Meet the Director

Photograph by Robin Hiteshew Eileen D'Angelo a paralegal by day and a mad poet at night, has been nominated for a Governor’s Award in the Arts and a Pushcart Prize in Poetry.  She judged Philadelphia area poets in open auditions for the HBO pilot/series, Def Poetry Jam  and also for the Four State Poetry Slam, sponsored by Minority Business Focus, at New Market Caberet in Philadelphia.   Her manuscript, True Tales from the Home Front, was a finalist in both the University of North Carolina’s Palanquin Press Chapbook Competition and Byline Chapbook Competition.  She has read her work on several television arts programs -- most recently on "Poet's Pause" on BCTV-Berks County Community Television, WXPN's (88.5 fm) World Cafe Live, and Cafe Improve, a live television broadcast in Princeton, NJ, and surrounding areas. She was interviewed by Kenn Michael for WBIY (88.1 fm) for the Lehigh Valley and by Dee Patel of KYW-1060 News Radio in Philadelphia. A two time finalist in the Allen Ginsberg Competition sponsored by the Paterson Literary Review, Eileen has been the Director of the Mad Poets Society since 1988 and has coordinated hundreds of events, over 60 poetry readings per year since 1990.  She has served as Editor of the Mad Poets Review since the first issue in 1990, and has been a Contributing Editor for the literary journal, HELLAS, A Journal of Arts and Humanities. In 2006, she has coordinated 90 special events, including eleven separate poetry series in and around the Philadelphia area, poetry readings, ongoing monthly series, competitions, workshops, festivals and other special events. In addition, since 1986, she has been a full-time paralegal to attorney G. Guy Smith, at the law firm of Harris and Smith in Media, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Main Line Paralegal Institute, where she received special recognition for a 4.0 GPA and as valedictorian.  Her poetry and book reviews have been published in Rattle, Paterson Literary Review, Drexel Online Journal, Philadelphia Poets, Negative Capability, The Aurealean, Bookends, HiNgE Online, Schuylkill Valley Journal  and others. Portions of one of her poetry readings at Godfrey Daniels Coffeehouse in Bethehem was aired on WBIY (88.1 fm) Lehigh Valley. An advocate for domestic abuse awareness, Eileen is the founder and coordinator of Arts Against Abuse, multimedia arts events for the benefit of the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, which have raised over $9,000 for the cause to date; and in addition, 100% of the proceeds from her most recent chapbook, Growing up with a Vengeance, as well as collection of poems she edited,  Hush:  Poems of Survivors of Domestic Abuse are donated to benefit Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County. In 2005, she was awarded the 23rd Annual Victims Rights Award from the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County.  She has performed at benefits and fund raisers, featuring jazz and poetry, for the battered women’s shelter in New Jersey, “Solace”, at the Walt Whitman Cultural Center in Camden, NJ. Eileen lectured, taught and/or performed poetry & music at St. Joseph's University, the Montgomery County Writers Conference, The National Federation of State Poetry Societies Convention in Harrisburg, The Delaware County Women’s Conference and at Delaware County Community College; and  judged the Ursinus College’s Poetry Competition for their literary magazine, The Lantern.  She has also judged the Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program along with Terry Culleton and celebrity judge Grace Paley. She served as a judge for Philly’s Painted Bride Art Center’s “Significant Other” poetry competition seeking women over 40 who have not yet given a voice to their poetry;  and taught poetry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kelly Writers House to talented city students in a program entitled, “Write ON!”  Formerly a Trustee of the Pennsylvania Poetry Society (PPS), she currently serves as Chairman of their Endorsement Committee and PPS board member, as well as Grant Committee Chairman and board member of Philadelphia Writers Conference.  She served as a panel member for several symposiums such as On Formal Verse at Manayunk Art Center, as well as,  a panel member for a symposium on:  Is there a Poetry Scene in Philadelphia at Kelly Writers House on the University of Pennsylvania campus. She was awarded a Community Service Award from the Philadelphia Writers Conference and was nominated for a 1996 Governor's Award in the Arts; she also received a Community Service Award from Chester High School’s “Straight from the Heart” Poetry Group; and several Community Service Awards from the Delaware County Parks and Recreation Department. She has performed in numerous locations including at Penn’s Landing for the Poetry on the Plaza Series, the Main Line Arts Festival at Main Line Arts Center in Haverford, the Main Street Theatre in Quakertown, the South St. Arts Festival, Philly Fringe Festival, Rutgers University,West Chester Festival of the Arts, at the convention of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Montgomery County Community College, Delaware County Community College, Walt Whitman Cultural Center, the Philadelphia Clef Club, and on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, as part of the Sunoco“Welcome America Celebration”, Philadelphia’s Fourth of July Celebration, to name a few. As part of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, Ms. D’Angelo performed original songs and poetry at Borders, Springfield. In 1998, she was a two-time finalist in the 1998 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Competition, sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College; She was First Place Poetry Winner of Words on the Wall Competition at the 1996 Philadelphia Writer's Conference and she was a finalist in the 1996 Eve of St. Agnes Poetry Award sponsored by Negative Capability Press. In addition, in 1998, she won five awards in the Pennsylvania Poetry Society's annual competition, (specifically 2nd Prize and 3rd Honorable Mention in the Grand Prize Division; 3rd Prize in the Cecilia Parsons Miller Haiku Award; 3rd Prize in the Blanche Whiting Keysner Sonnet Award; 3rd Hon. Men. in the Dorman John Grace Honorary Award.) She was a finalist in the Edward J. Fallot Poetry Competition, in addition to winning several awards from Midwest Poetry Review. In May of 2002, she won two awards in the Grand Prize Division of the PA Poetry Society Competition, and 2nd Prize in the Dale Guhl Memorial Award and an additional 3rd Prize in the love poetry division; In June of 2000, her poems, “Always” was a finalist in the PA Poetry Society Competition in the Narrative Poem Division, and “Growing Up with a Vengeance” was a finalist in the National Federal of State Poetry Societies Competition. "The Blue Lady" was nominated for a 1993 Pushcart Prize for Poetry by Verse Magazine. She was the recipient of the 1997 Dolores Deabler Capone Memorial Scholarship to the Philadelphia Writers Conference. In addition to her day to day employment as a paralegal, Eileen has lectured at local schools and writer's workshops, universities, art centers, writer’s groups, and libraries. Several of the events at which she has read poetry or led workshops in Philadelphia and surrounding areas, include (a partial listing): She is a songwriter, poet and author of three collections of poetry, "Shooting Stars", "Nightwinds" and "Love Songs", and two upcoming books in progress, “True Tales from the Home Front” and “The Recovering Catholics Collection.”  In addition to the 60-90 annual readings she coordinates for the Mad Poets Society, two annual projects which she coordinates are the "Mad Poets Festival" featuring up to 40 talented poets (for the past 19 years), and the Young Poets Competition, a student competition through Delaware County schools and libraries, which annually garners 2000 entries through the Delaware County school system.   She has performed at the following special events, festivals and universities: (partial listing): St. Joseph's University WXPN's World Cafe Live (88.5 fm) The West Chester Festival Painted Bride Art Center, Phila. Rutgers University Delaware County Community College Montgomery County Community College Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, Camden   Penn’s Landing Series“Poetry on the Plaza”    Phila. Writer’s Conference, Wksp. Leader Kelly Writers House, Univ. of PA Burlingtown Co. Poetry Festival, Keynote Speaker Philadelphia's 215 Festival Philadelphia Fringe Festival Hedgerow Theatre Del. Co. Women’s Conference, Wkshp Leader Moore College of Art The Forum for the Arts in New Hope Godfrey Daniel's Coffeehouse Series Main Line Arts Festival at MLAC 1998 - Sunoco/“Welcome America” 4th of July Festival (performed music & poetry on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway) 1988 South Street Arts Festival, Philly - at Melitta Coffee World Main Street Theatre, Quakertown The Poet’s Den, at the African American Bookstore in Camden The Manayunk Art Center Poetry Series The New Age Series at the North Star Bar Philadelphia Poetry Forum at NE Reg. Library Doc Watson's Pub Writer's Series WORD UP! at the Painted Bride Art Center Chester Co. Poetry Series, at the West Chester Friends Meeting House, 1989 The Jumping Cow Coffeehouse Media-Upper Providence Library Zone One Art Gallery The Middle East Restaurant The High Wire Gallery Mary's Vineyard Retreat House Tour deBlue/BlueRoute Opening Celebration The Market Cart Restaurant City Book Shop Polish-American Historical Society, Philly Mauch Chunk Historical Museum, Jim Thorpe, 2003 TelAviva Restaurant Borders Books & Music The Red Sea Tender Quest Podium, Chester YMCA Wallingford Library Haverford and Yeadon Libraries Her poems have appeared in national and international magazines including: Rattle: Poetry for the 21st Century HiNgE Online Drexel Online Journal Philadelphia Poets New Hope International, (in the United Kingdom) Manhattan Poetry Review Voices International Negative Capability Paterson Literary Review Verse One Trick Pony Philadelphia Poets The Aurealean Schuylkill Valley Journal Bookends Amherst American Poetry Annual PA Poetry Society’s Annual Prize Poems Alura Poetry Quarterly Canada Writer's Quarterly Jam To-Day Midwest Poetry Review Bitteroot Poetry Journal Odessa Poetry Review Independent Review The Phila. Poetry Forum Anthology General Eclectic Professional Affiliations/ Awards & Recognition/ Lecture Locations   (Partial Listing): Director, Mad Poets Society (since 1988) Founder, Wild Women, a women's poetry performance troupe Trustee & Endorsement Committee Chair of the PA Poetry Society (PPS), 1997-2005 Founder, "Arts Against Abuse," a multimedia arts event for the benefit of Domestic Abuse Project Philadelphia Writers Conference, Contest Chair and Grants Committee Chairman Past Contributing Editor, HELLAS Journal of Arts and Humanities Judge for the Philadephia auditions for the HBO pilot series, Def Poetry Jam, at New Market Caberet in Philadelphia. 2006 - Keynote Speaker, Burlingtown Co. Poetry Festival (NJ) 2006 - Performed on WXPN's World Cafe Live (88.5 fm) 2006 - Performed on BCTV: Berks Co. Community TV, for the Berks Co. and Western PA area. 2006 - Coordinated and read at special event, "A Little Summer Madness," at Lori Cosgrove Design (the 90th MPS event in 2006) 2005 -    Recipient of the 23rd Annual VICTIM RIGHTS AWARD from the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County. 2005 - Judged the Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program, along with Terry Culleton and Celebrity Judge Grace Paley. 2005 - Judge of the Ursinus College “The Lantern” Literary Magazine Competition. 2005 - Workshop Presenter - National Federation of State Poetry Societies Conference in Harrisburg. 2005 - 215 Festival - Presenter, Philadelphia Magazine Reading at the Tritone. 2004 - Workshop Presenter for the Montgomery County Writers Conference. 2001 - Workshop Presenter, scheduled for 2001 Phila. Writers Conference, Poetry Workshop 2000 - Workshop Presenter, scheduled for 2000 Phila. Writers Conference, Magazine Editor Forum/Literary Editors Workshop 1997 - Presenter - at the 19th Annual Delaware County Women’s Conference, Presenter, April of 1997, workshop leader on the topic: "Chasing the Muse: Women and the Art of Poetry." 1999 - Exploring Advisor, Mad Poets Explorer Post #294 (student poets/affiliated with Boy Scouts) 1999 - Philadelphia Writer’s Conference, Literary Journal/Editor - Workshop Presenter 1998 - Poetry Judge for the Philadelphia Writers Conference 1999 - Judge, Writer’s Focus Multi-State Poetry Slam at New Market Cabaret 1998 - Judge, Writer’s Focus Multi-State Poetry Slam at Dances Entertainment Complex 1997 - Recipient of a Dolores Capone Memorial Scholarship to Phila. Writers Conference 1997 - Presenter - at the 19th Annual Delaware County Women’s Conference, Presenter, April of    1997, workshop leader on the topic: "Chasing the Muse: Women and the Art of Poetry." 1996 - Nominated for Governor's Award in the Arts, 1996 1996 - Recipient of a Community Service Award from the Phila Writers Conference. 1996 - First Place, Words on the Wall Competition at Phila Writer's Conference 1996 - Finalist in the Eve of St. Agnes Poetry Award, Negative Capability Press 1995 - Community Service Award from Chester High School’s Straight from the Heart Poetry Group. 1994 - Recipient of the Cadence Crafters Scholarship to Phila. Writers Conference Founder & Coordinator of Arts Against Abuse, fundraisers for Domestic Abuse Project Coordinator of the Young Poets of Delaware County Competition, 1990 - 2006 Coordinator of the Mad Poets Competition Judge for the statewide Pennsylvania Young Voices Competition Judge for Jessee Poet Competitions, 1998, 1999 Judge for the Full Moon Poetry Competition ('90 through 93) Judge for Phila. Writer's Conference, Poetry Division