Welcome to the schedule of poetry events happening in Massachusetts! This schedule contains events happening all over the state, as entered by our Poetry Partners and others. It is not limited to Mass Poetry events. To submit an event, click here. For more questions regarding our calendar, you can email marketing@masspoetry.org.
Jim Dunn is a poet and author of Soft Launch (Bootstrap, 2008), Convenient Hole (Pressed Wafer, 2004), and Insects In Sex (Falling Angel Press, 1995). His work has appeared in several publications including spoKe, Polis, Bright Pink Mosquito, The Process, eoagh, Gerry Mulligan, Cafe Review, and The Battersea Review. He edited the John Wieners' journal, A New Book From Rome, with Derek Fenner and Ryan Gallagher of Bootstrap Press. Along with Kevin Gallagher, he also edited a feature on six Massachusetts poets, for Jacket 2 magazine.
John Mulrooney is a poet, filmmaker, and musician living in Cambridge, MA. He is the author of If You See Something, Say Something from the Anchorite Press and co-producer of the documentary ‘The Peacemaker’, from Central Square Films. He records and performs regularly with a number of groups in the greater Boston area. He is Associate Professor in the English Department at Bridgewater State University. His work has appeared in Fulcrum, Pressed Wafer fold’em zine, Solstice, The Battersea Review, Poetry Northeast, Spoke, Let the Bucket Down and others.
Laura Lamb Brown-Lavoie was born along the river called Charles—daughter of an English teacher and a Storyteller, she descends from mountain and ocean people in Western Europe and the British Isles. She has spent her adult life growing food and medicine plants for her community in the homelands of the Narragansett people around Providence, RI. The former co-host of the Providence Poetry Slam, she has twice represented Providence as a finalist at national slam competitions. Laura was the 2018 Fellow for Merit in Poetry from the RI State Council of the Arts, and the 2018-2019 Providence Public Library Creative Fellow. She is currently in residency with the Brown Arts Initiative developing a multi-media performance version of her book of poems Club Desire, forthcoming spring 2022 on Binch Press. Alongside her work with plants and poems, Laura serves as a birth doula and is in training as an ancestral medicine practitioner.
Emilia has been writing songs and poetry most of her life. She graduated from BHS in 2021 and has since spent much time helping those with mental illness. Emilia has volunteered for Amazing Grace, a non-profit that supports children who have incarcerated family members. She loves her sister, her friends, her tattoos, and is the master of Spotify playlists of all genres. She lives at home with her family and beloved schnauzer Princess Vespa. This is Emilia's very first feature, hopefully not her last.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of poetry and literary inspiration! Don't miss this incredible opportunity to hear two talented poets, Maggie Smith and Stephan Delbos, as they take the stage at the Spire Center for Performing Arts in Plymouth, MA, USA.
Immerse yourself in the power of words as these acclaimed poets share their captivating verses and insights. Experience the magic of live poetry readings, where emotions come alive and imaginations soar.
After the reading, stay for the book signing reception where you can meet the poets in person, get your favorite books signed, and engage in conversations about their creative process and inspirations.
Do you love reading AND nature? You are invited to join Ellen Snoeyenbos' monthly Walking Readers Group as they explore nature-based literary selections (poetry or prose) while enjoying the beauty of Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Come to one, or all! To register and for more information, visit: www.snoeytools.com Registration is required; space is limited. Walking Readers Group at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary Selected Poems by Mary Oliver Saturday, January 27th, 10 am to 11:30 am
Martín Espada has published more than twenty books as a poet, editor, essayist and translator. His latest collection of poems from Norton is called Vivas to Those Who Have Failed (2016). He is the editor of What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age Trump (2019). His many honors include the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Shelley Memorial Award, the Robert Creeley Award, the National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award, an American Book Award, an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, the PEN/Revson Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His book of poems, The Republic of Poetry, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. A former tenant lawyer in Greater Boston’s Latinx community, Espada is a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Readings by 3 poets, in 3 languages, featuring: Marguerite Guzman Bouvard (Italian) Marguerite was born in Trieste Italy. She is a former professor of Political Science and poetry workshops, and the author of 20 books in the fields of politics, women's rights, human rights, grief, illness, and spirituality. She has also written 8 books of poetry, her first won the Quarterly Review of Literature prize and her seventh "The Unpredictability of Light," won the MassBook Award for poetry. Her latest book was "The Invisible Wounds of War; Coming Home from Iraq and Afghanistan." She is a Resident Scholar at the Women Studies Research Center, Brandeis University.
Mirlande Butler (Haitian-Creole) A native of Haiti, Mirlande Butler has performed a mix of Jazz, Pop and Gospel genres in the States, France, Brazil, and China. She links singing with the foundation she co-founded to promote education and a renewed Haiti. She often says that education, especially that of children, should be a human right matter, not a privilege. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Walden University and a Master's degree in Social Work from Boston University. The lyricist and guitarist John Elder says of her: 'Mirlande sings beautifully and with emotional power in four languages, French, Spanish, English and Haitian Creole. Her style is the human heart.'
Messou Youvina Fofana (French) Born in the United States and raised in Guinea-Conakry, Messou is a Brockton High School student introduced to poetry writing from her English and poetry classes. Early on, she realized the impact of her voice and invested more into writing when she became aware of its range limit. She also realized that with her words she had a new way of expressing herself, more trustworthy than she sometimes could with her voice. Messou thus believed she could transcend time and better convey her emotions and thoughts to future generations. Her poems are often the results of her childhood memories and her sudden inspirations on themes of all kinds, ranging from love to her family, to her life as a sixteen-year-old, experiencing both African and American societies.
Ines Figueroa (Spanish) Ines came to the United States in 1956 from Puerto Rico where she settled with her family in Newark New Jersey. In the early sixties, she married and had four daughters unfortunately during that period in her life she suffered from spousal abuse. At that, time there was nowhere to escape her surroundings and she suffered in silence. She finally summoned the courage to leave her husband and in 1984 found her way to Brockton with her daughters. Since then Ines has dedicated all her time educating the community about domestic violence and sexual assault. Ines graduated from Massasoit College in Human Service and from Boston University for Social Work. Ines has received numerous awards and in 1997, was named woman of the year for her contribution to the Hispanic Community.
Philip Hasouris (Greek) A proud Brockton Poet and author of three books of poetry, Philip is the poetry coordinator and host of the Brockton Library Poetry Series, “Everyone Has a Voice.” He is also the poetry coordinator for the art/poetry exhibit "Soar without Limits, Healing through the Arts," bringing together, artists with disabilities and poets who, inspired by their artwork, create poetry, validating the artist. He is a facilitator of expressive healing workshops throughout the state for support groups coping with medical crisis and bereavement. Zvi A. Sesling (Yiddish) Poet Laureate of Brookline, MA. Zvi has published poetry in numerous magazines both in print and online in many countries. He has been nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize and was awarded First Prize in the Reuben Rose International Poetry Competition. He was the 2019 Feature Reader at the 10th Brookline Jewish Poetry Festival. His poetry book The Lynching of Leo Frank was nominated for the National Jewish Book Award. He is also the author of War Zones, Fire Tongue, King of the Jungle and three chapbooks, Simple Game, Poems From Hell and Across Stones of Bad Dream. Zvi has taught at Boston University , Emerson College and Suffolk University.
Music Features: Tali Freed & Lars Wicklund Poetry Features: Carolyn Gregory & Doug Holder Open Mic Follows Music & Poetry Features Doors Open: 11:30am, Free Admission & Refreshments
John L. Holgerson is the author of three books of poetry, Convictions of the Heart (In Case of Emergency Press 2021), Unnecessary Tattoo and Other Stains on a Stainless Steel Heart (Finishing Line Press 2016) and Broken Borders (Wasteland Press 2012). He has published poems in small literary journals, both in print and online. He has been a featured poet at poetry venues in southeastern Massachusetts (Poetry: The Art of Words; Calliope; Arts & Humanity among others) and the greater Boston area (Chapter and Verse). He also produced, moderated and read at the 2016 MassPoetry Festival presentation of Poets at the Bar: Five Practicing Massachusetts Attorneys Who Are Published Poets. He is listed in Poets & Writers’ Directory of Poets and Writers; is one of three MassPoetry representatives for Bristol County, Massachusetts; and is the founder of the Poetry as Verdict project providing a public venue for high school student-poets to read their work. His author’s web site is www.johnlholgerson.com.
Richard Berg is a writer, poet, performance artist, and photographer. He is the former host of For the Love of Words on Easton Cable Access Television which program provides a venue for regional poets and musicians to read and perform their work. He has read at numerous Slam Poetry events and performed on stage as poet Edgar Allan Poe. He is also a public speaker on the subject of Overcoming Adversity as an advocate for the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts and victims of brain injury.
John L. Holgerson is the author of two books of poetry, Unnecessary Tattoo and Other Stains on a Stainless Steel Heart (Finishing Line Press, 2016) and Broken Borders (Wasteland Press, 2012). His work has appeared in literary journals such as Modern English Tanka, Shadow Quill Poetry... Read More →
Anita D is a spoken word artist and slam poet born and raised in Brockton. After moving to San Diego in 2013 she began to treat poetry as more of a career and less of a hobby. She was a member of the 2016 San Diego Slam Team that went on to take second place at nationals. She has since featured at many open mic venues, colleges and universities across San Diego and Boston. She hosted workshops for high school students on both coasts. Most recently, she appeared at The Staples Center and performed during an WNBA game.
