Worcester County Poetry Association

Worcester Writers' Collective Meeting
2025-10-14 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | JMac/Brickbox Theater, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Come one, come all to the weekly meetings of the WWC:

6-7 Free Writing Time

7-9 Reading and Workshop

Building a small community of local writers of all genres is our priority and we are so thrilled to invite anyone interested to drop in and participate.

It’s FREE and open to all. 🙂

The Shawna Foundation’s Library Poetry Tour Wraps Up 2025 With Final Stops of the Year
2025-10-15 18:00 - 19:00 | Milford Town Library, 80 Spruce St., Milford, MA, United States
The Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the final stop of the year for its Library Poetry Tour, featuring Worcester poet John Edward Keough. This free event, part of the Shawna Foundation’s mission to uplift diverse voices and foster creative expression in community spaces, will take place Oct. 15 and 16 at two different libraries in our area. We welcome everyone to experience the power of the spoken word.

The Library Poetry Tour program will hit the Milford Town Library, 80 Spruce St., Milford on Wednesday, Oct. 15; The readings begin at 6 p.m. and are free.

Our October featured poet John Edward Keough is an award-winning poet, journalist, and filmmaker who makes his home in his beloved city of Worcester. His favorite book of all time is “Don Quioxte,” and he can be found walking in Elm Park telling the geese about his adventures, righting wrongs, doing good deeds, and trying to be better than the day before. The Shawna Foundation Library Poetry Tour is made possible by our local cultural council partners, financially supporting this program since 2023. The Milford Cultural Council, the Uxbridge Cultural Council; and the Massachusetts Cultural Council support a critical part of the mission of the Shawna Foundation by joining us in believing that giving voice to poets can change the world. Audience donations also support our poets and the program.

More About the Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation

Book Launch for Grabtown: A Suspense Novel by Sarah P. Blanchard
2025-10-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Booklovers’ Gourmet, 72 East Main Street, Webster, Massachusetts, 01570
Booklovers’ Gourmet is hosting a book launch with author Sarah P. Blanchard for her newest suspense novel Grabtown on Wednesday, October 15th, from 6-7:30 p.m.

Set in an authentic New England mill town, this multigenerational thriller weaves between 1985 and today as it explores themes of family secrets, unshakable loyalty, and a mother’s courage in the face of chilling abuse. The event is free and open to the public. Signed copies will be available for purchase. Booklovers’ Gourmet is located at 72 East Main Street in Webster, MA. For more information, call 508-949-6232 or visit bookloversgourmet.com/events.

Sarah P. Blanchard is a novelist, short story writer, and poet living in northeastern Connecticut. She taught English and communications at theUniversity of Hawaii-Hilo and creative writing at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Her debut novel, Drawn from Life, won several awards, including a 2025 Independent Press Award for New

Adult Fiction and was shortlisted for a 2024 unpublished novel award by The Letter Review. Recognized also for her short fiction, Sarah won the 1992 National League of

American Pen Women’s Dorothy Daniels Fiction Award and was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Porch Prize for Fiction, and the 2021 Doris Betts Short Fiction Award.

She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from Nichols College. Sarah’s writing of this novel has been informed by her past experience as a volunteer firefighter and a radio news reporter. She lives now in an old New England mill town that closely resembles the fictional town of Winslow, the setting for Grabtown.

For more information about the author, visit sarahpblanchard.com.

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The Poetry Extravaganza with Christine Quirk
2025-10-15 18:30 - 20:30 | The Mill, 185 W. Boylston Street, West Boylston, Massachusetts, 01583, United States
Join us at The Mill in West Boylston on October 15th!

The Mill is right off Rt. 190, has a spacious parking lot, serves delectable apps, entrees, and desserts with a full bar. We have a separate room for our monthly shenanigans. Admission is still free. All of the Tip Jar proceeds go to the Feature.

The Poetry Extravaganza (PE) takes place on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, except in July, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Sign up for the open mic at jfjr6969@gmail.com. Five minutes maximum, please! There are no language restrictions. We are not kid-friendly!

Our Feature Poet on October 15th is Christine Quirk from the Worcester Writers’ Collective and, sadly, a Red Sox devotee. Mark Lewandowski of Lewandowski Painters sponsors our event. That’s how we pay the poets!

Join the Fun on Thursday, October 15th!

Bio: Christine Quirk has worn many hats in her world of words and has been a reporter, columnist, poet, and editor. She’s found her writing community at the Worcester Writers’ Collective, for which she is a facilitator. She worked as a kindergarten assistant for many years and is now at the Beaman Library in West Boylston in the children’s room, introducing the next generation to magic tree houses, wizarding schools, and remarkable girls.

Christine’s debut novel, Blind Spot, will be released next summer. When she isn’t writing or reading, she is most likely riding the highs and lows of her lifelong devotion to the Red Sox.

Clark's Poets & Writers Reading Series featuring Noel Quiñones
2025-10-16 16:30 - 17:30 | Fireside Lounge, Dana Commons, 950 Main St, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01610, United States
We invite you to join us for Clark’s Poets & Writers Reading Series featuring Noel Quiñones, author of Orange (2026). This event will be held on Thursday, October 16th from 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM in the Higgins Lounge in Dana Commons at Clark University. We hope to see you there!

The Shawna Foundation’s Library Poetry Tour Wraps Up 2025 With Final Stops of the Year
2025-10-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Uxbridge Free Public Library, 15 North Main Street, Uxbridge, MA, 01569, United States
The Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the final stop of the year for its Library Poetry Tour, featuring Worcester poet John Edward Keough. This free event, part of the Shawna Foundation’s mission to uplift diverse voices and foster creative expression in community spaces, will take place Oct. 15 and 16 at two different libraries in our area. We welcome everyone to experience the power of the spoken word.

The Library Poetry Tour program will hit the Uxbridge Free Public Library, 19 North Main St., Uxbridge onThursday, Oct. 16. The readings begin at 6 p.m. and are free.

Our October featured poet John Edward Keough is an award-winning poet, journalist, and filmmaker who makes his home in his beloved city of Worcester. His favorite book of all time is “Don Quioxte,” and he can be found walking in Elm Park telling the geese about his adventures, righting wrongs, doing good deeds, and trying to be better than the day before. The Shawna Foundation Library Poetry Tour is made possible by our local cultural council partners, financially supporting this program since 2023. The Milford Cultural Council, the Uxbridge Cultural Council; and the Massachusetts Cultural Council support a critical part of the mission of the Shawna Foundation by joining us in believing that giving voice to poets can change the world. Audience donations also support our poets and the program.

More About the Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation

ThreeDecker Workshop & Reading
2025-10-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Jacob Edwards Library, 236 Main St., Southbridge, MA, 01550, United States
Melissa Surrette grew up in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts. She now spends her time between her family in Worcester and at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) where she is a PhD candidate. She has contributed chapters to edited volumes such as Qualitative Inquiry in the Present Tense: Writing a New History and in the Demystifying Social Justice Education book series. Melissa has also co-authored an article in the “International Review of Qualitative Research”. Her published poems can be found in ThreeDecker and ONE ART: a journal of poetry. Melissa is a member of the PoemWorks poetry group as well as the Round Table Poetry Workshop based out of the Boston area.

Booklover' Gourment Open Mic 10/18
2025-10-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Booklovers’ Gourment, 72 E Main St, Webster, 01570, United States
Join Booklover’s Gourment for a monthly round robin style, open poetry reading hosted by Robert Eugene Perry. Bring original pieces to share.

Space for the open mic is limited to 14 participants and usually fills up quickly.

Sign up to reserve your spot by calling 508-949-6232 or emailing deb@bookloversgourmet.com

O’Hara Prize Winners’ Reading
2025-10-19 16:00 - 18:00 | Preservation Worcester Board Room, 61 Harvard St., Worcester, MA, 01609, United States
Join the winners of the WCPA’s 2025 Annual Poetry Contest: The Frank O’Hara Prize for a reading of their work and the work of contest judge DeMisty Bellinger. There will also be an opportunity to mingle over refreshments. The reading will start at 4:00 pm US/Eastern.

First Prize – Anthony DiPietro is a gay sex poet originally from Providence, RI, who has lived throughout New England and elsehwere. Now deputy director of Rose Art Museum, he resides in Worcester, MA. He composed his 2021 chapbook And Walk Through (Seven Kitchens Press) on a typewriter during the pandemic lockdowns, and his debut collection is kiss & release (Unsolicited Press, 2024).

Second Prize – Maia Campbell is a Jamaican-American writer and doctoral candidate studying political philosophy at the University of Dallas. Maia has published poetry in Amistad: Howard University’s Literary Arts Journal and Wilder Roam. She has also participated in several poetry readings and has had her work publicly displayed as part of the Worcester County Poetry Association’s Rain Poetry Competition in 2022 and 2024. Maia grew up in Worcester and moved back to the city in 2023.

Third Prize – Claire Schaeffer-Duffy, along with their husband Scott, is a founding member of the SS. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker, a lay community in Worcester, MA, that offers hospitality to men and women in need and engages in a variety of works for peace and justice. The community publishes The Catholic Radical, to which Claire contributes. Claire began writing as a freelance journalist for the National Catholic Reporter in 2000, a pursuit that has allowed her to satisfy her wanderlust. Her profiles, features, and investigative stories have garnered several awards from the Catholic Press Association. You can find her book reviews in America magazine. She and Scott are the happy parents of four children and grandparents of six. The couple still logs their miles as long-distance runners, although lately, Claire is thinking about taking up the ukulele.

Honorable Mention – Em Judkins (they/them) is an over-caffeinated queer poet and filmmaker based in Massachusetts. They graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in English and Film and Media Studies. Their work has received Ethel Olin Corbin Prize, the Ruth Forbes Eliot Prize, and Elizabeth Drew Essay Prize, and appears in The Core Review, new words poetry journal, Emulate, and elsewhere. They believe in love and bad art.

Honorable Mention – Elina Kumra is a poet, writer and author of Ash and Olive and Extant.

Irena Kaci will moderate the ceremony.

Contest Judge DeMisty D. Bellinger’s latest book, All Daughters Are Awesome Everywhere, is an award-winning collection of short fiction from the University of Nebraska Press’ Zero Street Fiction series. Her other books are the novel New to Liberty (Unnamed Press), and the poetry collection Peculiar Heritage (Mason Jar Press). DeMisty teaches creative writing at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. You can learn more about DeMisty at demistybellinger.com.

Please join us for what is always a fun and inspiring event.

The Vanilla Bean Cafe
2025-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Vanilla Bean Cafe, 450 Deerfield Road, Pomfret, CT, 06259, United States

The Thirsty Lab poetry reading
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Online Meeting, United States
The Thirsty Lab poetry reading, normally based out of Princeton, MA, continues to meet virtually. Join us virtually on Zoom with none other than Francine DALessandra, our featured reader!

Resistance & Hope A song for Palestine, Congo & Sudan
2025-11-01 19:00 - 20:00 | The Village Worcester, 4 King Street, Worcester, MA, 01610

Fox Poetry series: Featuring Lea Deschenes & Victor Infante
2025-11-04 18:00 - 19:00 | WCPA Office @ Salisbury House, 61 Harvard St., Worcester MA, MA, 01605, United States
The Richard Fox Poetry Series is an open- mic with a featured reader(s) at Root and Press Books and Cafe.It honors the memory of the iconic Worcester poet and human-being extraordinaire Richard Fox.Our next Feature poets will Lea Deschenes and Victor Infante.Free admission. On-the-street parking. Root and Press Books and Cafe has an awesome array of food and beverages and an expanded book selection at their location. Please support a locally-owned business with your patronage!Sign up for the open mic at joesyellowpad@gmail.com. Limited spots available.Sponsored by the ‘Fox Fund’ (Worcester County PoetryAssociation).Lea C. Deschenes is the author of “The Constant Velocity of Trains” and the editor of “Knocking at the Door: Approaching the Other” from Write Bloody Press. She was a co-founder of Damfino Press and is the fastest poetry book layout in the East. A long-time Worcesterite and veteran of the poetry scene, her work has appeared online, on stage, and in print. She holds an MFA in Poetry from New England College. She once found a five-leaf clover during a solar eclipse.Victor D. Infante is the features editor for The Worcester Telegram & Gazette and the editor for Worcester Magazine. He has appeared in dozens of journals, including The Chiron Review, The Collagist, Barrelhouse, Pearl, Spillway, The Nervous Breakdown and Word Riot, as well as in anthologies such as “Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry,” “Spoken Word Revolution Redux,” “The Last American Valentine: Poems to Seduce and Destroy,” “Aim For the Head: An Anthology of Zombie Poetry,” “The Incredible Sestina Anthology” and all three “Murder Ink: Tales of New England Newsroom Crime anthologies.” His most recent book is the poetic novella, “Suffer For This: Love, Sex, Marriage and Rock ‘n’ Roll,” from Moon Tide Press.He is the 2025 Stanley Kunitz Medal winner.

Worcester Writers’ Collective Weekly Meeting
2025-11-04 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-11-11 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-11-18 18:00 - 21:00 | Jean McDonough Creative Arts Center, 20 Franklin St., Worcester, MA, 01608, United States

Legend of the Oxford Pirate book signing event with Robert Racicot
2025-11-08 11:00 - 13:00 | Booklovers’ Gourmet, 72 E. Main St., Webster, MA, 01570
On Saturday, November 8th from 11 am- 1 pm, Booklovers’ Gourmet, 72 East Main Street in Webster, MA will host a book signing event with local author Robert Racicot and his latest release The Legend of the Oxford Pirate. The event is free and open to the public. Signed copies will be available for purchase. For more information or to RSVP, please call 508-949-6232.

About the book: A storm sinks pirate Sam Bellamy’s ship off Cape Cod. A stranger carries a secret inland along the Bay Path. Centuries later a discovery is made at ancient ruins. Blending legend, local lore, and childhood adventure, this coming of age tale uncovers how mysteries of the past still haunt the forests of New England.

About the author: Robert Racicot is a retired Air Force Lt Col and Professor of Chemistry. He is enjoying his retirement years hiking, mountain biking, and writing stories, and poetry. He is the author of the young reader books The Legend of Carbuncle Pond and The Haunting of the Oxford Library.

Poetry Olympics Medal Ceremony
2025-11-08 16:00 - 20:00 | Canvas by Coff33 Corp., 326 Main Street, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, 01420, United States

Slightly Off-beat Poets Presents: Deborah Jane Mitsakos & Anne Maire Lucci
2025-11-09 13:00 - 16:00 | Donna Lange’s House, 59 Chase Road, Thompson, CT, 06277, United States
Hello poets!

Our Slightly Off-beat Poets event is November 9th featuring Deb Mitsakos & Anne Marie Lucci!

This will also include the release for Deb’s new book of poetry Mystical Heart of Nature from Metaphysical Fox Press

I am told by the host there will be a cozy fire in the living room. Please respond ASAP as the last event at Donna’s house filled up pretty quickly!

Room for 20 poets.

Bob Perry

WHAT: Slightly Off-beat Poets Presents: Deborah Jane Mitsakos & Anne Maire Lucci

WHERE: Donna Lange’s Home: 59 Chase Road Thompson, CT (Exit 50 off RTE 395)

WHEN: Sunday November 9 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

WHAT HAPPENS: Our feature poets of the month will each read for 20 minutes. Then we will take a quick break for book sales, snacks, and the raffle before starting the open mic. Open mic will be round robin, one poem at a time until 4 PM.

COST: There will be a 50/50 raffle, split between the feature and the winner. 5$ to enter.

SIGN-UPS: There is room for 20 POETS. To reserve a spot please email: roberteugeneperry@gmail.com

New England Poetry Club & Worcester County Poetry Reading
2025-11-09 15:00 - 17:00 | Salisbury House Ball Room, 61 Harvard St., Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Come for the Poetry Reading; Stay for the Open Mic!

Please join the New England Poetry Club on November 9, 2025, as we rejoin the Worcester County Poetry Association for a reading at the Salisbury House. The reading is free and open to the public. An open mic will follow the featured poets. The building has limited access, with steps leading to the entrance.

Linda Carney-Goodrich is a writer and teacher from Boston. Her first book of poetry, Dot Girl (Nixes Mate, 2024) was a finalist for the New England Poetry Club’s Sheila Margaret Motton Prize. Her poems have been displayed at Boston City Hall and have been published in Solstice Literary Magazine, Lily Poetry Review, The MacGuffin, Literary Mama, Muddy River Poetry Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, Amethyst Review, Gyroscope Review and more. Linda is a recipient of a writing residency at T.S. Eliot House and an Artist Opportunity Grant through the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. As Poetry Coordinator for the Menino Arts Center, she organizes a monthly reading series, poetry & wine pairings, and a mobile arts project that brings poets to elders in senior housing. She offers classes, tutoring, and educational consulting through her business, Home Scholars of Boston.

Steven Ratiner is the author of Grief’s Apostrophe, published by Beltway Editions in 2025. He’s also published three poetry chapbooks and a collection of poetry interviews. His work has appeared in scores of journals in America and abroad, including Parnassus, Agni, Hanging Loose, Poet Lore, Salamander, Vox Populi, QRLS (Singapore), and Poetry Australia. He’s also written poetry criticism for The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Washington Post. Giving Their Word: Conversations with Contemporary Poets was reissued in a paperback edition (University of Massachusetts Press). He is Poet Laureate Emeritus for Arlington, Massachusetts, and was elected in 2024 as President of the New England Poetry Club, one of the oldest literary associations in America. His weekly Red Letter Poems features a diverse range of poets, from up-and-coming talents to some of the most important voices in contemporary poetry (stevenratiner.com).

Elaine Reardon writes in a forest in the north Quabbin area. She’s an herbalist and former educator. Her work has been published In the United States and Europe in a variety of journals. Elaine’s first two chapbooks, The Heart is a Nursery For Hope and Look Behind You won first honors from Flutter Press. A new chapbook, Stories Told In A Forgotten Tongue, recently published by Finishing Line Press tells her family story from landing in the United States as refugees to assimilation. www.elainereardon.wordpress.com

Zine-Making Workshop
2025-11-12 17:30 - 19:00 | Salisbury House Ball Room, 61 Harvard St., Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
For WCPA Members and guests only.

Sandy Edwards is a writer, activist, and artist, who is an active member of Worcester Writers Collective. Her work has been shared at the WWC Showcase event, the Poetry Extravaganza, the Dirty Gerund, and ArtsWorcester. A former professor at WSU, Sandy is passionate about education, community building and communications.

Monthly Board Meeting: November Edition
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Preservation Worcester Board Room, 61 Harvard St., Worcester, MA, 01609, United States
Join us for our monthly discussion and planning. Come see what what we have been up to and will be up to. 😉

Not a Board Member? Not a problem! Our meetings are always open to the public and everyone is welcome!

Worcester Poetry Archive Discovery Day
2025-11-15 11:00 - 14:00 | Museum of Worcester, 30 Elm Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01609, United States
Mapping Worcester in Poetry is teaming up with Museum of Worcester to create an archive of materials related to poetry reading series, open mics, organizations, journals, zines, workshops, and events in Worcester County. Bring items to donate or to have scanned with the originals immediately returned. You don’t need to organize them first — we’ll do that. You only have one flyer for a reading 20 years ago? Bring it down. We welcome anything and everything related to poetry in our city!

Booklover's Gourmet
2025-11-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Booklovers’ Gourmet, 72 E. Main St., Webster, MA, 01570
BLG Open Mic Poetry

Featuring Book Launch with Tom Skarzynski

Saturday, November 15th

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

In addition to our regular open mic (1.5 hours), this month Tom Skarzynski will be the featured reader (20 minutes) to celebrate his new book Echoes of Reflections published by Metaphysical Fox Press.

Join us for our monthly round robin open poetry share, moderated by Robert Eugene Perry. Bring original pieces to share in a friendly, supportive environment.

Space is limited to 14 participants and usually fills up quickly. Please email deb@bookloversgourmet.com or call 508-949-6232 to sign up.

Poetry Bridging Continents events. Sunset /Sunrise Fall 2025 Reading
2025-11-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Zoom Online Meeting, United States
Zoom event

Sunrise-Sunset Poetry Reading
2025-11-16 08:00 - 09:00 | Zoom Online Meeting, United States
Dear Friends,

Poetry Bridging Continents next Sunrise, Sunset Poetry Reading is set for Sunday, November 16th at 1:00pm Irish Time, 9:00pm China Time, 8:00am US Eastern Time. Five poets from each continent will read their poems in Mandarin, English, and Irish.

Please share the Zoom link with those who might be interested in attending. The reading is open to the public.

Co-sponsored by Thoor Ballylee, The Ploughed Field Collective, Worcester County Poetry Assoc., and Monadnock Writers Group.

Dawn Writers' Group Poetry Workshop
2025-11-18 19:00 - 20:00 | 84 Main Street, 84 Main Street, Ashburnham, Massachusetts, 01430, United States
Come out to the New Dawn Writers’ Group’s Poetry Workshop. Every third Tuesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. We will discuss poems and writing, write to prompts, give feedback, encourage one another, and discuss upcoming projects. It’s a friendly, pressure-free atmosphere at the New Dawn Arts Center in Ashburnham. Many of our poets have had books come out in the past year. Join in the fun! The address is 84 Main Street, Ashburnham, MA. The workshop is being led by Fred Gerhard.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1A1kjDg2pG

Organizer Bio:

Fred Gerhard leads the Poetry Workshop, and is one of the open mic hosts, for the New Dawn Writers’ Group. His books include Drifting to “Hello” (Khotso Publishing, 2023) and Lilacs Still Bloom in Ashburnham: Songs of Spring (Local Gems Poetry Press, 2023). A 2023 winner of Poetry in the Pines, and 2024 winner of Art on the Trails, he is also an editor at Quabbin Quills and Smoky Quartz.

Poetry Extravaganza with Nic Turner
2025-11-19 18:30 - 20:30 | The Mill, 185 W. Boylston Street, West Boylston, Massachusetts, 01583, United States
Join us at The Mill in West Boylston on November 19th.The Mill is right off Rt 190, has a spacious parking lot, serves delectable apps, entrees, and desserts with a full bar. We have a seperate room for our monthly shenanigans. Admission is still free. All of the Tip Jar proceeds go to the Feature.The Poetry Extravaganza (PE) is the 3rd Wednesday of the month, except for July ,from 6:30-8;30 pm. Sign up for the open mic at jfjr6969@gmail.com. Five minute maximum, Please! There are no language restrictions. We are not kid-friendly!Our Feature Poet on November 19th is the exciting Nicole Jean Turner, one of the featured poets in the 1st edition of the Worcester County Poetry Association’s Three Decker.Mark Lewandowski of Lewandowski Painters sponsors our event. That’s how we pay the poets!Join the Fun on November 19th!

Nicole Jean Turner is a hand-patched, sticker-smattered, torn-lace-layered writer from New England. Turner writes in cursive to hide the butchered spelling that might otherwise raise suspicion regarding her master’s degree in writing. Find yourself between their lines on Poetry-Journal.com.Nicole is also one of the writers published in the 1st issue of Three Decker.

Poetry Reading: Christine Omodi-Engola
2025-11-20 18:30 - 19:30 | Jacob Edwards Library, 236 Main Street, Southbridge, Ma, 01550
On November 20, 2025, Christine Omodi-Engola will be reading from her new book, Crimson Courageous. Like the Mayor-elect of New York City, Ms. Omodi-Engola was born in Uganda and grew up in NYC. She has worldly wealth to share with listeners, including tales from her life here in Worcester County. Christine’s experiences with all kinds of work environments and family situations are also chronicled in this work. It promises to be an interesting and informative evening.

Saturday Night Poetry at The Vanilla Bean Cafe
2025-11-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Vanilla Bean Cafe, 450 Deerfield Road, Pomfret, CT, 06259, United States
November 22nd at 7 p.m. Featured that evening will be poets Gloria Monaghan and Heather Treseler. Admission is $15.00 and includes a raffle and an open mic. Contact karen.warinsky@gmail.com to be on the open mic list. Five- minute limit, recommended for ages 16 plus.

Heather Treseler was recently awarded the 2025 Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry. She is the author of the poetry collection Auguries & Divinations, which received the May Sarton New Hampshire Prize and the Sheila Margaret Motton Book Award, and she has authored two chapbooks, Partuition and Hard Bargain. Treseler has received a Pushcart Prize, the W.B.Yeats Prize, and the Editors’ Prize at Missouri Review, and her poems appear in The American Scholar, Harvard Review, The Iowa Review, The Irish Times, and Kenyon Review. Recipient of the George I. Alden Award for Excellence in Teaching, she is professor of English at Worcester State University and a scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center.

Gloria Monaghan is a Professor at Wentworth University with seven poetry collections to her credit. Her latest book, Diary of Saint Marion, (Lily Poetry Review, 2025) was featured this year at the Association of Writers and Writing Program, and her poems have appeared in Nixes Mate, NPR, Poem-a-Day, Lily Poetry Review, and Mom Egg Review, among others. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, as well as the Massachusetts Book Award, and the Griffin Prize. She has also been nominated for the Sheila Margaret Motton Book Award from the New England Poetry Club. Thanks to a Bistline Grant from Wentworth Institute, she recently completed a film on the painter, Nancy Ellen Craig, Daughter of Rubens, which was accepted into the 2023 Provincetown Film Festival. Monaghan is currently working on another film about the Dominican painter, Jose Ricon Mora.

Poets at Large is now in its sixth year. PAL and is a part of Windham Arts. All events are ADA compliant. Admission to all Vanilla Bean events is $15.00 which includes a raffle. All Poets at Large events are sponsored in part by Linemaster Switch, bankHometown, WHZ Financial Advisors, the Putnam Area Foundation and Charter Oak FCU. Contact karen.warinsky@gmail.com to sign up for the open mic which is recommended for ages 16 and up and has a 5-minute max as time allows.
