Third Annual Dionis Coffin Riggs Day of Poetry

In-person event!
Zoom option also available.

On Friday, August 6 at 3:30pm, the West Tisbury Library presents the third annual Dionis Coffin Riggs Day of Poetry. This special event was established on her birthday of August 6th to annually commemorate not only the work of Ms. Riggs but the work from poets who have been members of the poetry group she established in her home 50 plus years ago and continues to this day, the Cleaveland House Poets. Some members are established poets, others early in their writing life, many have passed on. At this gathering at the West Tisbury Library, family and friends will join together and read their favorite Dionis Coffin Riggs poems in honor of this remarkable woman. All are welcome to attend.

This year’s reading will begin with recordings of Dionis reading four summer poems, followed by a clip of William Waterway’s New Year’s Eve 1988 cable show with Cynthia Riggs reading one of her mother’s poems, and then a final clip of Dionis Coffin Riggs reading one of her poems on another William Waterway New Year’s celebration. After follows family member Dionis Montrowl and some of the current Cleaveland House Poet members.

The reading will include Chris Legge, Kat Leonard-Peck (via Zoom), Dionis Montrowl, Fan Ogilvie, Susan Puciul, Arnie Reisman, Brooks Robards, Ellen Martin Story, Valerie Sonnenthal, and Warren Woessner.

Attendance will be limited to 20 people to allow for social distancing. Please sign up in advance to reserve your seat by emailing wt_mail@clamsnet.org. Masks are mandatory for all. A Zoom option will also be available. Please email us to request the Zoom invitation. Free and open to the public.