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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T170000
DTSTAMP:20260620T174104Z
CREATED:20260620T174102Z
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UID:13305-1781942400-1781974800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Palms on the Cape Book Launch
DESCRIPTION:Jenn Bouchard One Sheet 7/25 – Considering Us – Palms on the Cape One Sheet\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nBooklovers’ Gourmet\, located at 72 East Main Street in Webster\, MA is hosting a summer meet & greet with author Jenn Bouchard for her newest release Palms on the Cape\, on Tuesday\, July 14th\, from 12-2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Signed copies of several of her books will be available for purchase. For more information or to RSVP\, please call 508-949-6232 or email deb@bookloversgourmet.com. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter a tumultuous childhood\, Rachel Sinclair has made a life for herself. On the verge of turning forty\, her upscale beach bar–Palms on the Cape–is packed throughout the Cape Cod summer season. She has surrounded herself with a devoted staff and great friends\, including her best friend\, Carlos…who she might be in love with. When Rachel learns of a plan to take over her business\, she must decide if it’s worth the gamble to join forces with an unlikely ally\, or risk losing everything she has worked for. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nJenn Bouchard is the award-winning author of PALMS ON THE CAPE\, CONSIDERING US\, and FIRST COURSE\, as well as several published short stories. She has been teaching high school social studies for twenty-six years and also teaches short story classes to adults in her community. She is an avid cook\, volunteer for good causes\, and devoted Red Sox fan. A graduate of Bates College and Tufts University\, she lives in the Boston suburbs with her husband and two teenage children.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/palms-on-the-cape-book-launch/
LOCATION:Booklovers’ Gourmet\, 72 E. Main St.\, Webster\, MA\, 01570
ORGANIZER;CN="Deb Horan":MAILTO:deb@bookloversgourmet.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T160000
DTSTAMP:20260610T183022Z
CREATED:20260610T183021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T183022Z
UID:13274-1781964000-1781971200@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Booklover's Gourmet
DESCRIPTION:Open Mic Poetry- with Guest Emcee Deb Mitsakos! \n\n\n\nSaturday\, June 20th \n\n\n\n2:00 pm – 4:00 pm \n\n\n\nJoin us for our monthly round robin style\, open poetry reading! \n\n\n\nSpace for the open mic is limited to 14 and usually fills up quickly. Please email: deb@bookloversgourmet.com to register or call (508) 949-6232 \n\n\n\nAll are welcome to come listen!
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/booklovers-gourmet-14/
LOCATION:Booklovers’ Gourmet\, 72 E. Main St.\, Webster\, MA\, 01570
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T213000
DTSTAMP:20260529T013532Z
CREATED:20260528T141909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T013532Z
UID:13219-1781982000-1781991000@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Poets at Large in June
DESCRIPTION:Poets at Large Presents DiCaronimo & Wheeler \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nPoets at Large will host poets from Fitchburg\, MA on Saturday night\, May 20th\, at 7 p.m. at The Vanilla Bean Café\, 450 Deerfield Road\, in Pomfret\, CT. The featured readers that night will be Laura DiCaronimo and Sarah Beth Wheeler. Admission is free and donations are welcome. DiCaronimo is an optician\, poet and wife who holds certification in nonprofit management. She hosts and organizes The Openest Mic series and is a board member of Worcester County Poetry Association. She was the inaugural Dan Lewis recipient and was one of the nominees for the 2025 Spoken Word Artist of the Year through the Boston Music Awards. DiCaronimo has performed internationally\, and her first chapbook\, Winner for Trying (Metaphysical Fox Press)\, was published in 2025. Her email is listenstotheradio@gmail.com. \n\n\n\nWheeler is a lifelong poet\, and has performed from Boston to San Fransico placing second in the Dancing Poetry Festival. She recently served as a judge for the Second Annual Massachusetts Poetry Olympics. Wheeler has been published in multiple chapbooks and she is co-creator of  the album\, The Unforgivable Ghetto where her poetry is powerfully accompanied with a musical underscore. This event begins at 7 p.m. Contact karen.warinsky@gmail.com to be in the open mic. Age 16 and up. \n\n\n\nPoets at Large has brought over 120 published and awarded poets to the area since 2020 and dozens of people have participated in the open mic portions during that time. Poets at Large is a project of Windham Arts. All events are ADA compliant and are recommended for ages 16 andup. Readings for the rest of the season are sponsored in part by donations from bankHometown\, Charter Oak FCU\, WHZ Financial and The Putnam Area Foundation. Contact karen.warinsky@gmail.com to sign up for the open mic; 5-minute max as time allows.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/poets-at-large-in-june/
LOCATION:The Vanilla Bean\, 450 Deerfield Road\, Pomfret\, CT\, 06259\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="Karen Warinsky%2C Poets At Large":MAILTO:karen.warinsky@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260620T213000
DTSTAMP:20260605T181549Z
CREATED:20260605T181548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T181549Z
UID:13237-1781982000-1781991000@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Poets at Large with DiCaronimo & Wheeler
DESCRIPTION:Poets at Large Presents DiCaronimo & WheelerPoets at Large will host poets from Fitchburg\, MA on Saturday night\, May 20th\, at 7 p.m. at The Vanilla Bean Café\, 450 Deerfield Road\, in Pomfret\, CT. The featured readers that night will be Laura DiCaronimo and Sarah Beth Wheeler. Admission is free and donations are welcome.  \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nDiCaronimo is an optician\, poet and wife who holds certification in nonprofit management. She hosts and organizes The Openest Mic series and is a board member of Worcester County Poetry Association. She was the inaugural Dan Lewis recipient and was one of the nominees for the 2025 Spoken Word Artist of the Year through the Boston Music Awards. DiCaronimo has performed internationally\, and her first chapbook\, Winner for Trying (Metaphysical Fox Press)\, was published in 2025. Her email is listenstotheradio@gmail.com. \n\n\n\nWheeler is a lifelong poet\, and has performed from Boston to San Fransico placing second in the Dancing Poetry Festival. She recently served as a judge for the Second Annual Massachusetts Poetry Olympics. Wheeler has been published in multiple chapbooks and she is co-creator of  the album\, The Unforgivable Ghetto where her poetry is powerfully accompanied with a musical underscore.  \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nThis event begins at 7 p.m. Contact karen.warinsky@gmail.com to be in the open mic. Age 16 and up. \n\n\n\nPoets at Large has brought over 120 published and awarded poets to the area since 2020 and dozens of people have participated in the open mic portions during that time. Poets at Large is a project of Windham Arts. All events are ADA compliant and are recommended for ages 16 and up. Readings for the rest of the season are sponsored in part by donations from BankHometown\, Charter Oak FCU\, WHZ Financial and The Putnam Area Foundation. Contact karen.warinsky@gmail.com to sign up for the open mic; 5-minute max as time allows.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/poets-at-large-with-dicaronimo-wheeler/
LOCATION:The Vanilla Bean\, 450 Deerfield Road\, Pomfret\, CT\, 06259\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="Karen Warinsky%2C Poets At Large":MAILTO:karen.warinsky@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260623T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260623T200000
DTSTAMP:20260612T141754Z
CREATED:20260612T141753Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T141754Z
UID:13292-1782241200-1782244800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:A Virtual Thirsty Lab with Paul Szlosek
DESCRIPTION:The Thirsty Lab poetry reading\, normally based out of Princeton\, MA\, continues to meet virtually. Join us on Tuesday June 23rd virtually on Zoom with none other than Paul Szlosek\, our featured reader! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPaul Szlosek is a poet\, photographer\, blogger\, magician\, and “cranial fermenter” (a term he has personally coined) born in Southbridge\, Massachusetts\, but currently residing in the nearby metropolis of Worcester. A recipient of the 2001 Jacob Knight Award for Poetry\, the 2023 Stanley Kunitz Medal\, and the 2024 Frank O’Hara Poetry Prize\, he has served as co-founder and co-host of both the Poet’s Parlor and Poetorium at Starlite open mic & reading series. His poetry have appeared in numerous local & national print & online publications including The Worcester Review\, Worcester Magazine\, Radius\, Sahara\, Concrete Wolf\, Soul-Lit\, Diner\, Poetry as Promised\, & Silkworm. Paul is probably best known in the Central Massachusetts poetry community for his fanatical obsession with obscure poetry forms\, and has invented his own including the ziggurat\, the streetbeatina\, the hodgenelle\, the lux\, and the singsangsong which he often shares with readers on his poetry blog Paul’s Poetry Playground. He has also gained a legendary reputation\, for some inexplicable reason\, as a poet whom no one wants to follow in an open reading.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/a-virtual-thirsty-lab-with-paul-szlosek-2/
LOCATION:Massachusetts
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260630T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260630T200000
DTSTAMP:20260605T180125Z
CREATED:20260605T175856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T180125Z
UID:13232-1782846000-1782849600@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:A Virtual Thirsty Lab with Susan Roney-O'Brien
DESCRIPTION:The Thirsty Lab poetry reading\, normally based out of Princeton\, MA\, continues to meet virtually. Join us on Tuesday June 30th virtually on Zoom with none other than Susan Roney O’Brien\, our featured reader! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSusan Roney-O’Brien earned an MFA from Warren Wilson College\, has published two chapbooks: Earth and Farmwife\, and three collections: Legacy of the Last World\, Bone Circle and Thira. She received the 2020 Stanley Kunitz Poetry Medal\, and has been nominated for many Pushcart Prizes. Her work has been translated into Braille and Mandarin and has been published widely. She curates the monthly Thirsty Lab Series\, coordinates grant-funded literary readings\, works with student-poets and organizes\, runs\, and participates in poetry workshops. She and her husband live on a small farm with Oliver\, their chocolate Lab\, in Central Massachusetts.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/a-virtual-thirsty-lab-with-susan-roney-obrien-5/
LOCATION:Virtual Event
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T200000
DTSTAMP:20260706T180138Z
CREATED:20260706T180137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T180138Z
UID:13335-1783533600-1783540800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Three Decker Launch Event: Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:Pianist\, composer\, and poet David Leach enjoys a multifaceted career as a performing artist\, writer\, and educator. As a founder of both the genre-bending violin and piano duo Room to Spare and the jazz ensemble the David Leach Collective\, David’s music explores the spaces between jazz\, classical\, rock\, and folk. Their music embodies a poet’s dedication to emotional honesty and expression\, enlivened by their adventurous harmonic and rhythmic sensibilities. Their debut record as a leader\, The Ground that Holds You as You Fall Forever\, featuring Lihi Haruvi\, Dor Herskovits\, & John Lockwood\, was released by Adhyâropa Records in May 2025. Their music has been featured on Apple Music Outer Orbits playlist\, as well as ASCAP’s New Music Friday playlist. A recipient of an Avaloch Farm residency\, they have also been artist in residence at UC Riverside and Wellesley College. They hold an MFA in Poetry from Boston University\, where they studied with Robert Pinsky and Dan Chiasson\, and their poetry has been published in The Crab Orchard Review and VESSEL. 
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/three-decker-launch-event-summer-2026/
LOCATION:Preservation Worcester Board Room\, 61 Harvard St.\, Worcester\, MA\, 01609\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T190000
DTSTAMP:20260707T191413Z
CREATED:20260706T181336Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260707T191413Z
UID:13338-1783620000-1783623600@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Art and Poetry at the Gale Free Library
DESCRIPTION:The Holden Library is hosting an art exhibition featuring watercolors by Mary Zywar and my photographic art. The exhibit will run through the month of July at the Gale Free Library in Holden Massachusetts. An art reception will be held on Thursday\, July 9 from 6-7pm. Art can be viewed in the Lobby and in the Program Room on the second floor. The exhibit can be viewed anytime that the library is open provided there is no other activity going on in the Program Room. Check with the library if you want to be sure you can view the exhibit when you show up. See the flyers attached for the exhibit info for the watercolors and the photographic art. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJohn Zywar’s poems will feature selections from a combined poetry and photographic art project based on his work during two summers at Northampton State Hospital while he was in college. Photography is from a repurposed mid-19th century insane asylum in Athens Ohio. The former asylum is now a part of Ohio University. Photos from that facility have been published in the New Ohio Review\, the University of Akron’s Rubbertop Review and Welter Magazine at the University of Baltimore. A poem from this project was included in the 2024 edition of So It Goes by the Kurt Vonnegut Library and Museum. Another poem along with two photos were published in the on line magazine Dipity Literary. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlenty of additional free parking across the street from the library and behind the Holden Town Hall.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/art-and-poetry-at-the-gale-free-library/
LOCATION:Gale Free Library\, 23 Highland St\, Holden\, MA\, 01520\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260715T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260715T203000
DTSTAMP:20260706T171419Z
CREATED:20260706T171417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T171419Z
UID:13328-1784140200-1784147400@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:The Poetry Extravaganza with Cole Norman
DESCRIPTION:Join us at The Mill in West Boylston on July 15th. We need your support through the Summer months! 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 with AC 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 from 6:30-8;45 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! \n\n\n\nOur Feature Poet on July 15th is the multi-talented Cole Norman. The dynamic duo of Brett and Emma will be hosting! Join the Fun on July 15th! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCole Norman is a Worcester based comedian and writer. Cole graduated from Clark University in 2022 where he was a founding member of the Amateur Hour improv group. Over the last year 5 years\, Cole has developed a quirky and observational style of stand up with a healthy dose of satire. He has appeared on the Made Up Comedy Show\, Gameshow Mashup\, and the Federation of Belligerent Writers showcase. You can find him at open mics across Worcester and on Instagram @coled_n
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/the-poetry-extravaganza-with-cole-norman/
LOCATION:The Mill\, 185 W. Boylston Street\, West Boylston\, Massachusetts\, 01583\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260718T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260718T160000
DTSTAMP:20260706T160515Z
CREATED:20260706T160513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T160515Z
UID:13326-1784383200-1784390400@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Booklover's Gourmet
DESCRIPTION:Open Mic Roundtable Poetry with Special Feature Steve Veilleux. \n\n\n\nSaturday\, July 18th2:00 pm – 4:00 pm \n\n\n\nJoin us for a monthly round robin style\, open poetry reading hosted by Robert Eugene Perry.  \n\n\n\nThis month will also feature a reading and book signing by Steve Veilleux. \n\n\n\nSpace for the open mic is limited to 14 and usually fills up quickly. Please email deb@bookloversgourmet.com to register.All are welcome to come listen! \n\n\n\nThompson’s first poet laureate\, Steve Veilleux\, finds inspiration in the magical beauty of his pastoral environment. He paints with a surreal paintbrush\, relentlessly combining images into his montages.  His poetry has appeared in various anthologies\, including Silkworm\, Connecticut Bards Poetry Review\, Many Voices – One Stage\, and The Nutmeg Anthology. His first poetry book\, Event Horizon\, is available from Amazon Books\, as well as his latest collection entitled What the Moleman Said\, released by Metaphysical Fox Press in 2026.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/booklovers-gourmet-15/
LOCATION:Booklovers’ Gourmet\, 72 E. Main St.\, Webster\, MA\, 01570
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260723T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260723T200000
DTSTAMP:20260624T182418Z
CREATED:20260624T182416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260624T182418Z
UID:13315-1784831400-1784836800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Kunitz Medal Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/kunitz-medal-ceremony/
LOCATION:Museum of Worcester\, 30 Elm Street\, Worcester\, Massachusetts\, 01609\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260728T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260728T200000
DTSTAMP:20260726T142342Z
CREATED:20260720T172156Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260726T142342Z
UID:13363-1785265200-1785268800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:A Virtual Thirsty Lab with Judith Ferrara
DESCRIPTION:The Thirsty Lab poetry reading\, normally based out of Princeton\, MA\, continues to meet virtually. Join us on Tuesday July 28th virtually on Zoom with none other than Judith Ferrara\, our featured reader!\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nPhoto by  Berge Zobian\n\n\n\nWriter and artist Judith Ferrara holds degrees from the University of New Hampshire\, Fitchburg State University and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her poems\, essays and artwork have appeared in three collections and in journals\, and her artwork has been exhibited widely. She was awarded a Worcester Cultural Commission/Massachusetts Cultural Council Creative Arts Fellowship and the Stanley Kunitz Medal from the Worcester County Poetry Association. Her non-fiction work includes Peer Mediation: Finding a Way to Care and biography/memoir A Feast of Losses: Yetta Dine and Her Son\, the Poet Stanley Kunitz in which she explores the recently recovered memoir\, diary and letters of the mother of Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz and his relationship with her. www.PaletteAndPen.com. She is currently working on a new poetry collection\, Field Notes from an Indoor Girl\, and volunteers at the Museum of Worcester under the direction of Susan Elizabeth (Beth) Sweeney processing the Worcester Poetry Archive. An exhibition\, “Echoes: Photographs by John Gaumond with Paintings by Judith Ferrara” which features her interpretations of his work will be on view September and October at the Worcester Jewish Community Center.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/a-virtual-thirsty-lab-with-judith-ferrara-2/
LOCATION:Zoom Online Meeting\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260729T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260729T190000
DTSTAMP:20260706T155953Z
CREATED:20260706T155952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T155953Z
UID:13322-1785344400-1785351600@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Poetorium Too Poetry Reading & Open Mic Featuring Candace R. Curran\, Janet MacFadyen\, & Steven Bizel
DESCRIPTION:Please join us for a special Wednesday triple feature edition of our monthly open mic and featured poetry reading series  Poetorium Too at TidePool Bookshop (located at 372 Chandler Street in Worcester\, MA) on July 29th from 5 pm to 7 pm hosted by Paul Szlosek and (hopefully) Ron Whittle.  It will be a full two hours of poetry and spoken word featuring 20 minute readings each by poets Candace R. Curran\,  Janet MacFadyen\, & Steven Bizel\, followed by the passing of a hat to pay our features\, a short intermission\, and then an open mic with 5-minute slots for each reader if time allows (in order to fit everything planned into our allotted time\, if the event runs too long\, readers may be restricted to one poem). \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCandace R. Curran was raised alongside Wachusett Mountain in rural Princeton\, MA by a coyote and Ford mechanic doing the best they could. Publications include\, Bone Cages and Playing in Wrecks\, by Haleys Press;  and the Elyse Wolf prize winner The Sound of Her Good Name\, Slate Roof Press\, 2025. \n\n\n\nJanet MacFadyen is the author of four full-length collections—most recently Love Letters to the Wild (Dos Madres) and State of Grass (Salmon Poetry)—and four chapbooks\, including two photo-poetry collaborations with the photographer Stephen Schmidt. Honors include a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant\, a Cill Rialaig residency\, and a 7-month Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center fellowship. Her poems appear widely\, most recently in SWIMM\, Slant\, Osiris\, Dark Matter\, and Scientific American. She is the managing editor of Slate Roof Press\, a collaboratively-run chapbook publisher: www.slateroofpress.com. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nSteven Bizel is an extremely talented poet living in Pittsfield\, Massachusetts who has been a regular attendee of The Poetorium Too at TidePool Bookshop since August.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/poetorium-too-poetry-reading-open-mic-featuring-candace-r-curran-janet-macfadyen-steven-bizel/
LOCATION:TidePool Bookshop\, 372 Chandler St. Unit 101\, Worcester\, MA\, 01602
ORGANIZER;CN="Paul Szlosek":MAILTO:poetsparlor@hotmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260804T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260804T193000
DTSTAMP:20260706T172204Z
CREATED:20260706T172202Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T172204Z
UID:13332-1785862800-1785871800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:The Richard Fox Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:We’re off for July but back with a roar on August 4th with the extraordinary Evan Plante! \n\n\n\nWe’re keeping the 5pm start to help with metered parking. The Broadway will take one-hour of parking ($2\,00) off your ticket with a food purchase.Owners Tony and Nequel Germano have a plethora of delightful entrees\, apps\, desserts\, and their famous\, homemade ice cream. The Broadway also serves beer and wine and breakfast until closing (with mimosas!). We have a separate room for our shenanigans. Admission is still Free!. All of the tip jar $ goes to our feature. Sign up for the open mic at joesyellowpad@gmail.com. Five minute maximum and limited spots. \n\n\n\nThe Fox Poetry Series\, in honor of the iconic poet Richard Fox\, is sponsored by the Worcester County Poetry Association through a generous donation from the Fox family. I’m pleased as punch to continue this exciting open mic/feature every 1st Tuesday of the month except for July from 5-7:30pm at such a welcoming venue. Join us on August 4th! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvan Plante has recently rejoined the spoken word community after a twenty year hiatus. Where has he been? Well… taking down existential walls mostly… which he’ll explain bit by bit at future open mics and the occasional feature. Evan and his wife Carole have been together for over sixty years – and no… he can’t figure it out either! Nevertheless\, they have two children\, six grandchildren – and six great-grandchildren – and although they are retired from industry\, they are not retired from life. Evan bowls in a candlepin league. They are both active in the Blackstone Valley Arts Association and at Open Sky Community Services’ Take Down the Wall open mic initiative. But most importantly\, Evan goes to breakfast with friends so often that he’s thinking about going pro! That being said\, Evan does not remember a time when he was not reading or not under the compulsion to write. He writes essays and short stories in addition to his poetry… although it’s hard to sort them out sometimes. (Labels aren’t always helpful in this regard.)
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/the-richard-fox-reading-series/
LOCATION:The Broadway Diner\, 100 Water Street\, Worcester\, Massachusetts\, 01604\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260808T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260808T200000
DTSTAMP:20260708T165533Z
CREATED:20260706T194407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T165533Z
UID:13346-1786204800-1786219200@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Monsieur Merle Happy Birthday
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/monsieur-merle-happy-birthday/
LOCATION:Massachusetts
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260815T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260815T160000
DTSTAMP:20260803T224501Z
CREATED:20260803T154234Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T224501Z
UID:13385-1786802400-1786809600@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Booklovers' Gourmet Open Mic
DESCRIPTION:Open Mic Roundtable Poetry with Special Feature Fred GerhardPlease join us for our Monthly Open Mic Poetry Roundtable moderated by Robert Eugene Perry. This month will also feature a reading and book signing by Fred Gerhard. \n\n\n\nMother and Son Poetry Reading \n\n\n\nAll local poets are invited to bring original poems to share in a supportive\, nurturing environment. There is space for up to 14 readers and usually fills up quickly!  \n\n\n\nListeners are always welcome.To sign up \, please call 508-949-6232 or email deb@bookloversgourmet.com. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFred Gerhard\, author of Drifting to “Hello” (Khotso\, 2023) and Lilacs Still Bloom in Ashburnham (Local Gems\, 2023)\, will be reading his poems and poems from the recently published posthumous collection from his mother\, Rena Gerhard\, The Loving: Selected Poems (Petronella Press\, 2026). \n\n\n\nRena\, who died in 2014 wrote poetry for over five decades in Pennsylvania. Her work is well-crafted and insightful whether writing about love\, family\, God\, or surviving brain cancer. \n\n\n\nFred is widely published in magazines and anthologies. He is a winner of the Art on the Trails competition (2024) and the Poetry in the Pines competition (2023). He is also an editor at Quabbin Quills and Smoky Quartz.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/open-mic-roundtable-poetry-with-special-feature-fred-gerhard/
LOCATION:Booklover’s Gourmet
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260825T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260825T200000
DTSTAMP:20260809T190652Z
CREATED:20260806T190107Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T190652Z
UID:13392-1787684400-1787688000@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:A Virtual Thirsty Lab with Muriel Nelson
DESCRIPTION:The Thirsty Lab poetry reading\, normally based out of Princeton\, MA\, continues to meet virtually. Join us on Tuesday August 25th virtually on Zoom with none other than Muriel Nelson\, our featured reader! \n\n\n\nMuriel Kramer Nelson\n\n\n\nMuriel Nelson lives near Seattle with her husband and furry muses Barney and Seamus. Her collection Here’s Company won the Idaho Prize for Poetry and was published in April by Lost Horse Press. Her other publications include Sightsinger (Encircle Publications) and Part Song (Bear Star Press\, Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize)\, and chapbooks\, Please Hold (Encircle Publications\, Poetry Chapbook Award) and Most Wanted (ByLine Press\, ByLine Chapbook Award). Nominated five times for the Pushcart Prize\, Nelson’s poems have appeared in many journals and several anthologies. Two have been set to music. She holds master’s degrees from the University of Illinois School of Music and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/a-virtual-thirsty-lab-with-muriel-nelson-3/
LOCATION:Virtual Online Only
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260826T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260826T190000
DTSTAMP:20260803T152347Z
CREATED:20260803T152345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T152347Z
UID:13374-1787763600-1787770800@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Poetorium Too Poetry Reading & Open Mic Featuring Joanne Johnson\, Joe Fusco Jr.\, & Linda Bratcher Wlodyka
DESCRIPTION:Please join us for a special Wednesday triple feature edition of our monthly open mic and featured poetry reading series  Poetorium Too at TidePool Bookshop (located at 372 Chandler Street in Worcester\, MA) on August 26th from 5 pm to 7 pm hosted by Paul Szlosek and (hopefully) Ron Whittle.  It will be a full two hours of poetry and spoken word featuring 15 minute readings each by poets Joanne Johnson\,  Joe Fusco Jr.\, & Linda Bratcher Wlodyka\, followed by the passing of a hat to pay our features\, a short intermission\, and then an open mic with 5-minute slots for each reader if time allows (in order to fit everything planned into our allotted time\, if the event runs too long\, readers may be restricted to one poem). \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nJoanne Johnson is a Massachusetts-based poet and author of An Imperfect Journey. Her work has appeared in Worcester Magazine\, and Academy of the Heart and Mind. She has also performed her poetry at featured readings and open mic events\, sharing work that explores resilience\, healing\, and everyday life. \n\n\n\nJoe Fusco Jr. is a well-seasoned humorist/stand-up poet/storyteller from Worcester\, Massachusetts. He is the author of six books of semi-amusing poems and essays: Here We Go Again (2026)\, Random Thoughts from a Curmudgeon (2023)\, Pondering the Pandemic during The Rust Years (2021)\, Hmm…That’s Different (2020); Three Score (2014)\, and The Lost and Found Essays (2012)\, all available at local bookstores and Amazon. Joe’s musings have appeared in Damfino Press\, Ballard Street Poetry\, Worcester Review\, Asinine Poetry\, Soul Lit\, and the e-zine Clean Sheets. He was a co-winner of the Jacob Knight Poetry Award in 2002 and was named Best Poet by Worcester Magazine readers in 1999 and 2002. Joe is a Humor Columnist for Worcester Magazine and the last Worcester Mega-Slam winner in 2017. He features at bookstores\, libraries\, clubs\, and coffeehouses throughout Central Massachusetts and Belgium. He is the host of The Poetry Extravaganza at The Mill in West Boylston and The Richard Fox Poetry Series in Worcester. Joe is the Vice-President of Programming for the Worcester County Poetry Association. Joe has lived in lovely Worcester with his better-half Cyndi and their large family for forty-one years. He is a registered Independent and sleeps with one eye always open. \n\n\n\nLinda Bratcher Wlodyka is an Emerita Massachusetts\, Beat Poet Laureate (2023-2025) residing in Berkshire County. Linda previously self-published 3 chapbooks\, Her Spirited Cameo\, Voices from the Blue Room and Tick Tock. Her full length books include: If Brambles Were Bookends Collected Poems (2023) and Mistress of the Wick (2026). Linda has been commissioned to create an ekphrastic poem for a sculpture at the Mount in Lenox\, MA. She will be presenting\, “The Belles” poem\, by Edgar Allen Poe\, with Claire Conroy and Meg Smith\, at the Edgar Allen Poe celebration in Lowell on October 16th this year. She is on the editing board for Silkworm\, the yearly anthology of the Florence Poet’s Society.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/poetorium-too-poetry-reading-open-mic-featuring-joanne-johnson-joe-fusco-jr-linda-bratcher-wlodyka/
LOCATION:TidePool Bookshop\, 372 Chandler St. Unit 101\, Worcester\, MA\, 01602
ORGANIZER;CN="Paul Szlosek":MAILTO:poetsparlor@hotmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T193000
DTSTAMP:20260807T011418Z
CREATED:20260807T011415Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260807T011418Z
UID:13399-1788282000-1788291000@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Fox Reading Series September
DESCRIPTION:Join us on September 1st as we feature the thought-provoking Michael Milligan reading his poetry and the poetry of the iconic Dan Lewis. We’re keeping the 5 pm start to help with metered parking. The Broadway will take one-hour of parking ($2\,00) off your ticket with a food purchase. Owners Tony and Nequel Germano have a plethora of delightful entrees\, apps\, desserts\, and their famous\, homemade ice cream. The Broadway also serves beer and wine and breakfast until closing (with mimosas!). \n\n\n\nWe have a separate room for our shenanigans. Admission is still Free!. All of the tip jar $ goes to our feature. \n\n\n\nSign up for the open mic at joesyellowpad@gmail.com. Five minute maximum and limited spots. \n\n\n\nThe Fox Poetry Series\, in honor of the iconic poet Richard Fox\, is sponsored by the Worcester County Poetry Association through a generous donation from the Fox family. I’m pleased as punch to continue this exciting open mic/feature every 1st Tuesday of the month except for July from 5-7:30 pm at such a welcoming venue. Join us on September 1st! \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichael Milligan has worked as a construction laborer\, migrant fruit and grape picker\, homestead farmer\, and commercial arts production manager. Also a musician/composer\, artist and writer. He received his MFA in Creative Writing at Bennington College\, co-founded Poetry Oasis Worcester and was privileged to be an editor with Diner. His poetry book reviews\, fiction and poems have appeared in Agni\, Diner\, The New Orleans Review\, The Valparaiso Review\, Chaffin Journal\, Blue Earth Review\, Illuminations and others. He has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize. He is the author of Unless I Came Back to Tell You\, Kelsay Books 2021 and Failure of Flight\, ICOE Press\, 2026. \n\n\n\nDan Lewis (1946 – 2017) was a writer of prose and poetry. His poetry flourished when he moved to Worcester in 1988 due to the many poets in the area and his connection with them. He was an active member of WCPA board for many years. Dan loved words and how they sounded and was not averse to making up a word to fit a specific object or emotion. His writings could be about an object\, state of the universe\, political\, comments on the human condition…. Dan worked with WCPA Poets\, Artists in the Gallery and as a member of the ‘4 by 4 Group’ (4artists and 4 poets who worked off each other’s works. He received the Frank O’Hara prize\, and the Kunitz Medal from the Worcester County Poetry Association. Dan published 2 books of poetry “This Garden” and ‘Intimations of the Focal Plane’ and 2 chap books ‘Tickets for the Broken Year’ and “Iconospheres’\, as well as the book published by the 4 by 4 group ‘Eco and Spark.’ Dan’s passing created a large hole in the poetry world of Worcester\, MA.
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/fox-reading-series-september/
LOCATION:The Broadway Diner\, 100 Water Street\, Worcester\, Massachusetts\, 01604\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260910T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260910T193000
DTSTAMP:20260803T224548Z
CREATED:20260803T153323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T224548Z
UID:13380-1789063200-1789068600@worcestercountypoetry.org
SUMMARY:Poet Stephen Campiglio & Soprano Xuemei Jiang
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://worcestercountypoetry.org/event/poet-stephen-campiglio-sopranoxuemei-jiang/
LOCATION:Jacob Edwards Library\, 236 Main St.\, Southbridge\, MA\, 01550\, United States
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END:VCALENDAR