Grace Cavalieri


Grace Cavalieri is an American poet, playwright and radio host of "The Poet and the Poem" from the Library of Congress. In 2019, she was appointed the tenth Poet Laureate of Maryland.

Personal life

Cavalieri lives in Annapolis, Maryland. She has four grown daughters: Cynthia, Colleen, Shelley and Angela; and four grandchildren: Rachel, Elizabeth, Sean and Joseph. Her husband, sculptor Kenneth Flynn, died January 15, 2013.

Literary career

Cavalieri has published 24 books and chapbooks of poetry, plus fiction. She has written 26 produced plays, and texts for 2 produced operas. She co-founded the Washington Writers Publishing House with John McNally in 1976 and served on its editorial board from 1976 to 1982. In addition, in 1979 she founded The Bunny and the Crocodile Press/Forest Woods Media Productions, Inc., a publishing house and media production company. As of 2014, she still operates the small press which is actively publishing. She has lectured and taught throughout the United States at several colleges and universities, and was, for 25 years, visiting poet at St. Mary's College of Maryland. She was resident writer at the Word Works annual retreat in Tuscany, 1996-2003. She was book editor of The Montserrat Review until 2011. She is poetry columnist for MiPOradio and on the staff of MiPOesias. She writes a monthly poetry feature entitled “Exemplars” for the Washington Independent Review of Books.

Poetry

Quilting The Sun, Dream-Up Festival, Theater for the New York City, NYC 2019

Calico and Lennie, Theater for the New York City, NYC 2017

Anna Nicole: Blonde Glory<

Production

Dream Up Festival NYC, August 2011

Reading, Muhlenberg Library, NYC March 2009

Reading, Bethesda MD Writers’ Center, May 2009

Reading full length NYC, March 2011

Scene4:International Magazine of the Arts 2010

Lena's Quilt

Production:

Harlem Renaissance NYC February and March 2010 & 2011

Quilting the Sun

Productions:

Theater for the New York City, NYC 2019

Palmetto Theater, ARTWORKS, Beaufort SC 2011

World Premiere Centre Stage, Greenville SC 2007

Jennie & The JuJu Man

Production:

Typewriter Dreams Common Basis Theatre 2003

CUNY Grad Center, NYC Theater Festival 2004

Hyena in Petticoats

Reading, Takoma Park Theater, Maryland March 2010

Staged presentation, NYC Public Library March 2006

Staged Production, Ft. Lewis College CO June 2007

Publication Scene4:International Magazine of the Arts

Passage Grace's text: MAP

Art, Poetry, Dance Installation, Artposium, Durango CO September 2007

The Late and Blooming Early Branch

Productions:

Polemic Theater, Washington DC 1968

Corner Theater, Baltimore MD 1969, 1970

Milford MA High School 1970

William and Mary College, Williamsburg VA 1970

Published:

One Act Publishing Company 1968

Birds That Call Before The Rain

Productions:

Corner Theater, Baltimore MD 1968

Theater Lobby, Washington DC 1969

William and Mary College, VA 1970

The Death Of A Child By Beating Or Not

Production:

Corner Theater, Baltimore MD 1968 & 1970

What Shall We Do Yesterday

Productions:

Corner Theater, Baltimore MD 1968, 1970

Polemic Theater, Washington DC 1969

Towson State College 1970

Trinity University, San Antonio TX 1971

Notre Dame College, Baltimore MD 1970

La Pensee, Seattle WA, 1975-76

Produced for radio, Pacifica network 1977

Published

Heads

Productions:

Notre Dame College, Baltimore MD 1970

The Corner Theater, 1970

Theater Prospect, San Francisco CA 1973

The Planned Escape Of Bonita And Bright

Production:

William and Mary College, VA 1970

Old Favorites

Productions:

The Corner Theater 1971

Washington DC's Contemporary Arts Theater 1999

Eleventh Hour Song

The Corner Theater 1971

Smarts

Antioch College, Baltimore MD 1971

Backyard Fun

Upstairs Theater, Columbia MD

Antioch College, Columbia MD

Cuffed Frays

Produced for radio: The Pacifica Network, 1962

For Stage: The Charleston Stage Company, Charleston WV 20001

Published in verse form, Argonne House Press c2001

Best Of Friends

Productions:

College of Notre Dame 1975

Theater Project 1976

Corner Theater 1975

La Pensee Theater, Seattle WA 1975- 76

Moming Theater Chicago IL 1977

Production:

The Sticker Tree

Quaigh Theater NYC 1986

Publication:

Scene4:International Magazine of the Arts

Stripping

Reading, The John Houseman Theater NYC 1993

Children's play: In The Land Of Elbows

Webster Grove Children's Theater, MO 1970

Hush, No One Is Listening

Festival, Religion and Art, Sacramento CA 1970

Published:

Dramatics Magazine c1972

Kauri, 1968

We Regret to Inform You

Productions:

Theater Lobby, Washington DC 1970

Univ of Missouri 1969

Radio Production: Pacifica Network 1977

Published:

Per/Se, The Smith Magazine 1970

Keeper of the Station

Production:

University of Washington, Seattle WA 1966

Published:

Contemporary Drama Service 1970

Kauri 1968

Pinecrest Rest Haven

Production:

The Common Basis Theatre, NYC 2001

Staged Readings:

Clemente del Sole, NYC 1998

The Ice House, Berkeley Springs, WV 1998

The Writer's Center of Washington DC, Bethesda MD 1998

Audio Production: Tape

Published:

Scene4: International Magazine of the Arts

PEMBROKE Magazine, Univ of NC at Pembroke

Harvest Kitchen

Produced for Radio Pacifica Network 1976

Getting Ready

Production:

The WPA Theater, NYC 1972

String of Pearls
MONO OPERA, lyrics and text

Production:

The Walters Museum and Gallery, Baltimore MD 1986

Text and Libretto for Opera

Migrations

Production:

Franz Bader Gallery, Washington DC 1988

Loyola College, Baltimore MD 2000

Radio production via NPR satellite 1988, 1989

Pacifica Network, 1988 & 1990

Published:

Vision Library Publications, c1995

Song Cycle

Lyrics for Purple Ice with composer Vivian Adelberg Rudow

Several stages in Baltimore MD

Journey of Waters song, lyrics

Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Music Orchestra w. Composer Rudow

St. Anne's Church, Annapolis MD 2006

Har Sinai Synagogue, Baltimore MD 2006

Production:

CD's of Cavalieri/Rudow collaboration

Fiction

Cavalieri has received numerous literary awards. Highlights include:
She has enjoyed several state arts and humanities council awards and fellowships. She received the inaugural Columbia Award from the Folger Shakespeare Library Poetry Committee for "significant contribution to poetry."

Education

Cavalieri has had a long-term connection with public radio and public radio programming. Cavalieri and a core staff founded the non-commercial radio station WPFW-FM after being awarded a 3-year National Endowment for the Arts Radio Development Grant in 1976. Cavalieri worked for the station as Director of Arts Programming from 1976 to 1978, and as a radio producer from 1976 to 1985. She has produced more than 100 programs in radio drama, and poetry and arts criticism including "Poetry from the City," "Expressions," and "Writer's Workshop on the Air."
Cavalieri worked as a radio broadcaster at WPFW-FM from 1977 to 1997 and is best known in the Washington literary community for her program "The Poet and the Poem." The show aired weekly from 1977 to 1997, and was distributed nationally through the Pacifica Radio station network, which includes KPFA-FM/KPFB-FM Berkeley, California, KPFK-FM North Hollywood, California, KPFT-FM Houston, Texas, and WBAI-FM New York City, New York. Cavalieri stopped airing "The Poet and the Poem" through WPFW-FM in 1997 and now presents this series to public radio from the Library of Congress via NPR satellite. Approximately ten episodes from the Library of Congress series are produced each season, and podcasts are made available through the Library of Congress. Typically, "The Poet and the Poem" features poets who live in the Washington, D.C. area and have become a part of the Washington literary community. Cavalieri has been committed to presenting various American cultural traditions on the program and is particularly interested in the black literary community. The recordings of her programs include a significant collection of African-American poets.
In addition, she was an Associate Director of Programming at the Public Broadcasting System for five years and subsequently served as program officer of the National Endowment for the Humanities media program from 1982 to 1988.