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“What a wonderful community of amazing writers and readers we have,” said Miriam O’Neal, the town’s newly chosen poet laureate.
She will share space with the town’s first poet laureate, Stephan Delbos, when the long-running monthly series of readings, called “Poetry: the art of words,” takes place on Sunday, April 7, at 1:30 p.m. at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St.
“It’s the longest-running poetry reading series on the South Shore,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal was chosen by America’s Hometown Laureates Inc., a local nonprofit, after a public finalists reception and reading on Feb. 29 at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. Delbos was chosen as the town’s first poet laureate in 2020 after a public reading by four semifinalists held in the Plymouth library. Originally chosen for a two-year term, Delbos’s term was extended for two more years during the Covid era.
O’Neal, who grew up in South Plymouth, took over the role of host and coordinator of the poetry series originated by Boston resident Jack Scully to take place during the Plymouth Art Guild’s outdoor art show days. When the art show moved indoors, Scully moved indoors as well, establishing a monthly reading series titled “The Art of Words/Mike Amado Memorial Series,” named for a Plymouth poet who died at a young age.
The series has had various homes in recent years, but is back at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, its North Street home before Covid restrictions on gatherings caused a hiatus.
O’Neal said the series is on a firm footing.
“The center has taken us in and is taking very good care of us,” she said.
O’Neal is the author of three poetry collections, including “The Half-Said Things,” published by Nixes Mate Books in 2022. Her poems and translations from Italian have also been published widely in journals such as “The Galway Review” and “On the Seawall.”
After growing up in Plymouth, attending local schools and Sacred Heart High School, O’Neal graduated from Leslie College and earned a master’s degree from the Bennington College writing program. She then taught as an adjunct professor at UMass-Dartmouth, sometimes teaching 100 students per semester.
Delbos, the author of three poetry collections published in recent years, grew up Plymouth. His translations of poems from the Czech language earned him a grant from PEN, a national organization that seeks to protect “the freedom to write.” His scholarly study, titled “The New American Poetry and Cold War Nationalism,” was published in 2021.
“Stephan did a fabulous job of creating a footprint for future laureates to step into,” O’Neal said. He initiated a workshop series in Plymouth schools and poetry programs involving the Plymouth Center for Active Living. He also created the online Plymouth Poetry Forum, a Facebook page he described as an “open forum for poetry and constructive creative rumination for anyone with some connection to Plymouth, MA.”
“My role as poet laureate has invigorated my own poetry,” Delbos wrote after two years in the position, “as well as my understanding of how poetry operates in society and the role it can play.
Sunday’s reading, like all the series readings, will include an open mic. Anyone in attendance can sign up to read.
Things to do this week and beyond
Monday, April 1
Plymouth library’s Teen Advisory Group, ages 13-18, meets once a month from 6 to 7 p.m. to plan events, discuss library volunteering opportunities, and test out new crafts and games. The group will meet on Mondays instead of Wednesdays, moving forward. No registration required. For more information, email Miss Madde at mmahony@ocln.org.
Argentine tango instructor Mary Oleskiewicz will teach an all-levels tango class at Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St., at 6:30 p.m. In this “fun and educational” six-week dance series, students will learn and improve upon the fundamental skills of authentic Argentine Tango as it is danced socially in Buenos Aires and around the world.” The registration fee is $180. For more information contact mary.oleskiewicz@gmail.com.
Plymouth library hosts a talk by author Anatol Zukerman, who will speak on his books “Amerussua,” stories of Russian-American relations; “Bilingualism,” a book of articles and translations from classical Russian poets; “The City of Newdoom,” 10 short stories; “The Art of Satire,” a collection of paintings and poetic stanzas; and “Responsible Art,” a collection of paintings and poems. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Fehlow Room. Register here.
Uva Wine Bar, 46 Main St., will present “Murder Mystery Night,” dinner theater, from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $58 and are available here.
Tuesday, April 2
The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Local Eats Week” offers specials and special menus at downtown and waterfront restaurants for $20.24. For details, see the Chamber’s website.
The Plymouth Library hosts curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book “Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us.” It looks at people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat. The online talk takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. The event URL is here.
Untold Brewing Plymouth, 2 Loring Blvd., hosts a Tuesday trivia night from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 3
It’s a half day for public school students. The Manomet library will offer a Nintendo Switch set-up for local co-op games such as Mario Kart, Overcooked, and Rayman Legends for multiplayer participation. No registration required, so feel free to drop in or out of the game any time between 1 and 3 p.m. Snacks will be provided.
Plymouth library’s STEAM Explorers (ages 6-8) will explore weather science from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Each month, the group will focus on one or more aspects of STEAM (the worlds of science, technology, engineering, art, and math), offering hands-on experiments and even some artwork to flex those “creative muscles.” Registration is required here.
Plymouth library’s Reclaiming Folk Event Series presents Naomi Westwater. A “queer, Black-multiracial singer-songwriter from Massachusetts,” her work combines folk music, poetry, and spirituality. The event will run from 6 to 7:30. Registration is required and available here.
Surfside Smokehouse, 14 Union St., offers live comedy from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available here.
Thursday, April 4
Plimoth Patuxet Museums hosts “During Just Across the Brook: Wampanoag Women and the English Gardens at Plimoth in 1621” a program about the vital role Wampanoag women played in shaping the first gardens in Plimoth, from 12 to 1 p.m. Register for tickets online here.
Plymouth library presents Kelly McCarthy, author of “Brass Ring Memoirs,” who will speak on Alzheimer’s and dementia education and the importance of a person-centered approach to care. The event takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. All attendees will receive a copy of “Brass Ring Memoirs” and dinner for two. This program is presented by Stafford Hill. You can register here.
The Kareem Sanjaghi Band, featuring Ann Austin, performs at The Spire from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $15, and are available here.
Comedian Casey Crawford performs at the Proof 22 restaurant, 22 Main St., from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available here.
Friday, April 5
Plymouth Memorial Hall, 83 Court St., presents “The Sixties Show,” a full multi-media, Broadway type production dramatized by a combination of time travel special effects, narration, 1960’s archival audio and newsreel footage, and a light show. The show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29 and can be purchased here.
Harrison Stebbins, who recently won the Sam Adam’s Best of Boston comedy competition, performs at The Spire from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available here.
Saturday, April 6
The Plymouth Antiquarian Society and Pilgrim Hall Museum continue their partnership in a series of free public tours of Plymouth’s historic Burial Hill. The two historical organizations offer thematic tours of Plymouth’s ancient burying ground on the first Saturday of each month from February through December. Historian Stephen O’Neill will lead a tour on the theme of “Veterans of the Revolution” beginning at the top of the hill at 1 p.m. and lasting approximately one hour. For more information, visit www.pilgrimhall.org.
Jon Butcher Axis, fronted by the Grammy nominated guitarist who emerged from the Boston music scene decades ago, performs at The Spire at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27 and $30 and available here.
Sunday, April 7
Three V Restaurant, 10 Cordage Park Circle, offers live music by Dave Andrews from 1 to 4 p.m.
As reported above, Miriam O’Neal, Plymouth’s new poet laureate, and Stephan Delbos, its first poet laureate, will read from their work, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St. The event is free.
The Sunday Funday Residency at the Spire, with South Shore roots rock band The Shady Roosters has been extended into May. Together for some 25 years, mainly under the name Lonesome Jukebox, the band performs a mix of rockabilly, blues, roots, and country with some original tunes that would have sounded right place on the jukeboxes of the ’50s and ’60s. The band plays from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are sold at door, cash only.
Monday, April 8
Plymouth library hosts a new book club which will discuss a different true crime selection every month. The club will read “Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, The FBI, and a Devil’s Deal” by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill, from 6 to 7 p.m. Copies of the book will be available to check out at the circulation desk prior to the meeting. For questions contact Maureen Coleman or Shane Indeglia at 508-830-4250 ext. 204 or 208.
Tuesday, April 9
Plymouth library hosts an online one-of-a-kind conversation from 2 to 3 p.m. with National Book Award-winner Colum McCann, joined by Diane Foley, the inspiration behind the heartrending book “American Mother.” Foley is the mother of James Foley, a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014. The event URL is here.
Plymouth library’s Tween Graphic Novel Club discusses “El Deafo” by Cece Bell, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The club is for tweeners ages 9 to 12, who can pick up the book at the main circulation desk. Snacks are provided. Register here.
Craft Creations & Cider take over the High Limb Cidery Taproom at G Pub, 101 Carver Road, every Tuesday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. Call the pub for ticket information at 508-591-0964.
Wednesday, April 10
Rescue Plymouth Wildlife is a coalition of community members and organizations committed to making Plymouth a healthier community for wildlife and people. Its priority is to raise awareness concerning the harmful impact of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) on local wildlife. The group will meet at the Plymouth library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Register here.
Roots band Donna The Buffalo performs at The Spire Center from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets, $31.50 and $35, are available here.
Thursday, April 11
Peter Mulvey says he has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur, and almost-poet since before he can remember. In 1989 he spent a year in Ireland, busking on the streets of Dublin and hitchhiking to whatever gigs he could find. He will perform from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Spire. Tickets are $25.
Friday, April 12
Over 25 local organizations seeking volunteers, will be on hand for the Spring Volunteer Fair at The Pinehills. Meet at the Stonebridge Club, 55 Stonebridge Road, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Lori McKenna, one of Nashville’s most in-demand songwriters, will perform with special guest Mark Erelli at The Spire at 8 p.m. Tickets are $90 and available here.
Saturday, April 13
As part of the Plymouth library program “One Book, One Community,” join Mass Audubon for a short walk around Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary to look for signs of emerging spring critters like frogs and salamanders. Walk leaders will discuss vernal pool species and how these animals survived the winter. Meet at 60 Beaver Dam Road at 12:30 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. Register here.
Kaleta and Super Yamba Band will perform at the World Music Festival at The Spire, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $35 and are available here.
Sunday, April 14
For those wishing to spend some time out of doors in the town’s open green space, a map of hiking trails in Myles Standish State Forest is available at the forest headquarters, a six-mile drive from the park’s Long Pond Road entrance. The map shows five easily accessible hiking trails, plus 15 miles of paved bike trails through the forest.
Three V Restaurant, 10 Cordage Park Circle, offers live music by Fil Pacino, from 1 to 4 p.m.