A Crown, Albeit a Small One

This past Sunday was the annual Poetry Festival: A Celebration of Literary Journals, an event that I developed six years ago and have run each year since. The festival is always exciting and fun, a day filled with poetry lovers, poets, poems, journals, conversation. This year was extra special for me. Read on and find out why.

This is Mayor Joseph Tempesta, of West Caldwell, NJ, where the festival is held and where I live. He arrived at the beginning of the third reading session and approached the podium. Here he is getting out his glasses so he could read a proclamation appointing me, yes Me!, the Poet Laureate of West Caldwell. (See Anthony Buccino in the first row snapping a photo? He provided photos of the entire day.)

Here we are posing with the proclamation in hand as the Mayor passes it to me.

And a closer shot

Then a beautiful cake helped to celebrate the event. The cake was provided by the Friends of the Library.

Here's the cake after everyone had a piece.

A close-up of the Proclamation

More about the festival coming soon.