Though it May Look Like Disaster: Poetic Forms to Save Your Life (Marianne Kunkel, Melissa Fite Johnson, Faisal Mohyuddin, Ashley M. Jones, Matthew E. Henry)

Do poetic forms have life-saving properties? Five poets will discuss how meter, rhyme, syllable count and other constraints have been sources of constancy and control during personal and political upheaval: layoffs, death, addiction, religious trauma, racism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They will examine the healing power of classic forms—sonnet, abecedarian and #ceasefire haiku—as well as remixed/invented forms, and share how forms can be a balm for a writer’s (or reader’s) heartbreak.

Location: Concourse Hall 151, Level One, Los Angeles Convention Center

Session Code: F227

3:20 PM - 4:35 PM PDT (6:20 - 7:35 EST)

I will be reading with Kevin Gallagher and Anastasia Vassos at the Chapter and Verse literary reading series in Jamaica Plain at the historic Loring-Greenough House, sponsored by the Jamaica Pond Poets.

I’ll be reading with Sara Letourneau as part of the Poetry: the Art of Words Reading Series in Plymouth, MA once again.

I’ll be reading at Athan’s Bakery with poets Ruth Chad, Tzynia Pinchback, and Irish story teller Aidan Parkinson.

I'll be reading with Eric Hyett and Linda Lamenza, followed by an open mic, at Open Doors Center for the Arts in Weymouth, MA on Saturday, February 22nd at 6 PM.

Experiment under the mentorship of accomplished writers. The conference will feature a combination of writing workshops and readings led by published mentors. This year we are pleased to offer mentorship by authors January O’Neil, Matthew Henry, and D. Eric Parkison. The workshop will culminate in a group reading of student work created during the day. Participants may experiment with different styles of creative writing, including poetry, fiction, and personal essay. Students will have an opportunity to work in small groups with each mentor over the course of the day.

The Word is a monthly poetry open mic & reading series at Workshop13, a cultural arts & learning center in Ware, Massachusetts. We start with an engaging, compassionate open mic with a featured reader to follow right after. The event takes place in Workshop13’s Great Hall, a refurbished church and a beautiful space to read, listen, and be heard. BYOB. Free popcorn. This is an all ages event.

SIGN-UPS start at 2:30. Open mic starts promptly at 3pm, with our featured reader to follow after a short break.

I’ll be the featured reader at the Pour Me A Poem Reading Series. Open mic to follow.

See the information below about the reading

Poets Wayne-Daniel Berard and Sara Letourneau are hosting Pour Me a Poem on the second Thursday of each month at 51 Park Street (Wayne-Daniel's home) in Mansfield, MA, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The next one will be on Thursday, August 8, 2

Please ensure you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before attending. Also, please make sure you park on the even-numbered side of the street, opposite from Wayne-Daniel's house.

I’ll be joining Joan Kwon Glass and Miller Oberman at Possible Futures in New Haven, CT

Poetry as a Radical Act

I have the honor of reading with Joan Kwon Glass, Jennifer Martelli, Kevin McLellan, and Anna V. Q. Ross, with Danielle Jones as part of the Boston Book Festival.

Audre Lorde said, “Poetry is not a luxury.” To think, write, and be fully engaged with the world around us in ways that matter is nothing less than a radical act of survival.

I’ll be reading at the First Congregational Church of Wareham as a part of their Arts at the Stone Church Cafe series.

Light Dinner: 6:30-7:30

Poetry and Q&A: 7:30-8:30

I am honored to be joining Quintin Collins as a reader for the launch of Sarah Kersey’s debut collection Residence Time!

I’ll be a featured reader in the Zoom-based Wild & Precious Life Series. I’ll be joining Kai Coggin and MT Vallarta on Thursday, September 26th, 2024.

The Wild & Precious Life Series launched on 4/1/20 as a response to the pandemic to create a virtual space for poets to share their work, poetry lovers to receive it, and spotlight poets with books being released during the pandemic.

The series has featured Diane Seuss, Marilyn Nelson, Dorianne Laux, Patricia Smith, Alicia Ostriker, Carolyn Forché, Denise Duhamel, Oliver de la Paz, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Victoria Chang, Paisley Rekdal, Major Jackson, Victoria Redel, Ashley M Jones, Dan Beachy-Quick, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Nin Andrews, Tina Chang, Tyree Daye, José Olivarez, Erika Meitner, Brynn Saito, Geffrey Davis, Mark Wunderlich, Julie Marie Wade, and many others. Click here for select recordings of WPLS readings.

“Doors” open at 7:15pm (EST).

All readings start at 7:30pm (EST).

I will be reading with others published in issue #9 of Molecule Mag as part of the Salem Literary Festival.

I’ll be reading as part of Arlington’s Beehive Poetry Group “New Book and Open Mic” series.

I’ll be doing a Juneteenth reading with Tatiana Johnson-Boria and Sarah Kersey at Wellesley Books

I will have the pleasure of reading with Toni Bee, Tom Daley, Maureen McElroy, and Linda Carney-Goodrich for Rozzie Bound Books at Distraction Brewing Co on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30pm - 8:00pm.

I’ll be reading from said the Frog to the scorpion for the M2 Suite Reading Group in Worcester.

More info to follow…

I'll be reading with Randall Horton as part of the Riverwood Poetry Series in Hartford, CT.

I’ll be reading at Maxima Book Center in Lexington with Quintin Collins and Sarah Kersey on Sunday, April 28th at 2 pm.

I’ll be reading as a part of the Rozzie Reads Series again. This time with Jennifer Jean and Jason Tandon at Roslindale House.

I’m fortunate to be joining Jimmy Pappas for a conversation about the varying poetic form in said the Frog and the scorpion. These include

• traditional free verse

• Q&A formats

• a bingo board

• erasure poetry

• multiple choice quiz

• sonnets

• call and response poems

I will be returning to Weston Public Library to read from said the Frog to the scorpion . This time I will be joined by the wonderful Hannah Larrabee.

Hannah’s Wonder Tissue won the Airlie Press Poetry Prize and was shortlisted for a Massachusetts Book Award. Her chapbook, The Observable Universe, is out now from Lily Press. Hannah wrote poetry for the NASA James Webb Space Telescope program and read her work at Goddard Space Center. She participated in the Arctic Circle Artists Residency in 2022. Hannah received an MFA from the University of New Hampshire where she studied with Charles Simic and she is currently an editor at Nixes Mate Review. 

Some advance press about the reading from The Weston Owl.

I’ll be reading from said the Frog to the scorpion at Open Doors Center for the Arts with Matthew Porto and David R. Surette.

Refreshments will be served and an open mic will follow.

I’ll be returning to Tidepool Bookshop in Worcester (MA) to read from said the Frog to the scorpion.

I’m proud to be reading with Quintin Collins and Sarah Kersey at Newton Public Library.

Wayne-Daniel Berard and Sara Letourneau host Pour Me a Poem on the second Thursday of each month, and I will be the featured reader in December.