“Arts in the Valley” series kicks off with poetry reading

SOUTH OTSELIC – Voted most outstanding project of the year by the Chenango Council of the Arts, the Arts in the Valley series will kick off tonight at Chenango Coffee Roasters in South Otselic.

In early March, the Chenango County Council of the Arts awarded $62,500 to 29 non-profit organizations through the Broome and Chenango Decentralized Grant Program. One of the awards was presented to the Otselic Valley Improvement and Preservation Association for their plan to bring an “Arts in the Valley” series to South Otselic in order to showcase local talent.

At 7 p.m. tonight, a poetry reading and book signing will kick off the first part of the South Otselic series. The poetry reading is open to the public, but will also include poems created by Otselic Valley seniors. The students, a group of approximately ten in Michael Foor-Pessin’s class, worked for weeks with Cazenovia Poet Rachel Guido de Vries to create poems about loss, legacy and their feelings as they approach their coming graduation. Members of the public will be invited to share their work as well.