor a poetry workshop. Join workshop leader Jeannie LeBlanc for The Short Forms: Exploring Haiku, Tanka, Renga, Senryu, Sijo, Haibun, Haiga, and whatever else we have time to cover! We'll discuss the American expression of these (traditionally Eastern) short forms; we will look at examples of each form and discuss how contemporary American poets are bringing their own voice and style to what may seem like highly structured forms. We'll then try some exercises in writing haiku and tanka, and as many of the others as time permits. The intent of this workshop is to foster each participant's original voice within these proscribed forms, thereby opening new paths to freedom and creativity. These short forms lend themselves to daily practice and to the cultivation of seeing that leads naturally into all forms of poetic expression. Registration fee: $10.00 payable to SCCC Foundation (with "Poetry Workshop" on the memo line). Send checks to Jean LeBlanc, Interim Director, Silconas Poetry Center, Sussex County Community College, One College Hill, Newton NJ 07860. For more information, e-mail Jeannie at jleblanc@sussex.edu.

Any questions about any of these events? E-mail Jean LeBlanc at jleblanc@sussex.edu