Writer’s poems included in anthology

TORRINGTON — Patricia Martin, writer, author, and founder/host of Torrington’s monthly poetry/ spoken word series SpeakEasy, has three poems featured in “Unlocking the Word,” a groundbreaking anthology of “found poetry.”

Published by Lamar University Literary Press, the book was edited by Jonas Zdanys, Ph.D., professor of English and Poet in Residence at Sacred Heart University.

“Unlocking the Word is the world’s first major anthology of ‘found poetry,’ and includes work from 54 contributors from across the country,” Zdanys said in a written statement. “The poems in this book present a look at how might we use words not originally meant to be a poem and turn those words into a poem. It is an interesting and engaging volume, fun to read, and an important statement about the very nature of poetic language.”

Martin’s contributions to the anthology include “Rules of Behavior,” which is an excerpt from a statement Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sent to The New York Times responding to its expose accusing him of decades of sexual harassment and questionable behavior toward women; “Nutella Fans Go Nuts…” which is a flurry of Twitter messages sent by Europeans who were upset to discover that the company secretly changed the formula of its sweet spread; and “Left Behind in Time,” which was taken from an article published in The Daily Mail about a family who found letters in an old trunk stored in an attic written between a mother and her son, a soldier who died during World War I.

“I am thrilled that my poems were selected for publication,” said Martin in a statement. “I had never tried to create a ‘found poem’ before, and when I learned about the call for submissions, I enjoyed the challenge. Seeking poetry hidden in other written materials changed the way I looked at words as a writer and influenced and informed the way I approached reading. It was a great exercise in creativity.”

Martin is also a marketing communications specialist for Community Health & Wellness Center in Torrington.

Unlocking the Word: An Anthology of Found Poetry is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, ABEBooks other major sellers. It an also be ordered from local independent bookstores with the link https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781942956532.