The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church was founded in 1966 in the East Village

East Village, Manhattan

The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...

 of Manhattan by the poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and translator Paul Blackburn

Paul Blackburn (U.S. poet)

Paul Blackburn was an American poet. He influenced contemporary literature through his poetry, translations and the encouragement and support he offered to fellow poets.-Biography:...

, it has been a crucial venue for new and experimental poetries for over four decades.

The Project offers a number of reading series, writing workshops, a quarterly newsletter, a website, and audio and document archives. Housed in the historic St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, the grounds are the site of historic memorials to poets Paul Blackburn

Paul Blackburn

Paul Blackburn may refer to:* Paul Blackburn * Paul Blackburn with English group, Gomez* Paul Blackburn , youth convicted of attempted murder in 1978, cleared and released in 2005...

, Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg

Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...

, Michael Scholnick, W.H. Auden, Frank O'Hara

Frank O'Hara

Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara was an American writer, poet and art critic. He was a member of the New York School of poetry.-Life:...

, Ted Berrigan

Ted Berrigan

-Early life:Berrigan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 15, 1934. After high school, he spent a year at Providence College before joining the U.S. Army in 1954 to serve in the Korean War. After three years in the Army, he finished his college studies at the University of Tulsa in...

, and others.

Staffed completely by poets, the Poetry Project consistently achieves an integrity of programming that challenges, informs and inspires working writers, while remaining accessible to the general public. Past Artistic Directors of the project have included Joel Oppenheimer

Joel Oppenheimer

Joel Lester Oppenheimer was an American poet associated with both the Black Mountain poets and the New York School. He was the first director of the St. Marks Poetry Project...

, Anne Waldman

Anne Waldman

Anne Waldman is an American poet.Since the 1960s, Waldman has been an active member of the “Outrider” experimental poetry community as a writer, performer, collaborator, professor, editor, scholar, and cultural/political activist....

, Bernadette Mayer

Bernadette Mayer

Bernadette Mayer is a poet and prose writer. In 1967 she received a BA from New School for Social Research. She has since edited the journal 0 TO 9 with Vito Acconci and the United Artists Press with Lewis Warsh...

, Ron Padgett

Ron Padgett

Ron Padgett is an American poet, essayist, fiction writer, translator, and a member of the New York School. Bean Spasms, Padget's first collection of poems, was published in 1967 and written with Ted Berrigan...

, Eileen Myles

Eileen Myles

Eileen Myles is an American poet who has also worked in fiction, non-fiction, and theater.She won a 2010 Shelley Memorial Award.-Early life and career:...

, Ed Friedman – whose term from 1986 to 2003 was the longest – and Anselm Berrigan

Anselm Berrigan

Anselm Berrigan is a poet and teacher. He grew up in New York City, where he currently resides with his wife, poet Karen Weiser. From 2003 to 2007, he served as artistic director at the St. Mark's Poetry Project...

; the current Artistic Director is Stacy Szymaszek

Stacy Szymaszek

Stacy Szymaszek is a poet and the author of the books Emptied of All Ships and Hyperglossia , as well as numerous chapbooks of poetry, including Orizaba: A Voyage with Hart Crane , Stacy S.: Autoportraits , from Hyperglossia , and Mutual...

.

External links

• Poetryproject.org Official home page
• New York State Literary Tree