A Writer’s Night in May – Poetry and Journalism: A Marriage of Words

Missy-Marie Montgomery is a poet, an artist, and a recently retired professor of English at Springfield College. Her poetry has been published in more than two dozen journals, including Bellevue Literary Review, Poetry International, and Rattle. Her 2015 collection, The Half-Life of Passion (Open Field Press), was embraced for its heart-rending eloquence. Acclaimed poet Vivian Shipley described Montgomery’s poems as “songs of compassion for human longing.” Montgomery is also the author of the 2009 chapbook, The Blue Gate. She has taught writing to Alzheimer’s patients, and she is a judge each year for the local “Poetry Out Loud” competition among area high school students. 

Marty Dobrow is a journalist, but he likes to believe Missy’s compliment that he has a “poetic sensibility.” He has published over 2,000 stories in newspapers, magazines, and online publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, and espn.com. He began his career as a sportswriter and published two sports-themed books: Going Bigtime: The Spectacular Rise of UMass Basketball (Summerset Press, 1996), and Knocking on Heaven’s Door: Six Minor Leaguers In Search of the Baseball Dream (UMass Press, 2010). His third book, which focuses on an under-told story of American civil rights, is under contract with Cambridge University Press.

Missy and Marty met as professors at Springfield College and later got married on campus. Their union is centered on a love for their adult children, their adorable pets, the written word, and—of course—each other.