"Poetry is what gets lost in translation."
-Robert Frost

From Thomas Bailey Aldrich to John Irving, poets, writers, and storytellers have found their muse in our sumptuous Seacoast setting. Discover the next Robert Frost or J.D. Salinger on our site.

Belkus, Jennifer
(603) 502-3175 jlbelkus@hotmail.com

Jennifer Belkus is an interdisciplinary poet. Belkus performs, publishes, and works in installation and community arts. Among other projects, she is the co-recipient (T. Gaudreau) of two commissions for the 2005 temporary outdoor installation, Overnight Art!, run by Art-Speak; and a co-finalist (J. McCartin) in the 2004 Voice and Vision Project coordinated by the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program. Belkus has held workshops at the New Hampshire State Prison for Women, Portsmouth Public Library, and Portsmouth High School.

Dewees, Anne
10 Mendum Avenue, #2 Portsmouth NH
603-431-6674 deweesan@aol.com

Anne Dewees is a naturalist and world traveler. In November 2004, she published CROSSING POINTS, a poetic journal of a trip to Africa. She is also published in several collections, ANTHOLOGY OF NEW ENGLAND NATURE POEMS, EXQUISITE REACTION, COMPASS ROSE, and PORTSMOUTH UNABRIDGED and small publications such as the AUROREAN and AVOCET. She is a board member of the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program.

Frisella, Pat
31 Reservoir Road Farmington NH
603-332-0732 frisella@worldpath.net

Grossman, Nancy
170 Mechanic Street Portsmouth NH
603-436-9485 ngstudio@comcast.net
www.ngstudionh.com

A writer of verse, Nancy Grossman's Paul Revere's Other Ride can be found at Strawbery Banke's Dunnaway Store, River Run Books, the Portsmouth Athenaeum, and at the gift shops of Portsmouth's historic homes. She is happy to write poetry for hire, in the style of your choice to commemorate special occasions.

James, Lysa
46 Aldrich Road Portsmouth NH
603-436-0134 lysa@lysajames.com
www.lysajames.com

Lysa James has published in a variety of national literary journals, including Many Mountains Moving, Cimarron Review, and Inkwell. Her work is included in an anthology of New Hampshire poetry, Under the Legislature of the Stars. Her manuscript of poems, In All the Benevolent Directions, was a 2005 finalist in the National Poetry Series Open Competition. She is a member of the NH State Artists in Education program, a NH Theatre Project artist, and offers workshops and school residencies.

Johnson, Suzy
P.O. Box 44 Kittery ME
207 439 7438 suzycourage@aol.com; suzycourage@yahoo.com

Suzy writes poems about animal rights, epecially the plight of hunted birds and wold animals. Native born Portsmouth poet whose ancestors were poets Celia Thaxter and Oscar Laighton. Also painter in oils and acrylics. Paintins, prints, and poetry of Maine, NH and the World available.

Randall, Deidre
c/o Peter E. Randall Publisher, LLC PO Box 4726 Portsmouth NH
603-431-5667 deidre@perpublisher.com
www.perpublisher.com; www.deidrerandall.com

Deidre Randall is an award-winning songwriter and one of twelve poets who received a nomination for Poet Laureate of Portsmouth in 2003. Deidre has been an avid reader and book lover for as long as she can remember.

Tirabassi, Maren C.
271 Lafayette Road Portsmouth NH
603-436-9352 mctirabassi@hotmail.com

Maren C. Tirabassi is author or editor of eleven books. New this year are Daybook for New Voices, Transgendering Faith, and The Artist's Hand. Former Poet Laureate of Portsmouth, Maren Tirabassi teaches writing, co-hosts "Speaking Volumes" on WSCA 106.1 and performs spoken word with 3 voices.

Widger, Gary
432 New Zealand Road Seabrook NH
603-978-5826 gmofo@hotmail.com

Gary Widger is currently enrolled in the University of New Hampshire's MA program in Creative Writing where he has worked with McKeel McBride, Charles Simic, Charlotte Bacon, Paula Salvio, and Romana Huk. He is working on a manuscript of poems entitled Perforated Utopias, as well as a collection of creative non-fiction pieces.

Portsmouth Poet Laureate
Nancy Hill
PO Box 1196 Portsmouth NH
603-772-4345 info@pplp.org
http://www.pplp.org/

The Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program is dedicated to building community through poetry by appointing and supporting an outstanding local poet as Poet Laureate for the city, sponsoring events that feature area poets and authors from outside the New Hampshire Seacoast, and encouraging a love of poetry among people of all ages. The Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program presents a variety of events throughout the year; readings, celebrations, publications.

Rock Weed Music/Publishing
Perrault, John
P.O. Box 1211 Portsmouth NH
603-431-4631, 603-964-8358, 603-427-0005 rockweed@comcast.net

John Perrault is a poet, ballad singer, teacher, attorney, and author of two books: "The Ballad of Louis Wagner and other New England Stories in Verse" (Peter Randall Publisher) and "a recent poetry collection, "Here Comes the Old Man Now" (Oyster River Press). John has recorded six albums of original and traditional music, and presents programs on balladry and poetry for schools, libraries and other non-profits. John Perrault is a Touring Artist with the NH State Council on the Arts and a Program Presenter for the NH Humanities Council. John's poetry has appeared in a number of journals, including The Christian Science Monitor, Commonweal, Poet Lore, and the Cafe Review. He was Portsmouth Poet Laureate for 2003-2005

Back Channel Press
John & Nancy Grossman
170 Mechanic Street Portsmouth NH
603-436-9485 editor@backchannelpress.com
www.blackchannelpress.com

Providing a complete menu to those seeking to self publish their work

Ballou, Debra
231 Spruce Lane Ext Dover NH
603-749-9634 debra@debraballou.com
www.DebraBallou.com

Debra Ballou draws from her vast experience educating people of all ages about the sea and other aspects of nature. She immerses her audience in the wonders of the real and imaginary in her workshops and performances incorporating traditional, American Indian, and original stories. Some performance venues include Strawbery Banke' Halloween and Candle Light Stroll events, libraries, nature centers, and schools.

Craig, Jill
8 Pamela Drive Portsmouth NH
491-9073 origami33@comcast.net

Jill Craig is a storyteller with a specialty in young audiences. Her specialities are audience participation, paper stories, song-stories.

Piazzi, Joanne
2 Dora Drive Rochester NH
603-335-1760 jpsunflowerseeds@yahoo.com

A Seacoast favorite, Joanne Piazzi brings you stories to make you laugh and gasp and shout and sing! Joanne's performances are a blend of original stories and traditional tales with a twist or two, just right for family audiences. You may have seen her at the Three Apples Storytelling Festival, the Portsmouth Maritime Festival, Hackmatack Playhouse, Strawbery Banke or the Rochester Opera House, or at one of many area schools and libraries. Come and join in the fun and wonder of this oldest of arts!

Grady, John
1 Willow Lane Rye NH
603-436-8964 jgrady03@yahoo.com
www.jgrady.com

Need a convincing quip or quote to get your message across? John Grady's writing experiences reach across worlds of marketing, press, public relations, and more to bring results you desire. As a poet, he's not afraid to take chances and gain success with words.

Grossman, Nancy
170 Mechanic Street Portsmouth NH
603-436-9485 ngstudio@comcast.net

Nancy Grossman is completing a book on the derivation of all the street names in Portsmouth. The minute that comes out, she intends to get back to work on the publication of a book on a set of Victorian diaries. She writes short stories, children's books, has longer pieces in development, and has been published by Tor Publishing. She also performs editing and proofreading services.

Kelly, James Patrick
35 Sachs Road Nottingham NH
603-895-6125 jim@jimkelly.net
www.jimkelly.net

James Patrick Kelly has written novels, short stories, essays, reviews, poetry, plays and planetarium shows. He has won the World Science Fiction Society's Hugo Award twice and his fiction has been translated into seventeen languages.

Pope, Laura
144 Depot Road Eliot ME
popelaura2003@yahoo.com

Laura Pope collaborates, as a playwright, with George Hosker, Jr., to write original comedies, musicals, dramas and thrillers staged at Portsmouth's Players Ring and West End Theatre. Together Pope and Hosker created the Portsmouth-based Vatican Production Company, an umbrella organization for staging the pair's plays and events (including the famed Underbelly Tour of Portsmouth) as well as providing a staging ground for actors, stage managers and emerging directors. She is also a Location Scout/Manager for he NH Film Bureau (www.remotebeautiful.com)

Towler, Katherine
125 South Street Portsmouth NH
katherine.towler@verizon.net
www.katherinetowler.com

Katherine Towler, a novelist and poet, is author of the novel Snow Island (Plume, 2003). She has received fellowships from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and Phillips Exeter Academy, where she served as writer-in-residence. Katherine Towler teaches in the MFA program in writing at Southern New Hampshire University and also works as a freelance writer specializing in promotional materials for non-profits.

Trodson, Lars
Larstrodson@comcast.net

Freelance writer and editor Lars Trodson has been covering Portsmouth for 14 years. He has also produced an independent feature film, shot in Portsmouth in 1996-97, "Family Trees", shown at the Independent Film Festival in New York and the Berlin (Germany) Film Festival. "Family Trees" was also shown at the first New Hampshire Film Expo in Derry, 2001. Lars has written five new plays produced at the Player's Ring in Portsmouth and is the recipient of two Spotlight nominations for Best Original Play (1999, 2001).

Humor Gazette
John Breneman
mail@humorgazette.com
http://www.humorgazette.com

The Humor Gazette is an online newspaper that uses satire to spotlight the absurd realities of politics, culture, the media, and society at large. It is the creation of longtime journalist and Portsmouth resident John Breneman. The Gazette offers free laughter at: http://www.humorgazette.com

The Dalrymple Agency
Amy Sutton
35 Forest St Dover NH
603-749-1853 amyksutton@comcast.net

Amy Sutton works as a features writer, editor, publishing consultant and agent on non-fiction book and magazine projects.