Sunday, April 3rd

I will once again have the honor of being the featured poet at the Priestley Memorial Chapel in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. This time it’s April 3rd, the first Sunday in National Poetry Month. So if you are anywhere in the Central Pennsylvania region that weekend and are up for a 9:30 am poetry reading, let me know! I’m hoping to hit a few folks up for brunch after!

The musician for the program is pianist David Levengood from Bucknell University. The tunes will range from classical to improv jazz.

Do not worry my faithless friends, this is not a church service. From PriestleyChapel.org: Priestley Chapel Associates presents an informal program of words and music from 9:30 to 10:10 am on the first Sunday at Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel, 380 Front Street, Northumberland, PA. Programs begin at 9:30 am and conclude at 10:10 am.

Friday, May 20th

There will be a reading of poetry and prose during the Official Release Party for the “Come-back” issue, the Spring/Summer volume of Word Fountain, the Literary Magazine of the Osterhout Free Library on May 20th at 6:30 pm. The festivities will take place at the Osterhout, 71 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA as part of the city’s Third Friday Arts Walk.

Interestingly enough this venue, while no longer a church, is located in the former First Presbyterian Church, built in 1849. It’s served now as a public library for 127 years. See more information about its history at Osterhout.lib.pa.us.

I should note that at the time of this writing there are still 9 days left until the deadline for submissions to that issue. And while we still need to get an editors’ bio section up on that About page, I can tell you that you already know one of the four editors. He has this weird blog about poetry, family and of all things, very occasionally, birds! Check out Word Fountain’s submission guidelines for details and then send us something we’ll love!

Other Poets Reading in North Eastern and Central Pennsylvania this Spring

Click on the links for details and directions:

• Saturday, March 26th at 6 pm
  Breaking Ground Poetry Slam at the AFA Gallery in Scranton.
  Youth poets, adult supported.
• Friday, April 1st 6-8 pm
  The Station Gallery and Clinton County Arts Council
  in Lock Haven: Poetry and the Spoken Word Returns!
• Sunday, April 3rd at 6 pm
  Synaesthesia Social: Jazz/Poetry Night at The Old Brick Theatre in Scranton.
• Saturday, April 9th at 12 pm
  Scranton Radical Bookfair 2016 at Nazareth Hall at Marywood University.
• Thursday, April 14th 7-9 pm
  Poetry Under the Paintings at Faustina’s Gallery in Lewisburg.
• Saturday, May 7th at 7 pm
  Writers’ Showcase Spring Edition at The Old Brick Theatre in Scranton.
• Thursday, May 12th  7-9 pm
  Poetry Under the Paintings at Faustina’s Gallery in Lewisburg.

And those are just the events I know about! There are surely plenty more. Who are those idiots who keep claiming that poetry is dead? I think I have seen that in enough national rags by this point.

Now, I apologize to my many readers who live in other corners of Pennsylvania, other parts of the country, other nooks in the continent, or outside the continental US altogether. You actually outnumber my local readers, but I couldn’t help bragging on my home turf here.

But in the comments, it’s your turn. Please leave a comment if there is a poetry or literary event in your area this spring that you have information about. Hey, you never know, a simple google search could lead a potential attendee right to your information here, so feel free to provide links, and all the info you can in the comments below. Thanks you so much. And at the risk of verbing, poem on!