About the National Baseball Poetry Festival
The National Baseball Poetry Festival is a celebration of poetry (and other short written and spoken-word pieces) whose themes focus on Baseball—our National Pastime! The Festival also punctuates National Poetry Month, during which the nation pays homage to the world’s oldest and, arguably, most powerful art form! Furthermore, the Festival’s contests aim both to connect us all, and serve as lifelines for the love and appreciation of the Fine Arts and Humanities!
Over the course of three days, the Festival welcomes Baseball lovers of all ages, and features Baseball poets young and old… budding and professional! Festival highlights include two WooSox games, a Polar Park tour, a sunset catch on the field for all (bring your glove!), a Poet-to-Poet Reading at The Worcester Pop Up , a Youth Reading at the ballpark, and an Open-Mic Night at Electric Haze in Worcester’s famed Canal District.
Most importantly, EVERYONE is invited to “try their hand” writing about Baseball, and submitting their piece to be judged and potentially recognized during the Festival. For each age-group, up to 20 pieces will be selected for recognition, so don’t hold back. Your piece could very well be among them!
Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts—the home of the National Baseball Poetry Festival—is also the hometown of Ernest Lawrence Thayer, author of “Casey at the Bat,” one of the most famous and beloved poems of all time! The poem’s less-well-known subtitle, “A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888,” evokes the profoundest hope that the Festival will celebrate our shared past and dreams, and feature our unique voices and visions!
Note:
The National Baseball Poetry Festival is a creation of Biondolillo Associates, since 1984 the nation’s leading developer of branded special-event fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations. The Festival was set in motion by the following individuals and their teams: Richard Burke, CEO (Emeritus), Fallon Health; Tim Murray, President & CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce; Joe Bradlee, former Vice President, Community & Player Relations, Worcester Red Sox; Mark Sickman, Founder & Owner, BaseballBard.com; Jake Sanders, Project Executive, Worcester Memorial Auditorium and past-Chief of Staff, City of Worcester; and Jeff Reppucci, Knight-Hennessy Scholar, Stanford University. An Organizing Committee of business, civic, and educational leaders spearheads the Festival’s implementation.
