It takes more than writing to get good poetry,” according to Mary Ellen Letarte of Lunenburg.

     Letarte will be running a local poetry group for adults starting in September. It will be a chapter of the Massachusetts State Poetry Society (MSPS) named after American poet, Louise Borgan.

    “I am looking for people who have been writing poetry and want to improve by being serious [with their] writing,” she said.

    Letarte was elected the Vice President of MSPS last spring, and her responsibilities include attending meetings four times a year in different libraries around Boston.

    “But it’s too far to go on a regular basis,” she said, so Mary Ellen decided to start her own poetry group closer to home. And since she did not feel like there were many serious poetry groups in the area, she was excited about the idea of starting her own.

    “Everyone who has called me about the group has had experience [writing poetry] but no forum to express themselves in,” she said.

    She said, “being a member [of MSPS], there is an opportunity that allows you to have your own chapter and your own chapter members. I received the O.K. from the MSPS to start my own group.”

    She has planned her first meeting to be at the Lunenburg Public Library on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 6:15 p.m. Each meeting afterwards will fall on the third Thursday of each month.

    Letarte named the group after the poet, Louise Bogan, a published American poet from the early 20th century, whose career also included being a reviewer for The New Yorker for 38 years.

    “She happened to be one of my favorite poets, she is not taught [in schools] as much as she should be taught,” said Letarte.

    The Louise Borgan poetry group is open to Lunenburg residents as well as being open to interested poets in the surrounding towns.

     “We are fortunate enough to be at the Lunenburg Library, residents are allowed to rent meeting rooms once a month,” giving Letarte a convenient meeting place.

    “This poetry group is certainly [meant to be] a meeting that pushes your own poetry forward. The point of our chapter in Lunenburg is to be a support group.”

    The process of creating poetry will be guided in a serious manner for members who join her poetry group.  
    “To be in the meeting, bring poems home, write poems [bring them back to the meetings] and to have them critiqued” is Letarte’s aim.

    Those who join the group, and stay on board, will become chapter members of the MSPS.

    “The first few meetings will be for people to experiment. The meetings will be structured in the beginning,” Letarte said.

    She plans to use the MSPS meetings that she has attended as guidelines for her own group.

    “Each time we go, [there is] a guest speaker and a lesson,” she said. This will be used as a springboard for her members, “I think it will be something to get them going” she said.

    Members will learn constructive criticism techniques while being able to share their poetry with other members.

       “This forum is meant to be positive,” said Letarte. “We like this, image, or we like that meter, or we like how it looks on a page; we want people who are willing to do that.”

    She hopes that her members will be able “to help someone else out with their poetry.” Letarte also believes in constructive criticism, “to point out what is good, and that which is less than good will fall away.”

    Poetry created in this group will be showcased Online at louisebogan.org.     

Mary Ellen Letarte is looking for mature poets looking to expand their writing and the writing of others.  Interested poets can visit her Web site for more information, or attend the first meeting on September 16 at the Lunenburg Public Library.