“Casey at the Bat,” an epic poem penned by Worcester’s Ernest Thayer, was first published in the San Francisco Examiner. Today, it’s widely known as the greatest baseball poem of all time. This event features poetry contests, open mic readings, WooSox games
WORCESTER—Baseball and poetry have each enjoyed a unique and fascinating history in this city.
J. Lee Richmond threw professional baseball’s first perfect game here in 1880 just off Sever Street. Eight years later, “Casey at the Bat,” an epic poem penned by Worcester’s Ernest Thayer, was first published in the San Francisco Examiner. Today, it’s widely known as the greatest baseball poem of all time.
Flash forward more than 130 years and the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, opened a new home at Polar Park along Madison Street in 2021. Baseball and poetry have been woven into the fabric of the city, intertwined for more than 140 years like effortless dance partners in a memorable waltz across the seven hills of Worcester.
In addition to Thayer, Worcester lays claim to a star-studded lineup of notable poets including heavy hitters like Stanley Kunitz, Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Olson and Frank O’Hara.
Returning to the city for its second year, the National Baseball Poetry Festival will once again explore the intersection of the national pastime and the ancient art form of verse May 3-5 at Polar Park and other venues.
“I’ve lived in many cities on this improbable journey through baseball and never have I lived in a city that fully acknowledges and embraces and celebrates poetry and baseball poetry at its core,” said Charles Steinberg, president of the Worcester Red Sox, at a press conference announcing the event this week.
A signature part of the festival is a baseball poetry contest, split into two categories: students (grades 4-12) and college students/adults (age 18 and above). More than 100 students in the Worcester Public Schools wrote poems for the contest last year. A special youth poetry reading will be held as part of this year’s festival on Saturday, May 4, at 2 p.m. on “The Berm” at Polar Park.
“The greatest of the festival’s objectives, arguably, is the promotion of the reading, writing, and reciting of poetry by Worcester’s and the nation’s schoolchildren,” said Steven Biondolillo, festival founder.
One of the winners in last year’s youth competition was Serenity Jackson, a student at Worcester Technical High School, who was appointed the city’s third Youth Poet Laureate in January. In addition to submissions from local school children, the 2023 contest also garnered overall submissions from across the United States, Canada, Italy, and Israel.
Highlighting the three-day festival are WooSox games against the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs at Polar Park on May 3 at 6:05 p.m. with post-game fireworks and May 4 at 4:05 p.m. featuring a poetry contest recognition and a sunset catch on the field.
The event also offers open mic poetry readings at the Worcester Public Library and throughout eclectic venues in the Canal District. For a full schedule of events and guidelines on how to submit poems for the contests, the public is encouraged to visit www.baseballpoetryfest.org. The deadline for poetry submissions is Wednesday, April 14, at noon.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication.He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
