I enjoy writing ekphrastic poetry (poetry in response to visual art).  I can't put up too many examples of my work here because self-publishing poetry online can deter publishers from accepting poetry submissions, but here are two examples of my ekphrastic writing that have already been published.

In the early 2000s as an undergraduate student at Swansea University in Wales, UK, I fell in love with a particular beach on the Gower Peninsula called Three Cliffs Bay. Over the years I have photographed, painted and written about it repeatedly. As part of my Baker Artists Portfolio I wanted to feature a painting and a poem to represent this ongoing obsession.  

The painting is from in 2005 and is entitled "Three Cliffs Bay". It is acrylic on canvas, measures 30" x 40" and hangs in my sunroom in Monkton, MD. The poem is called "Three Cliffs Bay: A Love Poem and is featured in the 2023 anthology "Beyond the Sand and Sea" by Southern Arizona Press.

As a mom of a a tween and teenager, I am a perpetual taxi driver. I am not in the same place for very long. I have to snatch snippets of time to write in random places - in the car in parking lots, at the gym, at the orthodontist, at swim meets, at the fruit farm, in coffee shops (if I'm lucky). When I was gifted a selfie-stick for my birthday a while back, I started to record my "pop-up poetry offices" on Instagram - @meledden - and it has become one of my most popular posts. I realized recently that this act itself has become an expression of my art.

I am the poetry host for the Manor Mill Open Mic Nights which run every first Monday of the month at Manor Mill in Monkton, MD. These evenings are free to attend and we welcome poets of any age, background and experience level. Doors open at 6:15pm and readings start 6:30pm. Each open mic night begins with readings from guest Featured Poets (established writers with published work) and is then followed by a time of open mic.  

Our open mic has been running since 2022 and continues to grow in popularity. We usually have between twenty-five to forty people in attendance, with fifteen to twenty readers for the open mic.  We aim to nurture and encourage new writers, and to support, celebrate and learn from more established writers. We also aim to provide a safe and positive environment for new writers to share, and experiment with, their writing.  The open mic is connected to our library workshop at Hereford Library (Baltimore County). Participants are encouraged to share poems they have workshops at the library at future open mics. Featured poets and participants are also encouraged to bring their books for sale, and to promote other literary connections. I also always participate in the open mic and highly value the feedback I receive from my poetry buddies which helps me to grow as a writer and speaker.

Past Featured poets (at the time of writing in January 2025) have been James Allen Hall, Amuche The Poet, David Beaudouin, Shirley J. Brewer, Alan Britt, Jona Colson, Virginia Crawford, Dan Buddy, Raymond Cummings, Meredith Davies Hadaway, Thom Hawkins, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Hayes Davis, Edward Doyle-Gillespie, Tara A. Elliott, Michael Fallon, Eric D. Goodman, Clarinda Harriss, Matt Hohner, Stephen Hollaway, Bruce A. Jacobs,  Jennifer Keith, Lindsay Lusby, Kathy Mangan, Kari Martindale, S.B. Merrow, Douglas William Garcia Mowbray, Charles Rammelkamp, Alan C. Reese, Steven Leyva, Lauren Russell, Markus S. Sanders, Sam Schmidt, Lauren Smith, Bruce Snider, Susan Sonde, David Stant and Jennifer A Sutherland.

In 2024, I edited the first Poets of Manor Mill anthology with my then poetry co-host, Robert R. Bowie Jr. The aim of this project was to celebrate the community that has formed during our poetry open mic nights at Manor Mill in Monkton, MD since 2022.  This was my first time editing a book and it was such a privilege to collate and organize poems submitted by forty-two local poets. The only prerequisite for submissions was that the poets must have read a poem at an open mic night at Manor Mill. The anthology contains work by very established Maryland poets, but also debuts work by some very new writers. One of the main missions of our poetry events at Manor Mill is to support, encourage and nurture new poets. I also organized the book launch at Manor Mill in September 2024. The book is available for sale in the gift shop at Manor Mill, at local book stores and online.

I also coordinate a monthly poetry workshop at the Hereford Branch of Baltimore Country Public Library.  Initially the vision of Monkton poet and playwright Robert R. Bowie Jr, the workshop (which the library calls "Get Your Poetry On") is free to attend and welcomes writers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels.  The small group works with poet and Professor Emeritus, Michael Fallon, who has taught poetry for 35 years, to create and critically discuss each other's works in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.  Registration is required on a monthly basis and can be completed by searching for “Get Your Poetry On” on the BCPL website.

I am always looking for ways to promote poetry to the younger generation.  I welcome invitations into schools to read, discuss and help write poetry. In November 2024, I had the privilege of working with some AP Literature Seniors at Perry Hall High School, MD. I shared about my poetry journey, read some of my own poems and then we worked on analyzing some immigrant poetry, which is of particular interest to me.  

We discussed “Mother Country” by Richard Blanco, “Overalls” by Alan Pealed Lopez, “Home” by Warsan Shire, “The Immigrants’s Song” by Tishani Doshi, “The Unwritten Letter from my Immigrant Parent” by Muna Abdulahi, “Before Your Arrival” by Ellen Hagan and “Where Do You Come From” by Meena Alexander. All fantastic poems, and some excellent discussions were had.

Thank you to Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. Strazzire and their students for giving me such a warm welcome.

If you made it this far, thank you for exploring my portfolio. It is my passion for reading, writing and sharing poetry that has brought me this far.  The time I spend at Manor Mill, hosting open mics, editing books, running library workshop, speaking in schools etc. is ALL voluntary - I am powered purely by passion!  However, that said, if I were awarded Baker Artist funds I would plug them right back into expanding these ventures even further, and into the continued development of my own writing. Thank you for your time. Read More Poems! Mel xxx