I’m headlining with Wyn Cooper and Rosie Rosenzweig at the Newton Public Library’s online poetry series on Tuesday, September 8 at 7 pm. There’s an open mic after the features. I’d love to see you there. You’ll need to register in advance in order to receive the Zoom link.
May 2020 Online Poetry Readings Based in Massachusetts
NOTE: You can find an evergreen list of Mass-based ongoing virtual reading series here.
Many reading series have gone to ground during the COVID-19 crisis. A few have moved online. Many are hungry for poetry during this difficult time. I’m aware of the following events. If you know of others, please fill out my contact form or comment below.
Dire Literary Series, Fridays at 7pm. Kim Addonizio reads May 22. Read an interview with the organizer Timothy Gager here and connect with the series on Facebook here.
Lily Poetry Salon, Friday May 8, 7pm. Features: Valerie Duff and Jacob Strautmann. RSVP on Facebook or contact Eileen Cleary via her website for the Zoom link
New England Poetry Club, Sunday May 10, 3pm. Features: Cathie Desjardins, Susanna Kittredge, Eve Linn, Open mic to follow. Email president[at]nepoetryclub[dot]org for the Zoom link. View all NEPC events here.
Rozzie Reads, Thursday, May 28, 7pm. Features: David P. Miller and Dorian Kotsiopoulos. Open mic to follow. Email hguran@aol.com for the Zoom link.
On a related note, my generative writing workshop goes into its second session this June. If businesses are open, we will meet in person with appropriate social distancing. Either way, participants will also be able to attend via Zoom. Sign up for the workshop here.
No Poetry Readings for the Foreseeable Future
As of this evening, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a ban on all gatherings of more than 25 people and has restricted bars and restaurants to takeout and delivery service only. Even without these new restrictions in place, the strong recommendations over the last few days to practice social distancing (avoiding gathering places, keeping six feet between yourself and others in public) have caused the cancellation of most events in Massachusetts and environs. The situation is evolving rapidly and I’m sure people are getting their news from more current sources than this website. I hope it won’t be too long before we flatten the curve of this pandemic. Stay safe and healthy.
UPDATED Boston Area Poetry Readings and Cancellations as of March 2020
In the wake of the spread of coronavirus, public events are being cancelled left and right. Poetry readings do not tend to draw large crowds, so some events may go on as planned. It’s best to call ahead to make sure that a reading has not been cancelled.
If you are sick, please stay home. The best way to prevent the spread of the virus is to wash your hands thoroughly and often (as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice), to avoid touching your face, and to avoid contact with people who may have been exposed to the virus. The CDC has a list of precautions you should be taking.
These listings are current as of March 12, 2020.
Among the CANCELLED readings:
- Mary Buchinger, Jennifer Markell, and J.D. Scrimgeour (3/13) in JP
- A celebration of Stephen Jonas’s Arcana (3/14) at MIT Press Bookstore
Charles North (3/16) at MIT - Katherine Hollander and Angela Voras-Hills (3/16) at Blacksmith House
- David Ferry at Suffolk (3/17)
- Christian Wiman (3/23) at Blacksmith House
- Sara London and Nathan McClain (3/31) at Smith College (All Smith College Poetry Center readings are cancelled through the end of the semester)
- Anne Carson (4/1) Harvard Divinity School’s Ingersoll Lecture – “will take place in fall 2020 on a date to be determined”
- Joy Harjo (4/9) at Harvard
- Paisley Rekdal (4/14) at Smith College
Daniel Bouchard writes the following in his latest email update:
Remember: colleges do not lose revenue when a poetry reading is cancelled but bookstores do. Keep MIT Press Bookstore, Brookline Booksmith, Grolier, Harvard Bookstore, Porter Square Books, Bedlam Book Café in Worcester, I AM Books in the North End, and so on healthy – drop by and buy some books or order something online.
Continue reading “UPDATED Boston Area Poetry Readings and Cancellations as of March 2020”
February and March 2020 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs
I don’t know about you, but I’m aching for spring already. Here are poetry readings that will bring us in March, which is almost spring in New England. Thanks as always to Daniel Bouchard for publishing these listings. Follow him on Twitter. I’ve also discovered Lori Desrosier’s site, which posts poetry news in Western Mass. And a series in Shelburne Falls not listed below called Collected Poets.
Of special note below:
- Tamiko Beyer at home.stead in Dorcester
- Carla Schwartz at the Old Manse and home.stead
- Martha Collins at Arts at the Armory Somerville and the Brookline Public Library
- Jericho Brown at Smith
- Joan Houlihan in Hopkinton
- Zara Raab in Newburyport
- Daniel Bouchard’s MIT Reading Series
Continue reading “February and March 2020 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs”
December 2019 and January 2020 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs
Shop local this holiday season and buy your loved ones books of poetry from the many poets reading in an around Boston this year. There’s a real wealth of them this month and next. Thanks as always to Daniel Bouchard for compiling the bulk of these listings.
Of special note:
-
- Fellow Lesley alum Eileen Cleary in Newton this Friday, Dec 6
- Martha Collins, Frannie Lindsay, and Fred Marchant at the Old Manse in Concord that same evening
- Jenn Martelli at Arts at the Armory Sunday, Dec 8
- Ilya Kaminsky at the Blacksmith House in Cambridge Monday, Dec 9
- Danielle Legros Georges and friends at Grolier Thursday, Dec 12
- Solidarity Salon in Cambridge Saturday, Dec 14
- Beloved Lesley professor Kevin Prufer at Grolier on Tuesday, Jan 7
- Lisa deSiro and Eileen Cleary in Cambridge Wednesday, Jan 15
- Cape Cod Poetry Review in Wellfleet Thursday, Jan 23
Continue reading “December 2019 and January 2020 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs”
October, November, and December 2019 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs
From the height of leaf season all the way to the winter holiday of your choice, we’ve got you covered with poetry readings in and around Boston. Thanks to Daniel Bouchard for compiling these listings.
Thursday, October 24, 4:30 pm
Faculty Poetry Reading
Heineman Ecumenical Center
Framingham State University
Worcester, MA
Thursday, October 24, 5:30 pm
Adrianna Kalopoulou
Brown University
McCormack Family Theater
70 Brown St.
Providence, RI
free and open to the public
Thursday, October 24, 7:30-9:30 pm
Nadia Colburn
reading and book launch
The Lilypad, Inman square
1353 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA
Continue reading “October, November, and December 2019 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs”
UPDATED: September and October 2019 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs
Signs of autumn: the first orange leaf on the sidewalk, the first apple off the tree, the post-Labor-Day traffic jam. And the return of Daniel Bouchard’s poetry listings. See below for a multitude of free or close-to-free events. Of special note: Charles Coe and Sandee Story at the Old Manse tomorrow night; Terrance Hayes at Smith College Sept 24; Martha Collins at Old Cambridge Baptist Church Sept 22; and Danielle Legros Georges at the Frugal Bookstore in Dudley Square Sept 21. Also on the Boston side of the Charles, the return of Rozzie Reads, featuring Mignon Ariel King and William Orem Sept 26.
Friday, September 6
Charles Coe, Danielle Fontaine, and Sandee Storey
Old Manse in Concord
Concord, MA
Friday, September 6, 7 pm
Cervena Barva Press Poetry Translation Roundtable Series
Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA
Sunday, September 8, 1 – 3 pm
Alix Anne Shaw and Lawrence Kassenich
Poetry: The Art Of Words
Plymouth Public Library/Otto Fehlow Room
132 South St
Plymouth, MA
Thursday, September 12, 7 pm
Bert Stern & Frannie Lindsay
Cervena Barva Press Reading Series
Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA
$5
Saturday, September 14, 3 pm
Angela Alaimo O’Donnell & Rhina P. Espaillat
Powow River Poets Reading Series
Newburyport Public Library
92 State Street
Newburyport, MA
Continue reading “UPDATED: September and October 2019 Poetry Readings in Boston and Environs”
UPDATED June 2019 Boston Area Poetry Readings
July and August are quiet months for just about everything in Boston, including poetry. So stock up now and avoid the rush later.
Of special note: Joan Houlihan and Kevin Prufer will be reading at Lesley University Monday, June 24 at 7pm. On Friday of that week, I will be one of the graduating students reading at 7pm. You can find the entire reading schedule for the Lesley MFA summer residency (and directions to the venue) here.
Sunday, June 2, 1 – 3:30 pm
Robert Knox and Joanna Zarkadas
Poetry: The Art Of Words
Plymouth Public Library/Otto Fehlow Room
132 South St
Plymouth, MA
Wednesday, June 5, 7 pm
Mar Ka
Brookline Booksmith
Harvard Street
Coolidge Corner
Brookline, MA
Thursday, June 6, 7 pm
David Ferry, Jennifer Clarvoe, Sabrina Sadique
Cary Library Reading Series
Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Ave
Lexington, MA
Friday, June 7, 7 pm
Wendy Drexler, Mark Pawlak, and Kyle Potvin
The Old Manse
269 Monument Street
Concord, MA
Friday, June 7, 7 pm
Steve Ablon and Xiaoly Li
and Open Mic
West Suburban YMCA
276 Church Street
Newton, MA
Friday, June 7, 7:30 pm
Natalie Shapero
Unearthed Song & Poetry
Homestead Bakery and Cafe
1448 Dorchester Ave.
Fields Corner
Dorchester, MA
Saturday, June 8, 2 pm
Jennifer Barber and Gloria Monaghan
Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA
Saturday, June 8, 4 pm
Kristen Case, Karen Weiser, and Jennifer Firestone
MIT Press Bookstore
301 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA
Saturday, June 8, 6 – 7:30 pm
Victor Infante and Lizzie Wann
Bedlam Book Cafe
138 Green St.
Worcester, MA
Tuesday, June 11, 7 pm
Kate Colby, Cynthia Cruz, Joan Houlihan, and Daniel Tobin
Grolier Poetry Book Shop
6 Plympton St.
Cambridge, MA
Saturday, June 22, 3 pm
John Foy and Joan Kimball
Powow River Poets Reading Series
Newburyport Public Library
92 State Street
Newburyport, MA
Monday, June 24, 7 pm
Joan Houlihan and Kevin Prufer
Marran Theater
Lesley University
34 Mellen Street
Cambridge, MA
Tuesday, June 25, 5:30 pm
Catherine Stearns, Richard Wollman, and Susan Edmonds Richmond
Writers Read
Lee Library, 100 Main St.
Lee, MA
Saturday, June 29, 2 pm
Deborah Ogden and Melissa Silva
Cervena Barva Press
Art at the Armory
191 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA
May 2019 and June 2019 Boston Area Poetry Readings
All that energy from National Poetry Month seems to have spilled into May and June this year. Of special note:
- U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith reading at Harvard TODAY, May 2
- Rafael Campo in Cambridge Monday, May 6
- Gabrielle Calvocoressi in Belmont Thursday, May 23
- New Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola in Roslindale Thursday, May 23
- Cervena Barva’s monthly readings at the Somerville Arts at the Amory
Thanks as always to Daniel Bouchard for compiling these listings.
Thursday, May 2, 4 – 5:30 pm
Tracy K. Smith
Harvard Arts Medal Ceremony
Agassiz Theatre
5 James St.
Cambridge, MA
free ticket required
617-496-2222
Thursday, May 2, 5:30 pm
Dawn Lundy Martin
Brown University
McCormack Family Theater
70 Brown St.
Providence, RI
Continue reading “May 2019 and June 2019 Boston Area Poetry Readings”
Garden of Words 