Events

Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 2:30 PM. Powow River Poets Reading Series, at The Newburyport Public Library. Jean Kreiling and I will both read from our recently published books.

August 15-17, 2025  Frost Farm Poetry Conference at the Robert Frost Farm 122 Rockingham Rd (Rt. 28), in Derry, NH. The class I’ll teach this summer is an introduction to “Form and Discovery in Poetry.” Experience the freedom that comes from working in form.

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025 from 1:00-3:30 84rd Annual Writers’ Conference at Ocean Park, Porter Hall, 14 Temple Avenue, Ocean Park, ME. This is the oldest writers’ conference in the United States. I’ll be teaching a class called “Common Measure and the Ballad.”  To register contact Jim Brosnan, P.O. Box 172, Assonet, MA 02702; (401) 598-1424; or email opmewriter@gmail.com.

Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 6:30 PM. Hyla Brook Reading Series at the Robert Frost Farm 122 Rockingham Rd (Rt. 28), in Derry, NH. It’s an honor to read at the home of one of America’s greatest poets. I’ll be reading from my newly-published collection, After the Carnival. Come for the sheer pleasure of spending an evening on the farm.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6:30 PM. Amesbury Monthly Poetry Reading, at the Whittier Home, 86 Friend St., Amesbury, MA. Rhina Espaillat and I will read our poetry in the garden of America’s great poet of social justice, John Greenleaf Whittier.

Sunday, April 27, 2025, 2:00-5:00 PM “Robert Frost Poetry and Music Festival” at the Lawrence Public Library, 51 Lawrence St., Lawrence, MA. The day’s events will begin with a performance of melopoeia by The Diminished Prophets —poets Rhina P. Espaillat and Alfred Nicol and guitarist John Tavano— featuring the poems of Robert Frost. Admission is free. Children 7-12 years old are welcome. Presented by The Robert Frost Foundation and Essex Chamber Music Players.

Saturday, April 26, 2025. 2:30 PM The Newburyport Literary Festival:  As part of a day-long celebration of poetry, I will read from my new collection, After the Carnival, published  Wiseblood Books in March of 2025. I’ll be joined by the brilliant Rachel Hadas, who will read from her most recent book of poems, Ghost Guest. See the Festival website for a complete listing of the day’s events.

Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM. Carmine St. Metrics, New York City, via Zoom. This will be my first reading from my new collection, After the Carnival, now available for pre-order from Wiseblood Books.

Friday, November 15, 2024. Poor Richard’s Chamber Music Society, 7:00 PM. 710 South Warnock Street, Philadelphia.  I read a poem inspired by Philippe Hersant’s “Six Bagatelles,” which David Yang’s chamber music group performed at the concert. Later in the program I also read a poem in translation by the Brazilian poet Ozias Filho. (Proceeds from ticket sales went to Bella Vista Neighbor’s Association).

Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, at 5:00 PM.  Lorca’s Roots & Branches: A Melopoeia at The Actor’s Studio, Crossroads Plaza, 1 Merrill St #3, Salisbury, MA 01952. The  Diminished Prophets present a melopoeia celebrating the poetry of Spain from the year 800 to 1492, the time of convivencia—“living together”— a period of cultural harmony shared by Muslims, Jews and Christians, and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca and others who continue to draw inspiration from the poets of that earlier time.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 6:30. Poets Alfred Nicol and Paul Marion read at the John Greenleaf Whittier Home & Museum, 86 Friend Street, Amesbury, MA, 01913.

Friday, August 16 – Sunday, August 18. The 2024 Frost Farm Poetry Conference, at The Frost Farm in Derry, NH.Join a small community of people at the historic Robert Frost Farm learning, reading and writing formal poetry with contemporary award-winning poets in an intimate workshop environment. Choose your focus from a series of offerings designed to provide tools for beginning poets as well as perfect the mastery of published poets. This year I have been invited to serve as Poet-in-Residence, available throughout the weekend to meet with participants individually to critique poems.

Sunday, August 11, 2024 4:00 PM. Newburyport Chamber Music Festival, “The Barrage” in Newbury, MA (Address on tickets). The world premiere with theremin by Composer-in-Residence Patrick Castillo is based on the songs of twelve iconic birds of Newburyport. Poet-in-Residence Alfred Nicol wrote a poem for each bird and Artist-in-Residence Jane Niebling has created matching paintings. Tonight’s concert also includes music of Haydn, Kurtág, Brown and Ravel.

Saturday, August 10, 2024 7:00 PM. Newburyport Chamber Music Festival, St. Paul’s Church, 166 High St., Newburyport, MA. The world premiere with theremin by Composer-in-Residence Patrick Castillo is based on the songs of twelve iconic birds of Newburyport. Poet-in-Residence Alfred Nicol wrote a poem for each bird and Artist-in-Residence Jane Niebling has created matching paintings. Tonight’s concert also includes music of Saint-Saens, Ravel, Brown, and Haydn.

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. 7:30 PM. “Jazz Vespers,” First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA. This month, the church welcomes award-winning poet Alfred Nicol, two-time Grammy-nominated sax player Mark Earley, local jazz phenom Chris Plante and rising talent Josh Schultz on bass.

Friday, March 8, 2024. 6:00 PM. Reading at Cornell University, 616 Thurston Ave, Ithaca, New York.

Friday, March 15, 2024. 5:30 PM. The Bookery, 848 Elm St, Manchester, NH. A reading from the anthology, Outer Space: 100 Poems, featuring its editor, Midge Goldberg, and contributors Alfred Nicol, Robert Crawford, Liz Ahl and Rick Broussard.

Friday-Sunday, Aug. 18-20, 2023. Frost Farm Poetry Conference, Derry, NH. Master Class with Alfred Nicol, who will deliver the keynote address on Friday evening.

Sunday, Aug 6, 2023. 3 PM Annual  Tapestry of Voices Reading to Honor John Greenleaf Whittier at The Whittier Home, 86 Friend Street, Amesbury, MA

Thursday, May 11, 2023, 6:30 PM. Six Powow River Poets , all with recent books published by Kelsay Books, read from their new collections at the Emma Andrews Library, 77 Purchase Street, Newburyport, MA.  Rhina P. Espaillat, Paulette Demers Turco, Jean Kreiling, Don Kimball, Midge Goldberg, and Alfred Nicol. The event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, April 29, 2023. The Newburyport Literary Festival. 11:30 AM at Newburyport Public Library: Alfred Nicol reads from his translation of One Hundred Visions of War by Julien Vocance.

Throughout the month of February, “Write Now—Alfred Nicol, January 2023” will air in Haverhill, MA on Comcast channel 22 on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 3:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Program producer Gayle Heney and Nicol converse about his translation of One Hundred Visions of War by Julien Vocance, written in the trenches of France during WWI.

Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. Alfred Nicol in conversation with Jimmy Pappas and reading from  his translation of One Hundred Visions of War by Julien Vocance. Via ZoomSunday, Sept. 25, 2022. The Diminished Prophets present a benefit melopoeia for the “Write the World” scholarship fund. At the People’s Methodist Church, 64 Purchase Street, Newburyport, MA.

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, 3 to 4:30 p.m. EDT.  Able Muse presents three acclaimed poets: Carol Light, Alfred Nicol, and Barbara Ellen Sorensen, hosted by J. C. Todd.  

Friday, April 1, 2022  7 PM. HC Media, 2 Merrimac Street, Haverhill, MA: The Haverhill River Bards and Creative Haverhill present The Diminished Prophets: poets Rhina P. Espaillat and Alfred Nicol, guitarist John Tavano, and bassist/cellist Roger Kimball perform a melopoeia, a stirring combination of music and poetry. Admission free.

Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022 4:00-5:30 PM Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry hosts a virtual reading for their forthcoming 2022 issue. Readers include the British poet Sally Read and others, including myself and friends Kyle Potvin and Sally Thomas.

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 7:00-8:15 Emma Andrews Library Winter/Spring 2022 Author Series:  Alfred Nicol “How I Write My Poems” an interview (with Aine Greaney) and poetry reading.

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 8:00. Al Basile’s program, Poems On, begins its second season with a Valentine’s Day theme – Romantic Love. Al’s guests are Melissa Balmain, and returning from season one, Alfred Nicol.