Melopoeia is an ancient art whose Greek name—a combination of melos (“melody”) and poiein (“to make,” root of the word poeta, “maker,” and poetria, “poetry”) suggests its nature: a performance involving poetry recited to a musical accompaniment. The poetry is spoken. The two arts flow separately, through and around each other, without either becoming dominant over the other.
The Newburyport Literary Festival Steering Committee and the Powow River Poets are grateful to the performers for their generosity in providing this excellent holiday event to benefit the Newburyport Literary Association and Newburyport Literary Festival and to Marc Clopton, founder and director of The Actors Studio of Newburyport, for providing the venue.