Whether you&rsquo\;re a longtime enthusias t or exploring poetry for the first time\, this reading promises to be an inspiring night of shared stories\, compelling imagery\, and heartfelt ref lection. Don&rsquo\;t miss this chance to hear from these talented voices "Among Friends."
\nFeatured Poets:
\nKaren Butler Basiulis was born and raised a farmer&rsquo\;s daughter in Watsonville\, California. H er poetry has appeared in several literary magazines and her essays have a ppeared in professional journals and newspapers. Her book\, Private Pitch\ , was published in July 2024. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband of over 30 years and two semi-feral cats.
\nJohn Beroud is a Co-Editor of Poetry Apocalypse. His bio - I am not a writer. You will not know me b y my name. You will not know me by my words. All things are connected in d efinitions. Incomplete. But you can call me John.
\nSharyl Collin wr ote her first story at seven from a trailer in a small border town in Sout hern California\, but it wasn't until she hit 50 that her poems insisted o n being born. Her poems have appeared in various journals\, including Alta dena Poetry Review\, Mason&rsquo\;s Road Literary Journal\, Wild Goose Poe try Review\, *82 Review\, and The Intentional. She also plays the guitar a nd performs regularly.
\nMary Cook has a Master&rsquo\;s degree in P sychology\, has been an addiction counselor for 49 years\, taught in unive rsities over 29 years and was a speaker for 10 years. Her own book Grace L ost and Found: from addictions and compulsions to satisfaction and serenit y\, was published by Conari Press in 2010. She has contributed prose and p oetry to four other books\, and countless magazines and newspapers for 39 years. Her poems are reflections of earth\, plants\, animals\, humans and spirituality. They range from deep and serious to lighthearted in tone. Th e intent is to support hope and positive change to help\, heal\, and compa ssionately care for the wild and wondrous diversity on our planet.
\nJudith Dancoff is a Pushcart Prize nominee\, Dancoff&rsquo\;s writing has appeared in The Georgia Review\, Alaska Quarterly Review\, Southern Human ities Review\, Shanghai Literary Review and elsewhere. Her collection of s hort fiction The Calamity of Desire and Other Stories (Finishing Line Pres s 2024) received honorable mentions at the Los Angeles and Paris Book Fest ivals\, and she has received residencies at Hedgebrook\, the Virginia Cent er for Creative Arts\, and Djerassi\, where she was the McElwee Family Fel low. She is currently at work on a hybrid memoir/novel based on her father 's work on the atomic bomb and her search for him through time.
\nGT Foster\, a twice-nominated Pushcart poet\, is a California native\, retir ed educator\, and 54-year married father and grandfather of 2. Former mana ging editor of SPECTRUM\, a poetry and art quarterly and co-host of Saturd ay Afternoon Poetry Deep Critique\, he resides in Pasadena and has complet ed his first novel\, The Boys Are Not Refined\, a Vietnam era\, semi-biogr aphic soldier&rsquo\;s story. His poetry has been published by the Pasaden a Weekly\, San Gabriel Valley Quarterly\, Altadena Poetry Review\, Spectru m\, and elsewhere.
\nDon Hata is a retired professor of history (aka : Donald Teruo Hata\, PhD)\, novice prose poet\, and amateur artist whose watercolor paintings reflect his childhood memories of the mass removal an d incarceration of over 110\,000 Nikkei (Japanese Americans) during World War II. He has published many works of non-fiction including books\, artic les and pamphlets.
\nAlexis Krasilovsky is the author of Watermelon Linguistics: New and Selected Poems (Cyberwit)\, a 2022 International Book Awards finalist. Previous books include Great Adaptations: Screenwriting and Global Storytelling (Routledge)\, 2nd place winner\, 2019 Internationa l Writers Awards and Women Behind the Camera (ABC-CLIO). She is a document ary filmmaker and videopoet\, as well as Professor Emerita of Screenwritin g at California State University Northridge. Alexis grew up in Chappaqua\, New York\, and now lives in Los Angeles.
\nMoni Olguí\;n is a n emerging poet and writer. She is also a singer and painter. When she is not creating\, Moni swims frequently at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.
\nLinda Singer\, author of Wingless is a Pushcart nominated poet who has been widely published. Linda hosts a weekly poetry zoom\, - Poetry Apocaly pse. She is an actress\, playwright\, and poet. She currently performs wit h the acting troupe\, Stop Senior Scams\, which educates seniors about sca ms that target them. She had two plays produced in Dallas and sold a scrip t to the television series\, Evening Shade. Her poetry has been published in numerous journals and she sold a joke to Reader&rsquo\;s Digest. Linda has a new chapbook\, Wingless\, available on Amazon.
\nVanessa Hedwi g Smith - author of Room Tone is a painter\, filmmaker\, and writer who ha s lived and worked in India\, Nepal\, England\, and the US. Smith is most proud of a BBC Correspondent piece she produced\, which was instrumental i n helping free a 14 year-old girl from prison\, which helped changed Nepal ese law\, and which won the Amnesty International Media 2000 Award. Smith is a co-founder of the mental health series&ndash\; Let&rsquo\;s Talk. Her work has been published in The Search for Reality\, Poetry Apocalypse\, T iny Seeds Literary Journal\, Chronogram\, Topical Poetry\, On the Seawall\ , and Silent Auctions Magazine.
\nFrom poets.org: Launched by the Academy of American Po ets in April 1996\, National Poetry Month is a special occasion that celeb rates poets&rsquo\; integral role in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years\, it has become the largest literary celebration in the wor ld\, with tens of millions of readers\, students\, K&ndash\;12 teachers\, librarians\, booksellers\, literary events curators\, publishers\, familie s\, and&mdash\;of course&mdash\;poets\, marking poetry&rsquo\;s important place in our lives.
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