2006_03_05_archive

CITY TYPE

Poets, yes, but these two adept at spreading the words

By Ellen Steinbaum, Globe Correspondent March 5, 2006

On April 8 and 9, when the sixth annual Boston Poetry Festival is held

at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, it will reflect the

vision of one poet, Harris Gardner. And, each week when Somerville

Community Access Television airs the program Poet to Poet/Writer to

Writer, another poet, Doug Holder, brings the written word to a

television audience.

I think of Gardner and Holder as the Johnny Appleseeds of Boston-area

poetry, planting a reading series here, a publishing venture there,

sprinkling poetry from Amesbury to Warwick, R.I. Most of their efforts

are concentrated close to home. Holder cofounded the Somerville News

Writers Festival and started the monthly poetry series at Somerville's

Toast Lounge. With his wife, Dianne, he founded Ibbetson Street Press,

which publishes books, a magazine, and an online newsletter. He

presided for a time over the legendary Stone Soup Poets and is the

current host of the Newton Free Library poetry reading series.

Gardner originated poetry readings at Borders in Downtown Crossing and

at Forest Hills Cemetery. He has organized benefit readings after 9/11

and Hurricane Katrina. His biggest project has been the Poetry

Festival which, each year, organizes more than 50 poets into a free

weekend marathon reading.

Although they are publishers and venue hosts, the two consider

themselves poets first. Each has amassed a solid list of publishing

credits. Gardner is author of the collection ''Lest They Become" and

coauthor, with Lainie Senechal, of ''Chalice of Eros." Holder's most

recent collection is ''Wrestling with my Father."

I catch up with them at yet another event they started. It is 9

o'clock on Saturday morning and I am in Harvard Square with other

early-to-rise poets at what Holder and Gardner call ''Bagels and

Bards." Open to all poets, it's a place to bring new work, share

experiences, and schmooze, which, in the basement of Finagle a Bagel,

seems about right.

It's hard for any poet, especially a beginning one, to find an

audience, and the city is filled with poets grateful for the audiences

these two have helped them find, including at the open mikes their

venues often feature.

''I feel I'm in this world to be a catalytic agent," says Gardner,

''to provide space and opportunity for other poets. I'm a bridge

builder -- sort of a civil engineer of poetry."

He's enjoyed bringing together poets from both the city's academic and

performance communities and is known for venues that combine poets

with major reputations and those he calls ''emerging."

''I like the mix of new and established voices," he says. ''I think it

encourages beginning poets to push themselves more and bring

themselves to the next level."

Holder agrees.''I like showcasing other poets. I like to bring out a

new exciting voice. And I like to make a venue lively, not too formal.

The poetry should be solid, but I want to have fun. I want it to be

eclectic. I like to encourage people who are engaging to put on a

show. Poetry should be a joyous thing."

They are clearly having fun. I picture puppies or maybe lion cubs as

they talk, tumbling over each other's words, interrupting, finishing

each other's sentences, trading verbal jabs over who's younger

(Holder), who has more hair (Gardner).

Holder says, ''If we lost everything else, tomorrow we'd still be