The W. T. Bland Public Library welcomes special guest, award winning poet M. B. McLatchey, Saturday, April 18th to celebrate Poetry Month. Ms. McLatchey will be presenting a free poetry writing workshop, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, in the library from 9 – 10:30 a.m.

In thirteen short and curious stanzas, the American poet Wallace Stevens draws us into the world of the blackbird, a bird so common that most of us would likely not pay attention to it if we saw one. As the great poets will, Stevens teaches how to see the world around us – not once, but at least 13 times. This workshop will examine ways that we can continue to see the world around us and continue to generate new poems. Authors will also consider ways to enhance meaning in their poems by paying attention to sound and verse lines, and by casting our poems into poetic forms.

M. B. McLatchey holds graduate degrees in Comparative Literature and Languages and in Teaching from Harvard University and Brown University, as well as the MFA from Goddard College and the B.A. in English Literature from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Currently, she is a Professor of Humanities at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she teaches ancient Greek and Roman history and literature.

The workshop will be followed by the 17th annual Poetry Under the Oaks from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy this beautiful celebration of poetry and poets. If you would like to read a poem, you may sign up to read either in person at the W. T. Bland Public Library or by calling 735-7180 option 5.

The W. T. Bland Public Library is located at 1995 N. Donnelly Street in Mount Dora. All Library programs are free and open to the public. These free events are sponsored by the library and the Mount Dora Library Association.