1. What is your connection to Somerville?
I moved here in 1984 and have lived in Somerville since.
2. How did or does living in Somerville influence your writing? Or, what does it mean to write from this place?
It is a great place to write because there is a strong writing and artist community. I could not imagine living any place else.
I have had the opportunity to publish great poetry and fiction by Somerville writers and publish a high school poetry anthology edited by Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz. This is important to give back to this wonderful community.
Being a previous Poet Laureate of Somerville, one project was bringing poetry out into the streets and reaching Somerville's different populations. Not all cities have poet laureates reaching out into the community.
3. What do other/aspiring Somerville writers need to know?
-There are many reading series in the area besides small presses, many in Somerville.
-The Bards meet every Saturday from 9AM-12:00PM at Panera’s in Cambridge which is great for networking and meeting other writers.
-The Arts at the Armory has so many events and is a wonderful place to attend events and has a great café for writing too and great café food.
-Bloc 11 is great for writing and drinking coffee.
-Sign up for the Somerville Arts Council News and list serv which is wonderful.
-The writers in Somerville are very welcoming to new residents. This is so important.
-Somerville has many squares and cozy places throughout.
Somerville has more artists and writers than I have ever encountered in other cities. We have a great community, which is supportive, that makes Somerville unique. So many writers in Somerville and the surrounding area have books out published by presses here and elsewhere. Other writers in other cities outside of MA cannot believe how great our writing community is here.
—Gloria Mindock
Proud to be Cervena Barva poet!
Gloria's center in Somerville such a special place, home of poetry and art.
With love
Andrey Gritsman (New York)
Honored to become part of Červená Barva. Somerville sounds like a wonderful place, which is really alive.
And how lucky Somerville is to have Gloria as citizen-poet and lover of community.
Gloria continues to inspire me. I am proud to be part of Cervena Barva. Glad to read she lives in such a supportive environment.
My connection to Somerville arises from friendships with Poet’s Gloria Mindock and the late Dianne Robitaille. Gloria has an abundance of creative talent and energy that she fearlessly shares with those in her beloved Somerville community and beyond, even crossing international borders. Through considerable and sustained effort, she works to make poetry more accessible to others while she continues to challenge us through her own writing. I treasure having her kind spirit and poetic presence in my life.