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 entire nation pays homage to the world’s oldest and, arguably, most powerful art form!
Over the course of three days, the Festival will welcome Baseball lovers of all ages, and feature Baseball poets young and old… budding and professional! Festival highlights include two WooSox games, Polar Park stadium tours, an on-field activity for all (bring your glove!), and open-mic events throughout Worcester’s downtown.
Most importantly, EVERYONE is invited to “try their hand” writing about Baseball, and submitting their pieces 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 a 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, Fallon Health; Tim Murray, CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce; Joe Bradlee, Vice President, Community & Player Relations, Worcester Red Sox; Mark Sickman, Founder and 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. Once it was set in motion, an Organizing Committee of business, civic, and educational leaders was formed to spearhead the Festival’s implementation.
