Certain Urgencies Worthy of Napkins
Rhonda at a poetry reading in Mansfield, PA
Committed to poetry's oral tradition, Rhonda Morton is a poet of the stage rather than the page.
Never expect a staid reading from Rhonda. She prefers intimate settings, where she can integrate her audience and the site into performances. She often layers words with sounds, song, movement, theatrical characterizations, and improvisation to add depth and richness to her one-woman shows.
As Maria McMahon of Lockwood, NY, wrote: "Rhonda Morton, more than any other artist I have ever met, is an artist of her WHOLE being—pure, but not at all simple. I am convinced that even if her mind were willing, her body wouldn't allow her to be anything else. Cover her mouth, bind her hands, her legs, her arms—and her autonomous nervous system would find means of expression! Her heart would start beating in new rhythms... her skin would flush in Matissean hues... words would tumble through her pores... and her blonde hair would rise like arms to dance!"
Nell
Henry
Zelda
Rhonda has been the featured reader at venues throughout the Northeast since her first performance on the Centerway Bridge in Corning, NY, in 1992. She is the author of Woman Seeking Water (Foothills Publishing, 1997) and Breathing In, Breathing Out (Foothills Publishing, 2001).
Her work also has been published in numerous books and journals. Rhonda was selected by The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes to participate in their "Poets, just down the road" project in 2001.
Emphasizing the creation of new work, Rhonda is a skilled facilitator of writing and creativity workshops for adults and teens. In 2005, Rhonda was awarded the Arts Partnership Award from The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes for "tirelessly supporting others in their artistic endeavors, for encouraging young poets and musicians, and mentoring young women with her passion for and commitment to the arts."
Contact Rhonda to set up a reading or workshop.