Frequently Asked Questions
1. When and where will the 2012 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival occur?
Details of the 2012 Festival have not yet been determined; however we hope to announce them by fall of 2011.
2. How can I receive Festival bulletins as they are released?
Join our mailing list and receive updates and information on the 2010 Poetry Festival. If applicable, include both email and street address.
Now you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with Dodge Poetry Festival and Program news.
3. How can I get a Dodge Poet to come to my high school?
For more information about the Dodge Poetry Program and arranging a visit to your school, click here.
4. How can I read my work at the Dodge Poetry Festival?
Though dates details of the next Festival have not yet been determined, we will be happy to accept materials. Before submitting, be sure to read the guidelines below and learn a little about how we work.
We have never released a formal request for submissions because our search for poets remains ongoing. Poetry Program staff members are busy year-round reading books, journals, web pages, submissions and referrals; listening to audio and video recordings; and attending readings, open mikes and slams. We maintain files on hundreds of poets, and it is not unusual for us to follow poets for years before inviting them to participate in one of our events. For these reasons, we prefer to hold onto submissions. Be sure to only send us materials you do not need returned to you.
Although we have a small staff, we read every submission and review every audio and video tape sent to us. However, we simply do not have time to comment on submissions or respond to queries concerning their status. After our initial confirmation letter, we only contact poets we are planning to invite to either the Festival or another Poetry Program event.
If you find the conditions outlined above amenable, send a cover letter, résumé, work sample (copies of books, or 20 pages of poetry), and an audio or video recording of a reading to:
Martin Farawell
Program Director, Poetry
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Ave.
PO Box 1239
Morristown, NJ 07962-1239
The postmark deadline for submissions is December 15th, 2011. Submission deadline for Newark residents: Fenruary 15th.
We do not accept electronic submissions. Once we’ve received your materials, we will send you a confirmation letter.
If you are interested in participating in a more informal basis: Open readings are held on each day of the Festival and listed in the Festival Program. You may sign up to read on-site.
5. Where can I get video footage of the Festival?
More than sixty videos featuring short readings by Festival Poets who participated in the 2006 and 2008 Dodge Poetry Festivals can be found on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/grdodge.
Five PBS television series, including four hosted by Bill Moyers, feature extensive footage shot at past Festivals:
The Power of the Word, with Bill Moyers
The Language of Life, with Bill Moyers
Poetry Heaven
Fooling With Words, with Bill Moyers
Sounds of Poetry, with Bill Moyers
Festival footage can also be found in these PBS television specials:
A Life Together, Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon
Rita Dove, Poet Laureate
If your local public, college or school library does not have copies of these programs, urge them to purchase them through Films for the Humanities and Sciences: www.films.com.
Many episodes of WGBH’s Poetry Everywhere series feature readings filmed at past Dodge Poetry Festivals.
The Dodge Poetry Archive Project hopes to make more video and audio footage available to teachers, students and the general public in the years ahead.