Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar 2

Known for his powerful readings and unusually warm and compassionate voice, Charles Coe's poems speak to the heart and mind as well as the ear. He combines subjects as diverse as Afro-American history, myth, jazz, and family as well as surprising observations of those unexpected moments of joy to be found in a work-a-day city. Hear from one of our region's finest poets as he shares his sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, but always insightful work. Coe will weave stories from his own life and reflections on his writing process through readings of poems from his 3 published collections. The reading will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. A recipient of a Mass. Cultural Council fellowship in poetry, Coe served as an Artist-iin-Residence for the City of Boston in 2017 and is an Artist Fellow for Boston's St Botolph Club. Teaching poetry and prose is a special interest and he has taught in a wide variety of settings; currently he is an adjunct professor of English at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, teaching poetry and non fiction in the low-residency MFA program. Presented by Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture in collaboration with Robbins Library and Arlington's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division in conjunction with the launch of "Elevating Arlington's Voices of Color", a new collection welcoming poems, stories, essays, memoirs, photos, videos, diaries, artworks, and other digital artifacts from the Arlington Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities. Advance registration required at https://artisttalkcharlescoe.eventbrite.com

Join a slam as a speaker or listener, savoring the richness of language, imagery, and thought in this eternal art form with friends. Founded and led by New Bedford-based queer/latinx healing artist, poet, and Museum Education & Audience Engagement Manager Marisol Rosa.

Brookline-Quezalguaque Sister City Project is very proud to present “An Evening With Richard Blanco” during which he will read his poetry and share his reflections. The evening will conclude with a book-signing. All proceeds from this event will be used for our Sister City in Nicaragua to fund projects in the areas of health, education, and more. Most currently, and thanks to generous grants from the Rotary in Brookline and Rotary International, we are engaged in an enormous and life-changing clean water initiative. This October will mark Brookline’s 33rd year anniversary of this Sister City relationship with Quezalguaque.

Tickets can be bought in advance for $25 at brooklinesistercity.org or by sending a check to BQSCP, PO Box 114, Brookline, MA 02446. There will be a list of attendees who have paid in advance at the door. Tickets at the door are $30. Sponsors donating $100 or more are invited to a private reception with Richard Blanco from 6 to 6:45 p.m.

Doors will open at 6:15 and on-street parking is available, but plan to arrive early as the event begins promptly at 7.

Join us for this special reading of two local Worcester poets.

Paul Szlosek is a co-founder and host of both the former long-running Poet’s Parlor poetry venue and the recently-created open mic and featured poetry reading series The Poetorium at Starlite in Southbridge, MA, is a past recipient of the Jacob Knight Award for Poetry, and have taught poetry workshops in the galleries at the Worcester Art Museum,the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. His poems have appeared in various local publications including the Worcester Review, Worcester Magazine, Sahara, Concrete Wolf, and Diner.He is probably best known in the Worcester area poetry community for his fanatical obsession with obscure poetry forms, and has invented his own including the ziggurat, the streetbeatina, and (most recently) the hodgenelle which he shares on his blog Paul’s Poetry Playground at playground.poetry.blog.


Eve Rifkah is author of “Dear Suzanne” (WordTech Communications, 2010) and “Outcasts the Penikese Leper Hospital 1905-1921” (Little Pear Press, 2010). Chapbook “Scar Tissue”, (Finishing Line Press, 2017), “At the Leprosarium” 2003 winner of the Revelever Chapbook Contest.

Poets have long understood the connection between, in the words of Robert Frost, “inner and outer weather.” Today, as human activity is changing the climate and our earth at an unprecedented rate, poetry helps us find our grounding and gives us tools for greater connection, voice, and vision.
In this interactive reading and workshop, poet, teacher, and activist Nadia Colburn will read from her poetry book I Say the Sky and lead participants in meditations, prompts, and discussion around our own inner and outer weathers. How do we stay grounded in this time of crisis? How do we cultivate and nourish a vision of connection and belonging? And how can we find our own voice amidst both the clamoring noise of our public, busy world, and the many forces of silence around us?
Nadia will share her own poems and her personal journey behind them; she’ll also share her unique method of coupling mediation and writing so that participants can experience for themselves the power of listening and writing from a more integrated place. There will be time for writing and discussion, and we’ll explore ways to create bridges between poetry and environmental and social engagement.
The workshop is designed to be both restorative and energizing, and is appropriate for people with any level of writing and environmental experience. Take home resources to deepen your connection to poetry as well as new ways to get involved in environmental action.

The cover charge is $4, cash or credit. No tickets are sold in advance. The poetry show is 21+, with a photo ID and Vaccination Card required to enter the venue. No outside drink is allowed— please patronize the bar— but you may bring food and eat it in the venue. Regrettably, the basement of the Cantab is not wheelchair-accessible; please email us to learn more about the space and to discuss accessibility options.
Doors open at approximately 7:15 for an 8:00 poetry-only open mic. The venue has a capacity of 75 persons with seating for approximately 60; if you want to sit down for the first part of the show, you will need to arrive before 8:00 PM. Large parties are strongly advised to arrive in a timely manner, as the show frequently sells out.
There is a short break after the open mic at approximately 9:45, during which some seats usually free up for incoming crowd. (If the feature is popular, do not expect seats to become available.) After the break, the featured poet or event begins. Standard features last for 30 minutes and featured slams last about 60 minutes, after which our featured poets vend their product and chat with fans. As of 2023, the full show is usually over by 11:00.