Writers Read is a monthly opportunity for an audience to come and listen to local writers in an intimate environment. Each second Wednesday of the month, three writers read from their work followed by time for the audience to join with the writers for a talkback. These discussions have been eye opening, touching, and inspiring. Audiences have left the venue ready to write.
This series is facilitated by Lindy Whiton, a member of LAVA, and pulls from several different communities of writers throughout the local area. We are extremely lucky to draw from an abundance of talent. The year’s calendar does bring in a few outside writers who agreed to travel. Watch this event for future readers.
Kat Pihl hails from Thompson, CT, and has recently published her first book, omphaloskepsis, in March of 2024 through Alien Buddha Press. Pihl’s poetry is confessional, examining the experiences that shape us, and asking, in the great tradition of Michael Scott, why are we the way that we are? Pihl was the 2011 Dorothy McCollum Siebert Award winner at Eastern University and has been performing her poetry (sporadically) ever since.
Paul Szlosek lives in Worcester, MA and co-created the Poet’s Parlor and Poetorium at Starlite reading series. A recipient of the Stanley Kunitz Medal and Jacob Knight Award for Poetry, his poetry has appeared in the Worcester Review, Diner, Radius, Silkworm, and other publications.
Robert Eugene Perry is a native of Massachusetts and the author of five books. His most recent book of poetry Earthsongs, was published by Human Error Publishing in 2022.
Perry has emceed the monthly Open Mic at Booklovers’ Gourmet in Webster, MA (USA) since May 2017.
He has had several poems published in Worcester Magazine, as well as Florence Poetry Society’s Silkworm 16, Poetica Magazine’s Mizmor Anthology, NatureCulture’s Honoring Nature collection, National Beat Poetry Foundation Remembering Jack Kerouac on his 100th Birthday, Beat Style Love Poems and Natural Worlds anthologies, Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, his poem Primal was a finalist in the 2023 Beals Prize for Poetry and his poem Heard Steet/ Hadwen Park in Winter was a winner in the 2024 Poems in and out of Places sponsored by the Mapping Worcester in Poetry & the WCPA. His short story In the Company of Trees was published by Wordpeace Journal.
As a metaphysical poet, he finds inspiration in nature and endeavors to draw connections between our higher selves and the natural world.
$5 suggested donation ($1 Card to Culture)
