Poets of the Vineyard 1983

Poets of the Vineyard is a chapter of the Chaparral Poets of California. The Chaparral Poets are a society of poets. I don’t quite get what it is, but maybe that’s cuz I’m not much of a joiner. I remember reading tiny announcements in the newspaper about the awards the Poets of the Vineyard offered each year. There was always an entry fee and I was suspicious of entry fees (I’m still suspicious of contest fees). Nevertheless, I was curious about the Poets of the Vineyard and took one of their anthologies home from the library. In my notebook I copied out a couplet from a poem by Mary Bryant. I believe I chose the lines by way of a capsule review … not a flattering one:

My hands caress this faded page
And slowly, gently close the book.

-- Mary Bryant