Spoken word is order of day
An afternoon of poetry to benefit 30 area food pantries Wantage Sensations Magazine is holding an afternoon of poetry to raise money for the region’s food pantries. PHANfest 2 Poets Helping America’s Needy” will be held Saturday, June 11, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at the Sussex-Wantage Library Amphitheater. More than 50 poetry publishers and poets from the tri-state area have been invited to participate. Poets contribute $10 apiece to read two poems 50 lines or less, with proceeds going in full to Sussex County food pantries. Table rentals at $40 are strictly limited to a poetic focus, with literary magazines, poetry publishers, poetry groups and individual poets who have published books. Those proceeds, too, go in full to Sussex County food pantries. There is no charge to attend, but tickets will be sold for door prizes at $5 each ticket. Again proceeds will be donated in full to the food pantries. Poets have been asked by event organizers to keep it clean and family friendly no profanity, no sexually suggestive material. Big goal This one-day, three-pronged approach, combined with proceeds raised from individuals who cannot attend but wish to donate, aims to raise up to $3,000, giving each of 30 food pantries in Sussex County a “summer boost” of up to $100 to spend as needed. “Between Foodstock, Stuff the bus campaigns through high schools and other groups, and a $40,000 food contribution from ShopRite, local food pantries should be doing much better ... when many of their shelves were almost bare,” said event organizer David Messineo. “By providing cash donations, our endeavor hopes to fill a need and angle not being filled by these other worthwhile efforts. It’s a good opportunity to remind people that while school campaigns help in the spring and fall, especially around Thanksgiving and winter, the need is year-round.” Messineo called it: “our way of saying 'thank you’ and giving back to the community, in the region that has supported our publication and attended our events over the past five years.” Last year’s inaugural event raised $1,200, which was divided among six food pantries in six New Jersey counties, including Sussex. PHANfest 2 brings the concept to northwest New Jersey, and solely focuses on Sussex County. PHANfest 3, planned for central New Jersey next June, returns to dividing proceeds among food pantries in several counties. What will be offered In addition to poets reading their work out loud, poets and literary organizations will have their books and magazines for sale at prices ranging from $1 to $20. Sensations Magazine will have its recently released Spring 2011 “American Presidents” poetry supplement for sale, featuring poems about all 44 presidents, written by 27 writers on two continents (America and Australia). People should bring cash or personal checks; no credit cards will be accepted. To learn more about the event and its beneficiaries, please go to www.sensationsmag.com. The host organization, Sensations Magazine, is celebrating its 25th consecutive year of operation without any government grant funding and without any university affiliation - a rare achievement in American letters, as one of the longest-lasting independent literary magazines in America. The three-time winner in the national American Literary Magazine Awards has been based in Lafayette, N.J., since 2006.
If you go
PHANfest2
Fundraiser for area food pantries
Saturday, June 11
1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
No fee to attend
Sussex-Wantage Library Amphitheater
69 Route 639, Wantage
Bring picnics, blankets, seating
In case of rain,
the event will be held in the library’s meeting room