Carrboro to feature 17th Annual West End Poetry Festival: Music In Poetry
CARRBORO, N.C. -- The 17th Annual West End Poetry Festival returns in person, Oct. 14-15, 2022. This year will provide all in-person events on Friday and Saturday at both Carrboro Town Hall and the Century Center. All events are free and open to the public.
Friday, Oct. 14 – Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St.
- Poetry Prompt Workshop – 7 – 8:30 p.m.
- Led by award winning poets Jessica Jacobs and Nickole Brown, this workshop is based on "Write It! 100 Poetry Prompts to Inspire".
- The workshop starts at 7 p.m., but plan to arrive 30 minutes early to enjoy some informal social time before the program.
Saturday, Oct. 16 – Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St.
- Greeting and Opening Remarks - 1 p.m.
- Poetry Readings – 1:30 p.m.
- Recent book poets, Joan Barasovska, Cedric Tillman, Jacinta White, and Alanda Dagenhart will take the stage to read excerpts from their recent works.
- Poetry in the Round – 2:30 – 4:15 p.m.
- This event will be led by Gary Phillips and Susan Spalt. Everyone is invited to come and ready their poetry.
- Community Poem Reading – 4:15 – 4:45 p.m.
- The Community Poem, a complication edited by Abigail Browning and Liza Wolff- Francis from lines contributed by voices in our community, will be read. The prompt for the 2022 Community Poem was “Music in Poetry.”
- Featured Poets’ Readings – 5 – 7 p.m.
- Alan, Shapiro, Fred Joiner, Jessica Jacbos, Nicole Brown, and our new Carrboro Poet Laureate, Liza Wolff- Francis, will share their poetry.
- Carrboro Town Hall is located at 301 West Main St. in Carrboro. The Century Center is located at 100 North Greensboro St. in Carrboro.
For more information on the events and poets please visit the West End Poetry website: westendpoetryfestival.org
The West End Poetry Festival is funded by the Carrboro Tourism Development Authority and planned by the Carrboro Poets Council (Gideon Young, Liza Wolfe-Francis, Susan Spalt, Jay Bryan, Carrboro Poet Laureate Fred Joiner, Davis Lensch, Alexander Benedict and Paul Jones), with the assistance of Jackie Helvey and the staff of the Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department of the Town of Carrboro.
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Carrboro Announces New Poet Laureate
Liza Wolff-Francis has been selected as Carrboro’s new Poet Laureate, a unanimous selection by the Carrboro Arts Committee.
Liza Wolff-Francis is an award-winning poet and writer whose work has been featured in publications and exhibits across the country. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and considers herself an eco-poet.
“I write poetry with different themes, but much of my recent poetry is focused on the environment with an encouraging note to rescue our planet and ourselves from climate change,” she said.
Her poetry has been published in numerous literary magazines. In the spring of 2022, she won an Honorable Mention in the Mary Ruffin Poole American Heritage Contest for the North Carolina Poetry Society and was published in Pinesong.
Liza Wolff-Francis is a fluent Spanish speaker and has facilitated writing groups in Spanish and English. Her book “Language of Crossing” — poems about the Mexico-U.S. border — was published in 2015. As a social worker, she has worked with Spanish speaking immigrant populations for 20 years. She wrote the play "Border Rising" from interviews with undocumented Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles.
In January 2023, Liza Wolff-Francis will follow Fred Joiner as the Carrboro Poet Laureate.
As Poet Laureate, Liza Wolff-Francis will serve a two-year term and will work to enhance the presence of poetry in the social and civic life of Carrboro. Wolff-Francis will work with the Carrboro Poets Council (a subcommittee of the Arts Committee) and with town staff for the planning of and participation in the West End Poetry Festival (held annually in October) and Carrboro Day, outreach to local schools, and coordinate weekly readings at Town Council meetings. She plans to focus on a theme of hope through writing and self-expression.
Liza Wolff-Francis will be officially introduced as the next Carrboro Poet Laureate at the upcoming West End Poetry Festival at the Carrboro Century Center on Saturday, October 15th. To learn more about the festival, visit http://westendpoetryfestival.org
Liza Wolff-Francis Website: https://writeyourbutterfly.com/
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EDITOR'S NOTE: For a hi-res photo of Liza Wolff-Frances, please contact Town of Carrboro Communication & Engagement at communications@carrboronc.gov
Fire Prevention Week in Carrboro
The National Fire Prevention Association has designated Oct. 9-15 as Fire Prevention Week, an annual observance now in its 100th year that kicked off with National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend on Oct. 8-9, a tribute to all firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed the observance locally.
“I encourage all residents to ensure everyone in their home understands the sounds of the smoke alarms and knows how to respond, to make a home fire escape plan, and to ensure their smoke alarms are working and meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities,” Mayor Seils said. “I also encourage residents to share their appreciation for Carrboro Fire-Rescue’s dedicated first responders and to learn more about the community risk reduction services the department provides.”
Read the proclamation to learn more about the activities, efforts and successes of the Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/2630/Proclamations-and-Resolutions
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Join Carrboro in Walk & Roll to School Day
Walk & Roll to School Day will be Wednesday, Oct. 12, in Carrboro, as proclaimed by Mayor Damon Seils.
“I encourage all students in Carrboro who are able to do so safely to walk, roll, or take the bus to school on this day and to consider doing so as often as possible during the school year” Mayor Seils said.
Walk & Roll to School days provide unique opportunities for students and parents to engage with other members of their community while also protecting our environment by reducing dependency on motor vehicle travel.
Anyone looking to participate in a group Walk & Roll to School should meet at the bike repair stand at Wilson Park, 110 Wilson St., between 7 and 7:15 a.m. There will be a group photo before the group begins to Walk & Roll to School at 7:20 a.m.
There will also be table in front of the school with a raffle for all students who walked and biked or took the school bus on that day, starting at 7:20 a.m.
Enabling and encouraging more students to walk, roll, or bike to school safely benefits the whole community by creating safer streets, reducing traffic congestion, improving accessibility, fostering a stronger sense of community, lowering household transportation costs, and improving the health of the environment
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South Greensboro parking lot closed beginning Oct. 17
Beginning Monday, Oct. 17, the parking lot located at 203 S. Greensboro St. will be closed to the public as crews prepare for construction of The 203 Project.
Alternative public parking lots are located around town and a parking map can be viewed here: http://townofcarrboro.org/parking .
Signs are posted onsite with the closure notification and a QR code link to a parking map. Additionally, wayfinding signs are coming soon to direct people to alternative parking options.
If you would like to learn more about The 203 Project, please visit our website here: http://townofcarrboro.org/1151/The-203-Project .
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Carrboro Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources October 2022 Monthly Newsletter and Calendar
The Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Department publishes a newsletter highlighting events and courses featured for the month ahead.
Follow this link to see the October Newsletter: https://www.townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/1913/Monthly-Events-Newsletter?bidId
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Town Council Update
Meeting agendas and updates are issued from the Town Clerk’s Office. To receive these by email or text, sign up for Carrboro Town News at carrboronc.gov/signup
Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views, and questions at Council@carrboronc.gov
Coming Up
The Town Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, to consider an agenda that will be posted at carrboro.legistar.com This week's meeting was canceled in observance of Yom Kippur.
This in-person meeting will be held at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or can view the livestream at carrboro.legistar.com OR YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro).
To submit a comment on this agenda, please contact publiccomment@carrboronc.gov to reach the Town Clerk.
Past Meeting
The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, Sept. 20, and took the following actions on the agenda posted at https://bit.ly/3SdrC3g
- Authorized implementation of a compensation and classification study designed to increase town employees’ pay to more competitive levels. A study showed that the town’s pay rates were 7.5% below similar governmental entities, contributing to vacancies across departments. The plan will provide all employees with a 2% across-the-board pay adjustment, increase starting salaries, and make internal pay adjustments. Read the news release at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2262
- Authorized the Town Manager to accept two Community Climate Action Grant awards from Orange County and to enter into agreements with Orange County for grant administration. The Town has been awarded two grants from Orange County through the Community Climate Action Grant Program in the amount of $44,300, for the installation of a green roof and a PV solar array on the west roof of the 203 S. Greensboro Project and for a part-time employee to monitor food waste collection at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market for one year.
- Received an update on traffic calming measures, identified as an installation of a speed table and a new stop sign, for Starlite Drive.
- Reviewed draft policies for the expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARP/CSLFRF).
- Held a work session to consider a proposed allocation list on the use of ARP/CSLFRF and provide feedback. The proposed allocation and expenditure list is based on the work of the Town's ARPA Work Group, comprised of department directors and other staff members who reviewed the ARP/CSLFRF allowable activities and sought to align them with identified needs gained from interviews with nonprofits, BIPOC roundtables, community engagements, surveys and other means. More information available at https://bit.ly/3R7j110
The previous Town Council Update from the Sept. 13 meeting is available at https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2249
About the Town Council
The Town Council, which is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, comprises Mayor Damon Seils, Mayor Pro Tempore Susan Romaine, Council Member Barbara Foushee, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Danny Nowell, Council Member Eliazar Posada, and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at http://carrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council
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Carrboro considers plan for use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds
The Carrboro Town Council is considering a plan to spend its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The American Rescue Plan Act 2021 signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, provides $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
These funds may be used to:
- Fight the pandemic and support families and businesses struggling with its public health and economic impacts,
- Maintain vital public services, even amid declines in revenue, and
- Build a strong, resilient, and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity.
Town of Carrboro will receive $6.7 million as part of this allocation.
Learn more at https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2279
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Work underway by Carrboro Stormwater Division
A contractor for the Town's Stormwater Division is pursuing stormwater infrastructure inspections and maintenance work at a handful of locations around Town this week and next week.
If you see a Vision NC truck, note that it is using wave equipment specifically designed to clean and video storm drains.
For more information, please contact the Stormwater Division at stormwater@carrboronc.gov or 919-913-2999.
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Carrboro observes Community Planning Month
The American Planning Association has designated the month of October 2022 as National Community Planning Month, and the Town of Carrboro is on board! Mayor Damon Seils has proclaimed the observance locally.
“I encourage all residents to celebrate the contributions made by the professional planners of Carrboro and our neighboring communities; and to recognize the dedication of the members of our numerous advisory boards and commissions and other community members who regularly contribute their time and talents to the improvement of Carrboro,” Mayor Seils said. “Furthermore, I encourage residents to become advocates for and participants in the implementation of our award-winning Carrboro Connects comprehensive plan.”
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