Last month, I had the opportunity to read locally thrice. I read in the War is Trauma event organized by Cat Dixon and Shawna Foster. It was a great and important event to honor our veterans and their stories! I was impressed by the turn out and the range of voices reading their work. It was such a treat to read with Brent Spencer, Fran Higgins, Greg Kosmicki, and many, many others. The reading was in conjunction with the War is Trauma exhibit in Alley Gallery at Hot Spots. I read from my chapbook GHOST GIRL that includes an ekprhasis poem responding to Tim O’Brien’s novel In the Lake of the Woods.

I also read a poem from my forthcoming collection UNCLOSE THE DOOR, a chapbook on the life of Matilda Fletcher, my great-great-great-grandmother who was a suffragist, lecturer, and poet. Her first husband and all of her brothers served in the Civil War.

A few days later, I also read with Cat Dixon at Poetry at the Moon.

We had a wonderful turnout with lots of great readers during the open mic afterwards. I read from my new chapbook SHE WHO LOVES HER FATHER

and my forthcoming chapbooks UNCLOSE THE DOOR

and HONEYCOMB OF DEAD SWEET BEES.

Finally, to launch the summer issue of The Lincoln Underground, a new literary magazine here in Lincoln, I read my poem in that issue and a few others from SHE WHO LOVES HER FATHER. It was a good turn out. I was happy to hear poets, a novelist, and song writers read/perform their work. The editor even read a few poems from contributors who couldn’t attend. It was such a nice event. I was so glad I could be a part of it!