Worcester County Poetry Association
Established 1971
In Memory of Friends of the Worcester Poetry Community
Worcester County Poetry Association / PO Box 804, Worcester, MA 01613 / 508-797-4770 / wcpaboard@yahoo.com
Angela Dorenkamp (1929-2013)
was a long-time member of the
Worcester County Poetry Association.
PDF copy of the obituary which appeared in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, April 24.
If you would like to add to this page, please send photos and comments to wcpaboard@yahoo.com (subject line: Angela)
Ken Happe (1934-2013) gave a Bloomsday-related talk back when WCPA was still located in the PASOW building. He had been invited by Laura Menides; his topic was The Odyssey and the Homeric parallels with Ulysses. The talk was very well attended and well received. The only down side was that our space on Chatham Street tended to be a little swampy at the best of times and on that June evening, it was incredibly hot. It was beyond hot: it was sweltering. Ken heroically stayed the course. He occasionally joined us at Bloomsday sites over the years. It was always a pleasure to have him read (or guide others in reading) the passages in Latin, Italian and other languages. He was a lovely man.
PDF copy of the obituary which appeared in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, June 26.
Ken joined WCPA during our 2007 Bloomsday Ramble. Here's Ken at Bancroft Tower and later in the day at Coney Island Hot Dog, reading the Cyclops episode with Phil Nejemy. (A perfect union of location and text.)
Gertrude Halstead
1916 - 2012
Gertrude Halstead was a beloved member of the Worcester poetry community. A long-time participant in a writing workshop led by John Hodgen, Gertrude was a regular at several local poetry venues. Many of us first heard Gertrude read at Poetry Oasis, founded by Eve Rifkah and Mike Milligan. In 2003, Gertrude was featured in the literary journal Diner, also founded by Eve Rifkah, and the subject of a 2008 documentary, "memories like burrs". In 2007, Gertrude Halstead was named Worcester's first Poet Laureate. A memorial celebration of her life and work was held at Assumption College 2012, when friends and family gathered to read her poetry and share memories.
Lynda Johnson (1935-2016) was a long-time member of the Worcester County Poetry Association and served as WCPA treasurer for several years in the 1980s. Every performer needs an audience, and for many poets who attend WCPA events, Lynda was there. Members of the WCPA appreciated her superior editing abilities. She will be missed.
During her time in college, Eleanor became a prolific writer of poetry and short stories, a frequent and popular poet at local open mikes and the author of four books of poetry and prose: Ali Anora's Life Through The Window, The Spirit and Wisdom of a Woman, Our Path is Chosen, and Pages from my Life. She interned at Worcester Magazine, served on the board of Worcester County Poetry Association, and Opera Worcester, and illustrated many organizational programs, newsletters and event posters for all the organizations she participated in.
Dan Lewis (1946 - 2017)
Dan Lewis lived on the edge of Patch Reservoir and is the 2012 Winner of The Frank O'Hara Prize. He published four collections of poetry: Tickets for the Broken Year, and The Garden in 2011, Iconospheres in 2013 and Intimations of the Focal Plane in 2016.
Lewis was awarded the WCPA's Stanley Kunitz Medal in 2016. He was an active volunteer member of the WCPA Board of Directors for over twenty years. In this capacity, he regularly designed and produced broadsides for other poets and published many editions of The Issue. He served as typesetting and design editor of The Worcester Review from 1999-2011.
Byron Menides (1931 - 2017)
The poetry community mourns the passing of Bryon Menides, a long time supporter of the WCPA. Byron's wife, Laura Jehn-Menides, is a long serving member of the WCPA board. He attended nearly every event the WCPA organized and facilitated a number of collaborations for us.
Marsha Kunin (1949 - 2017)
Marsha Kunin, who passed in August 2017, was an award-winning poet including an honorable mention in the 2017 WCPA Annual Poetry Contest: The Frank O'Hara Prize. She published four volumes of poetry and her work was published in The Worcester Review.
We are thankful to all those who have made a donation in memory of a loved one.
Mike True (1933 - 2019)
Michael D. True, PhD, of Worcester, Massachusetts, died in April 2019. Mike was one of the founders of the Worcester County Poetry Association in 1971 and the founding editor of the Association's literary journal The Worcester Review. He was the inaugural receiptient of the Stanley Kunitz Medal in 2015; the award recognizes the total commitment to poetry as Stanley lived it: teaching poetry, mentoring poets, speaking poetry, publishing poetry, and supporting organizations which nurture poetry.
Mike was a stalwart supporter of Worcester, of peace, and of poetry. His patience and support will be missed by all who knew him.
