You are invited to the summer's most highly anticipated event for those moved by clever wordplay and romantic gestures "Giggles & Gush: A Sensual Spokenword Affair"!

Get ready for a night of passion, poetry, and pure entertainment.

Where: The Dock Book Shop 6637 Meadow Dr Fort Worth Texas.

Join us for an intimate evening of exclusive sensuality by the talented Exclusive Writes Malysa From Balitimore Maryland. & Fort Worth’s Stephonia “Queen Ess” Robertson Featuring Music by Honey 2 Hollywood And Hip Hop Artist DeRay And a special Appearance by Queen Fillmore Music Vibes by DJ 720X Come journey with us as we take the stage to captivate you with romantic words sensual music. Allow your senses to come alive as you immerse yourself in the world of sensual spoken word, music and other moist moments. Don't miss out on this unique and superbly intimate event!

The Dock is a book store with limited individual Tables and chairs. Tickets includes light refreshments, wine, beverages and other sweets. TICKET PRICES $10 Early Bird Seats $15 at the Door. $20 Front Row Seating for two ( Invludes Bottle Of Wine) $40 Table For Four UpFront (Includes Bottle Of Wine)

Ticket Links Square - https://square.link/u/8hPA5aPU

Or Eventbrite- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/897352675007?aff=oddtdtcreator

Or simply pay extra at the door 972-704-5001 for details

PAWETRY: Stories or Poems About Our Family Pets LIVE at Heritage Park Gazebo Downtown Lancaster TX

Come get your day started with PAWETRY at Heritage Park Gazebo! Located at 250 N Dallas Ave Downtown Lancaster Tx. You are invited to come listen or share your favorite stories or poems about our beloved family pets. Whether you have a funny furry friend, a silly scaly companion, or a feathered bird buddy, all are welcome to participate. Let's celebrate the joy our pets bring to our lives in a cozy-cool-covered outdoor setting. Don't miss out on this heartwarming event! Promoting Adoption Awareness. All pets must be on a leash and maintained for safety. Doogie Poo Bags available. Free human refreshments and pet-friendly snacks Bring a chair or blanket and get ready to hear some incredibly heart warming stories.

RSVP HERE ONLINE https://www.eventbrite.com/e/939582314997?aff=oddtdtcreator

Contact Mike Guinn (972) 704-5001

Whether you're a seasoned performer or trying out the spotlight for the first time, this is your stage to shine.

At Open Mic Night, you can:

• Share your original music, poetry, spoken word, comedy routines, or storytelling.

• Connect with a supportive community of fellow artists and enthusiasts.

• Discover new talents and be inspired by diverse performances.

• Enjoy a cozy and welcoming atmosphere with friends and family.

Sign up to perform at the event or simply come to enjoy the show and cheer on your favorite acts. Our host will keep the energy high and the vibes positive throughout the night.

Tickets are limited, so secure your spot early and get ready for a memorable evening of creativity and camaraderie. Let your voice be heard and your talent be celebrated at Open Mic Night!

Who are we?

BLACKLIT is home to the first monthly subscription box to exclusively highlight both Black authors & entrepreneurs. Founded in 2019 by high school English teacher, Nia-Tayler Clark, BLACKLIT’s mission is to help close the literacy gap, increase representation, and cultivate conversations that bring unity across racial divides. In 2022, BLACKLIT opened the doors to its first brick-and-mortar location and the first bookstore in the city of Farmers Branch.

Tarrant County National Youth Poet Laureate Commencement

Master Of Ceremonies : Mike Guinn

Date: July 27, 2023, 6-7:30 p.m.

Location: Trinity River Campus, Energy Auditorium, TRTR 4008 300 Trinity Campus Circle Fort Worth, TX 76102

A Free Family Friendly Public Event The Youth Poet Laureate title is held in the United States by a young person who demonstrates skill in the arts, particularly poetry and spoken word. The candidate is a strong leader committed to social justice and active in civic discourse and advocacy. Urban Word, the founder of The National Youth Poet laureate initiative, is an organization that provides free literary arts education and youth development programs.

RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/680596882597 see ya there

Sunday Funday with group games and Open Mic

Welcome to **Kickback Sundays at CeeZoo's**! Join us for a chill afternoon hosted by **Lyrik Hunter & A.Psymmetry and our favorite DJ, "King Shakur"**. Get ready to vibe to some dope beats, sip on tasty drinks, and enjoy good company. The event kicks off on **Sun, Jul 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM** at **CeeZoos Dallas**. Don't miss out on this laid-back gathering where you can unwind and have a great time.

Limited open mic is available!! EARLY ARRIVAL IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED!!! Game & Open Mic Sign Up begins at 1pm. See you there!

Join us in celebrating the release of Valois J. Vera's third collection of poetry, "Love, Liberation, and Other Longings."

A POETRY JAM is a celebration of all things poetry; a celebration of community. Join us in celebrating the release of Valois J. Vera's third collection of poetry, Love, Liberation, and Other Longings.

The evening will feature: A read and performance from the book Love, Liberation, and Other Longings by Poet, Author, and Activist, Valois J. Vera; Special Guest Emcee, Poet and Activist Suietko Zamorano-Chavez; and performances by Roses, Mel Finefrock, and Jennifer Wang.

PRE-JAM 6PM: Meet us for complimentary hors devours, drink specials, signed copies of Love, Liberation, and Other Longings available for purchase, and an hour of curated chill, hip hop, and urban jazz vibes.

JAM 7PM: Join us in the back lounge for an evening of poetry and spoken word performance.

WHAT TO EXPECT/ACCESSIBILITY: Live poetry readings and performances inside a dimly lit lounge; Music during the Pre-Jam; Book purchase opportunity; Complimentary hors devours; Drink specials available for purchase; Cocktails and non-alcoholic options available for purchase; Wheelchair accessible entrance, seating, and restroom; Parking spaces (including Accessible Parking) located throughout the Downtown Denton area (The Square)

Inner Moonlight is the monthly poetry series for the Wild Detectives! Our show is the second Wednesday of every month. Meet us in the backyard at 7:30pm on Wednesday July 10th for a live reading from one featured writer, with a brief open mic to follow. Don’t worry, podcast fans! We will record the live show and release it as a podcast episode for y’all. This month, we are proud to present poet Clara Bush Vadala!

Dallas Poetry Slam CEO Candy is Hosting Poetry N Jazz Brunch!

July 7th!

11am to 2p.

EVERY 1ST SUNDAY:🚨 Calling all POETS🚨

Welcome to the 1st Sunday Poetry and Jazz Brunch! Join us for a delightful morning of rhythmic poetry and smooth jazz at the 4Thirteen Sports Lounge. Immerse yourself in the creative atmosphere as talented poets share their work and jazz musicians set the mood. Indulge in a delicious brunch while enjoying the artistic performances. Don't miss out on this unique event that combines two beautiful art forms in one cozy setting. See you there!

Get ready for a fierce battle of words at The Poetic Pugilist: Word Boxing Contest Cash Prize - where poets fight it out for the ultimate prize The Poetic Pugilist: Word Boxing Contest Cash Prize Dream Performance Center 6707 Meadowbrook Fr Fort Worth Texas $10 Admission Welcome to the ultimate showdown of words at Dream Performance! Get ready to witness poets battle it out in a fierce competition where words are the weapons. The Word Boxing Contest will showcase the power of poetry in a whole new light. Join us for a night of intense verbal sparring, where creativity and wit collide. Don't miss out on the chance to see who will walk away with the cash prize and bragging rights as the Poetic Pugilist champion! Presented by Mike Guinn Entertainment and Dream Performance Center! Trophy and cash prize! Poets will put on boxing gloves before they enter the ring and deliver knockouts poem in head to head bouts. Winners face each other for the championship and the last poet standing will be crowned Word Boxing Champion. This unique display of poetic pugilism will be the first of its kind. 972-704-5001 for details

An Evening with Sunni Patterson during National Poetry Month!

Sunni Patterson, hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, skillfully weaves the rich heritage, culture, and traditions of her hometown with a profound spiritual perspective into her captivating music and poetry.

Originating from the vibrant artistic backdrop of New Orleans, Patterson's creative expression seamlessly blends timeless cultural elements with a modern flair, reflecting her artistry's depth. Transitioning from a dedicated high school teacher to an esteemed cultural worker and grassroots activist, Patterson utilizes her talents to foster dialogue and healing through the medium of poetry.

Her noteworthy performances have graced revered spoken-word venues nationwide, spanning from HBO's Def Poetry to BET's Lyric Cafe. An accomplished artist, Patterson has shared her wisdom at esteemed events like the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa, collaborating with an array of iconic performers such as Hannibal Lokumbe and Mos Def.

Her literary prowess shines in her debut print collection "We Know This Place," showcasing her multifaceted talent in the realm of spoken word.

Join us Wednesday June 19th JUNETEENTH for a joyous celebration like Denton has never seen!

We bring you the Denton Juneteenth Celebration! Come enjoy poetry, live music and much more! Located at the MLK Center 1300 Wilson St Denton TX , 7pm-9pm.

Hosted by two time Emmy nominated artist and poet @blackceasar_

Featuring an amazing collection of Dallas’ very best!
@i.am.imanparker @brandongoodluv @iamdwalk @kevinthesinger_ @adonesss @trojuan_ @ahmadmahim

We have sounds and great vibes brought to you by Nevo the DJ.

Come celebrate Juneteenth and enjoy some home grown culture! See you Wednesday June 19th at 7pm!

On this night we invite poets, spokenword artists, storytellers, drama queens and kings to come share and have fun, win cash & trophies! The 2nd Annual SpOscars (Spokenword Oscars) An Annual Performance Celebration Open Mic & Word Challenges 100% of all proceeds go to the The Dock Bookshop &Dock Community and the artists. Sign up and come have some fun.

WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO WIN ALL CATEGORIES AND BE THE UNDISPUTED BEST ALL AROUND POET IN TEXAS! SIGN UP FOR MULTIPLE CATEGORIES

Best Spokenword Slam Poet (First 5 Poets) $25 Cash Prize

One Poem Best Monologue From A Movie Or Play (Only 3 Actors) $25 Cash Prize

Best Children's Book (3 Participants Only) $25 Cash Prize

Best Storyteller (3 Minute Story- Only 3 Tellers) $25 Cash Prize

$8 - $35 Best Poem With Accent or Different Voice (Only 3 Poets) $25 Cash Prize

Best Haiku Poet (Only 3 Poets) $25 Cash Prize

Most Supportive Fan (For Person Who The Brings Most People)

The trophies have been bought. $25 Cash Prize The Prize Money Is Building For Each Category! Now it's time for poets to choose a category and sign up. Poets can sign up for All Categories This Year: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-open-mic-night-at-the-dock-cash-prizes-trophies-tickets-646091305487?aff=oddtdtcreator

Seeking Vendors and Sponsors Poets in the contest get free space on table for their merch only,

Live at THE EPIC THEATER

7:30-10pm $10 admission for all ages.

FREE REFRESHMENTS

Call Us 972-704-5001

A free poetry festival open to all that will include classes on craft and getting published, readings by distinguished poets (Pushcart winner and a poet laureate of Corpus Cristi), open mic, children poetry, and the Dallas Shakespeare Company. Co-sponsored by the Fort Worth Poetry Society and the Grapevine Public Library.

Inner Moonlight is the monthly poetry series for the Wild Detectives! Our show is the second Wednesday of every month. Meet us in the backyard at 7:30pm on Wednesday June 12th for a live reading from one featured writer, with a brief open mic to follow. Don’t worry, podcast fans! We will record the live show and release it as a podcast episode for y’all. This month, we are proud to present poet Lindsay Illich!

Lindsay Illich is the author of three poetry collections Earthwhere (forthcoming June 2024), Fingerspell (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), Rile & Heave (Texas Review Press, 2017), and the poetry chapbook Heteroglossia (Anchor & Plume, 2016). Rile & Heave won the Texas Review Press Breakthrough Prize in Poetry. She also co-authored Teach Living Poets (National Council of Teachers of English, 2021). She directs the writing program at Curry College in Massachusetts.

Patchouli Joe's monthly showcase of local Denton and DFW poets.

This is the fourth installment of LyricalWarfare. The main event is a versus battle between Mz. Jolie and Awaji, these two poets tied in the previous Lyrical Warfare undercard poetry slam and this time they are battling each other for the title of LyricalWarfare champion. The undercard, is a $100 poetry slam which is a two round poetry slam competition that follows standard poetry slam rules and the winner, will become the #1 contender, receive two paid features garunteed and face the winner of the versus battle main event at the next LyricalWarfare. The undercard slam will have limited slots so early registration is suggested. Donations are appreciated and being accepted, all donations are given to the poets.

The DFW Poetry Fest is an annual celebration of the many poets who are writing and publishing in the DFW metroplex. Join us in the backyard of The Wild Detectives on June 1st from 6:00-9:00pm. Our new Dallas Poet Laureate, Mag Gabbert, will kick off the reading. The event will be broken into 3 reading blocks with breaks in between to mingle, grab a drink, and buy books from these local poets. Check out the full lineup below:

Block 1 
Mag Gabbert 
Nomi Stone
Megan Peak 
SG Huerta 
Lauren Brazeal Garza
Greg Brownderville 

Block 2

Joaquin Zihuatanejo 
Alex Temblador
Samyak Shertok
Hannah Smith 
Lauren Kalstad 
Jasmyn Huff 

James Davis 

Block 3 
Lisa Huffaker 
Reverie Koniecki 
Katie Condon 
Aaron Brown 
Daniel DeVaughn 
Kim Nall

Poetry on the Patio!

Every last Friday of the month is Poetry Night!

Come out at 8 PM to see local and global poets! Hosted by Michael Guinn and organized by Bryan Kaeser, you are guaranteed a laugh by the end of the night.

Grab a drink from Mudhook Bar & Grill, and take a load off! Express yourself and maybe even participate!

Come join us for an evening of live poetry by Maiya Lewis on the patio, as we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month together for free!

Hosted by Michael Guinn and organized by Bryan Kaeser, local and global poets are invited to participate

Guaranteed a laugh by the end of the night, express yourself and participate in the event if you wish If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please let me know. 972-704-5001

About the book:

An unabashed exploration of queerness, excess, identity, and tenderness from award-winning poet Dorothy Chan.

The speaker in Dorothy Chan’s fifth collection, Return of the Chinese Femme, walks through life fearlessly, “forehead forever exposed,” the East Asian symbol of female aggression. She’s the troublemaker protagonist—the “So Chinese Girl”—the queer in a family of straights— the rambunctious ringleader of the girl band, always ready with the perfect comeback, wearing a blue fur coat, drinking a whiskey neat. They indulge on the themes of food, sex, fantasy, fetish, popular culture, and intimacy.

Chan organizes the collection in the form of a tasting menu, offering the reader a taste of each running theme. Triple sonnets, recipe poems, and other inventive plays on diction and form pepper the collection. Amidst the bravado, Return of the Chinese Femme represents all aspects of her identity—Asian heritage, queerness, kid of immigrants’ story—in the most real ways possible, conquering the world through joy and resilience.

RETURN OF THE CHINESE FEMME

Dorothy Chan (she/they) is the author of multiple poetry collections, including BABE (Diode Editions, 2021), Revenge of the Asian Woman (Diode Editions, 2019), Attack of the Fifty-Foot Centerfold (Spork Press, 2018), and the chapbook Chinatown Sonnets (New Delta Review, 2017). They were a 2023 finalist for the Roethke Poetry Award for Revenge of the Asian Woman, 2022 finalist for the Sheila Margaret Motton Book Prize from the New England Poetry Club for BABE, a 2020 and 2014 finalist for the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation, a 2020 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Bisexual Poetry for Revenge of the Asian Woman, and a 2019 recipient of the Philip Freund Prize in Creative Writing from Cornell University. Their work has appeared in POETRY, The American Poetry Review, Academy of American Poets, and elsewhere.

Chan is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Book Reviews Co-Editor of Pleiades, and Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of Honey Literary Inc., a 501(c)(3) BIPOC literary arts organization, run by women, femme, and queer editors of color. Chan was the 2021 Resident Artist for Toward One Wisconsin. They were a 2022 recipient of the University of Wisconsin System’s Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ People.

Tarfia Faizullah is the author of Registers of Illuminated Villages and Seam, winner of a VIDA Award and a GLCA New Writers’ Award. Born in Brooklyn, NY to Bangladeshi immigrants and raised in Texas, Tarfia currently lives in Dallas.

Women of the Wild explore: Body, Friendship, Love with guest of honor Colombe Schneck, in conversation with Merrit Tierce. In celebration of women words and voices.

On the programme:

5pm – 6pm: OPEN STAGE – readings about Body, Friendship, Love (in English, French, Spanish)
6:30pm – 8pm: CONVERSATION – Join us for an exclusive evening as we host French writer Colombe Schneck and Texan author Merrit Tierce. They will be in conversation with AF Director Emeline Colson (talk in Englush with a French touch).
8pm – 10 pm: MUSIC AND DANCE – DJ Female artists playlist

About the authors

Colombe Schneck, is an award-winning French writer with experience directing film documentaries, a background in journalism, and the author of twelve published novels. Schneck’s literary accomplishments have been recognized by many prestigious awards from the Académie Française, Madame Figaro, and the Société des Gens de Lettres. Schneck will be releasing a new book titled Swimming in Paris on May 14th 2024, four days prior to this event.

Born and raised in Texas, Merritt Tierce is an exceptional author whose literature has been recognized by the Whiting Foundation and the Rona Jaffe Foundation. Her most recent publication, Love me Back, was awarded the Texas Institute of Letters Steven Turner Award for “Best First Published Fiction.” Tierce has a background in being an advocate for women’s rights, particularly in terms of abortion. Further, Tierce has experience screenwriting, and wrote for two seasons of the Netflix show, Orange is the New Black.

Poetry Night

Poetry Night Open Mic at Day Drink Lounge will be featuring Ayanna Florence. We will have music, food, and an open mic list!

About this Event

Welcome to Poetry Night! Join us as we will be featuring Ayanna Florence. Ayanna Florence is a poet, creative, author, and teaching artist hailing from Chesapeake, VA, and currently residing in Charlotte, NC. She is a Brave New Voices alum, a Southern Fried Poetry Slam finalist, and has been performing spoken word across the country since 16 years old. Ayanna is the 2023 Womxn of the World Poetry Slam champion, the 2023 and 2024 Slam Charlotte Grand Slam champion, the 2024 Slam Madness Champion, the 2023 Carolinas All Star Slam champion, a 2023 Queen of the South slam champion, and much more. As a queer black woman, Ayanna exists on the fringes and outside the box, and her artistry reflects this reality. Ayanna recently released her debut poetry book, “Oceans”, and is passionate about using her poetry as a method of healing for herself and others.

Join us for a cozy evening filled with beautiful words and heartfelt emotions. Whether you're a seasoned poet or just looking to enjoy some spoken word, this event is perfect for everyone.

Our event will take place on Wed, May 15, 2024 at 7:00 PM at 215 W Camp Wisdom Rd. Come early to grab a good seat and maybe even sign up for an open mic slot!

Let your creativity flow and immerse yourself in the power of poetry. Share your own work or simply sit back and listen to the talented voices of our community. Don't miss out on this special night of expression and connection.

Mark your calendars and bring your friends along for a night of inspiration and artistic delight at Poetry Night!

TICKETS AT THE LINK BELOW

Come join Melissa Cundieff and Rebecca Bernard for an afternoon of reading on the roof!

Melissa Cundieff received an MFA in poetry from Vanderbilt University, where she was the recipient of an Academy of American Poets Prize and is a lecturer for the English department at Harvard. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in places such as Best of the Net, Crab Orchard Review, Ninth Letter, Four Way Review, TriQuarterly, The Adroit Journal, and Tongue: A Journal of Writing and Art. She has published a chapbook, Futures With Your Ghost.

Rebecca Bernard’s debut collection of stories won the 2021 Non/Fiction prize from The Journal and was published by Ohio State’s Mad Creek Books in August 2022. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Alaska Quarterly Review, Southwest Review, Wigleaf, Bellingham Review, and elsewhere. She holds a PhD in Fiction from the University of North Texas and an MFA from Vanderbilt University. Her work received notable mention in the Best American Short Stories of 2018. She is an Assistant Professor in the English department at Angelo State University.  She serves as a Fiction Editor for The Boiler.

Queen Of The Pen Poetry Slam

A Pre Mother's Day Celebration and Showcase

If you enjoyed any or our last sold out poetry slam and open mic night events then get ready for another unforgettable evening of spoken word and poetic brilliance! Join us Saturday's May 11th at Dock Bookshop on 6637 Meadowbrook Dr Fort Worth TX, as Mike Guinn Entertainment presents the first ever "Queen Of The Pen" Pre Mother's Day Poetry Slam & Showcase.

Featuring Beena Nair, Felicia Hayes, Rebecca Ayers.

Saturday May 11th 2024

4pm-6pm

$7 Admission

This high-energy in-person event will showcase the raw talent and creativity of local poets, as they compete for the coveted title of Queen Of The Pen.

Oh, but there's a twist. In addition, poets share already prepared poems. For one of the two rounds. These word warriors will also be challenged to create an original poem on the spot from a list of prompts that we give. This will be a true test of their pen-womanship and leave no doubt that the winning poetess is indeed the Queen Of The Pen.

FIRST 7 Poets to register are guaranteed a spot.

THIS IS AN ALL WOMENS COMPETITION. But everyone is invited.

FIRST 8 POETS TO REGISTER ARE IN. NO REFUNDS! $100 CASH PRIZE GOES TO THE WINNING POET. More if we get a sponsor.

Poets with their “OWN” merchandise get a free vendor table for their product!

GET YOUR TICKET & Immerse yourself in the power of words and be captivated by the rhythm and emotion of each performance. Don't miss out on this incredible celebration of poetry and self-expression. Who will walk away with the crown! ! See you there!

Infinite Arts Movement and The Wild Detectives Presents: P.O.P Kulture (Poetry on the Patio)

An all new poetry open mic in the Bishop Arts District.

Hosted by National Spoken Word Artist Verb Kulture (from TV One Verses and Flow)

Visual Art Display and  Poetry Open Mic…Come out and witness some of the best poetry in town, view the amazing artwork for local artists and enjoy drinks, networking, and supporting the arts.

For tickets visit http://www.verbkultureevents.com  Call or text 972 815 3724 for more info or to sign up for Open Mic

Early Arrival Strongly Suggested.

From the author of MyOTHER TONGUE comes a new collection of prose poetry exploring the intergenerational inheritance of gendered violence.

Rosa Alcalá choreographs language to understand the body as it "gathers itself over time to become whole," recovering the speaker's intuition while unraveling memory to pinpoint the aches, anxieties, and lessons of a woman's survival. Ruminating on daughterhood, mothering, and the body's cumulative wisdom, YOU traces a jagged line through fears and joys both past and present.

Come for an evening of poetry that ponders ideas around language, bodies (human bodies, geographic bodies, even fruiting bodies!), and self-definition. Stephanie Choi‘s debut collection, The Lengest Neoi (selected by Brenda Shaughnessy for the Iowa Poetry Prize) embraces and complicates what it means to err—to wander or go astray; a deviation from a code of behavior or truth; a mistake, flaw, or defect. Beginning with the collection’s title, which combines a colloquial Cantonese phrase (Leng Neoi / “Pretty Girl”) and the English suffix for the superlative degree (—est), these poems wander, deviate, and flow across bodies, geographies, and languages.

The event will also feature local poets Tarfia Faizullah, Katie Condon, and Samyak Shertok!

About the Author:

Stephanie Choi’s poems appear in Copper Nickel, Blackbird, Electric Literature, and elsewhere. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona and the University of Utah. She is currently the poet-in-residence at Sewanee: The University of the South. Her debut collection, The Lengest Neoi, was selected by Brenda Shaughnessy for the 2023 Iowa Poetry Prize and will be published by the University of Iowa Press in 2024. Find her at xostephchoi.com.

About the book:

“The Lengest Neoi is a shock to the senses: reminding readers that to write and live through / amid/ between languages is to make new combinations of reality at every turn and that it is a chance to leave the ordinary dimensions of poetics / experience in the dust. Tech fails disconnect a grandmother from her granddaughter, and language play reveals a dramatic history of a family name. Poet Stephanie Choi, having connected body and mind through time and generations, mother tongues and lost lineages, can also make prismatic, melodic, gorgeous stories in emails, crossword puzzles, text chains, lists, and laments. This poet is wily, radical, fluidly ingenious with words, image, emotion. She has to be: there are so many ways to erase Asian American life / perspective / creations, to knock down each individual granddaughter, erase each artist. This poet reinscribes all with nuanced brilliance, photographic sensory memory, and fierce love. She must attend to what needs attention: fix the spine, fix the teeth, speech therapy to fix the impediment. The poet emerges with a voice that has no interest in being fixed: This poet can see from the perspective of her lineage/languages, can see much farther into the past, throw her voice far into the future.”—Brenda Shaughnessy, Judge, Iowa Poetry Prize

“This is an ambitious debut that brings together issues of language loss through assimilation and acculturation, the connection between race and disability, and issues of transcultural Asian and Asian American identity and representation. In a nation where the Asian individual is not always seen as a separate identity but a metonym for a larger nation and community, how does the second-generation Chinese American distinguish herself as a person with agency and particularity, even as she respects that her condition has been shaped by and fundamentally connected to larger historical forces? Likewise, how might a particular physical disability, such as a speech impediment, intersect with socially imagined and reinforced disabilities, such as racial or sexual difference? Formally playful, intellectually rich, Choi’s poems deftly explore these and other issues in devastating but also imaginatively playful forms that reveal the many identities a hyphenated self must inhabit and traverse.”—Paisley Rekdal, Author of Nightingale & West: A Translation (winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award)

Eileen Myles will be reading from a "Working Life" (Grove Press) as well as sharing some unpublished new poems at Deep Vellum (3000 Commerce St) on Thursday, May 9th from 7PM-9PM — this is the only stop on the paperback tour for this collection!!

Paperback as well as hardcover copies will be available for purchase at the event, while supplies last. If you know you're going to want a copy of the book, we suggest choosing the ticket option that includes a copy of the book. If space allows, tickets will be available the night of the event at the door for $5.

A signing will follow the reading/Q&A at the storefront.

Eileen Myles (they/them, b. 1949) is a poet, novelist and art journalist whose practice of vernacular first-person writing has made them one of the most recognized writers of their generation. Pathetic Literature, which they edited, came out in Fall of 22. a “Working Life”, their newest collection of poems, is out now. They live in New York & in Marfa, TX.

Inner Moonlight is the monthly poetry series for the Wild Detectives! Our show is the second Wednesday of every month. Meet us in the backyard at 7:30pm on Wednesday May 8th for a live reading from one featured writer, with a brief open mic to follow. Don’t worry, podcast fans! We will record the live show and release it as a podcast episode for y’all. This month, we are proud to present poet Reverie Koniecki!

Reverie Koniecki is a Black writer and educator living in Dallas, Texas. She earned her MFA from New England College. Her work has appeared in Guernica, HeavyFeather Review, Post Road, Rigorous Magazine and other places. Her chapbooks —to the god of sore feet and bad backs from Finishing Line Press and The Wars That Steer Us from Mouthfeel Press were published in 2023.