Portland Poet Laureate: Linda Aldrich
2018-2021
Linda Aldrich, Portland, Maine’s sixth Poet Laureate, has published three collections of poetry, Foothold (2008), March and Mad Women (2012), and Ballast (2021). Most recently, she has had poems published in The Café Review, Solstice Literary Magazine, Hole-in-the-Head Review, and the Maine Journal of Art. Her poems have appeared in the Portland Press Herald’s “Poems from Here” and “Deep Water,” as well as several anthologies, including Balancing Act II and Wait: Poems from the Pandemic by Littoral Press. Maine State Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum featured her poem “The Final Appeal” for the public television series, Poems from Here: Celebrating Maine’s Bicentennial with Poems by Maine Writers Spoken by Mainers.
During her tenure as poet laureate, Linda hosted the Leaf of Voices poetry reading series at the Portland Public Library and co-hosted the monthly Local Buzz reading series at Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth. She also gave numerous readings and poetry workshops for organizations and school programs around the state, including the Portland Museum of Art, the Maine Poets Society, the Word Blue Hill Literary Festival, the Ocean Park Writers Conference, the Side X Side Summer Arts Institute for Teachers, Riverton Elementary School, Keene Middle School, and Falmouth High School.
Linda grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire, graduated from the University of New Hampshire in English and French, and went on to get an MA in Theater Arts. She was a member of the repertory and director of the Young Conservatory at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco. She later received an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College and turned her attention to writing and teaching, where she taught English and Humanities at Aims Community College in Colorado for 12 years, and most recently at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland.
Linda lives in Portland with husband David Miller and their adored border collie Simba.
Linda’s Poetry:
- Ballast
- March and Mad Women
- Port City Poems – contributor
- Foothold
“Bells, Bells” was written for the Portland City Council meeting on Sept. 17, 2018. Linda received the official Poet Laureate Proclamation signed by Mayor Ethan Strimling.
“For This” was written for the Portland Museum of Art’s annual Copper Beech Tree Lighting. Linda read it directly before the lighting of the tree in 2018 and 2019. (The 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19.)
Leaf of Voices
As Portland Poet Laureate, Linda hosted a series of poetry readings that featured a range of local voices through varying themes and collaborations of poets. Inspired by Walt Whitman’s poem Voices, this series highlighted Greater Portland’s active community of poetic voices and provoked thoughtful conversation around the art of poetry.
Leaf of Voices Part I: New & Known
January 19, 2019
The first installment of Leaf of Voices paired former Poets Laureate with up-and-coming poets. Performers included Marcia Brown, Anna Turner, Steve Luttrell, Craig Sipe, Martin Steingesser, Deborah Pfeffer, Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, and Samaa Abdurraqib.
Read What Lies Slumbering, an original poem created by Marcia Brown & Anna Turner during this event.
Leaf of Voices Part II: Honoring the Teaching Poet
April 13, 2019
This second installment in the Leaf of Voices Poetry Series was a collaborative poetry reading created by five outstanding teaching poets in Maine. Linda welcomed Megan Grumbling, Michelle Menting, Marita O’Neill, David Stankiewicz, and Kevin Sweeney, representing Yarmouth High School, Southern Maine Community College, and the University of Southern Maine. These poets created teaching segments by reading their own poems, discussing the work of a poet they admire, and offering a poetry writing prompt for the audience to take away.
Leaf of Voices Part III: Celebrating Indigenous Poets
October 19, 2019
This third installment in the Leaf of Voices Poetry Series was part of an ongoing celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Maine’s Bicentennial, with readings by Jason Grundstrom-Whitney, Donna M. Loring, and Mihku Paul.
Hosted by Linda and Valerie Lawson, Editor of 3 Nations Anthology, the reading featured original poems, admired poems, live music by Jason Grundstrom-Whitney, and recorded music by Osha Root.
Leaf of Voices Part IV: Bringing it Forward
May 15, 2020
Two months after the country shut down due to COVID-19, Leaf of Voices returned in a new virtual format. Linda Aldrich as she welcomed four Maine poets – Stuart Kestenbaum, Betsy Sholl, Gretchen Berg, and Colin Cheney – to read their own work and that of renowned poets of Maine’s past. The reading included works by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Louise Bogan, Philip Booth, Kate Barnes, May Sarton, Edwin Arlington Robinson, and others.
Leaf of Voices Part V: Honoring Youth Poets
November 13, 2020
In 2020, The Telling Room published A New Land, an anthology of student poetry. Five young poets featured in this anthology – Amanda Dettman, Sara Jawad, Kaitlyn Knight, Jonathan Rugema, and Missouri Alice Williams – read and discussed their work.
Leaf of Voices Part VI: Celebrating Two New Books
February 25, 2021
Gibson Fay-LeBlanc and Linda Aldrich read from their new poetry collections, Deke Dangle Dive and Ballast. Betsy Sholl hosted the event.