12:00 PM &ndash\; 1:00 PM: \;< /strong>Readings by Ohio Poet Laureate Edward A. Julian Sr. and \;Luca s County Poet Laureate Sandra Rivers-Gill
\nNamed Ohio Poet Laureate for 2026 and 2027 by the governor of the state of Ohio\, Edward A. Julian Sr. of Columbus\, Ohio is a published author\, poet\, motivational speake r\, and creator of The Begin Within Initiative Life Skills Course. Though he served 14 years in federal prison as a young man\, he then committed hi mself to becoming a force for positive change\, earning an Associate of Ar ts degree from Cuyahoga Community College and studying social work at Clev eland State University. Through his work and his life\, Edward exemplifies the power of beginning within.
\nSandra Rivers-Gill\, Lucas County& rsquo\;s newest Poet Laureate\, is an award-winning poet\, playwright and teaching artist. Her debut poetry chapbook\, As We Cover Ourselves With Li ght \;(Shelia-Na-Gig Editions\, 2023)\, was a finalist for the 2024 Er ic Hoffer Book Award\, and was featured at the 2024 Ohioana Book Festival. \;She is currently serving as a Teaching Artist for the Ohio Arts Cou ncil and a Poet Ambassador to Ohio Poetry Association representing Northwe st Ohio. Her work has appeared in numerous \;publications and her poet ry has garnered nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.
\n1:00 PM &ndash\; 2:00 PM: Reading by Poet of the Ye ar - Chuck Salmons
\nChuck Salmons has served as part of the leaders
hip of the Ohio Poetry Association for over a decade. His poems have appea
red in numerous journals\, including \;Chiron Review\, Evening Street
Review\, The Ekphrastic Review\, and Sheila-Na-Gig Online. He has been nom
inated for a Pushcart Prize and the Paterson Poetry Prize\, and received a
2018 Ohio Arts Council
Individual Excellence Award for poetry. He ha
s published four poetry collections: Stargazer Suite\; Patch Job\; The Gra
ce of Gazing Inward: Poems in Response to the Art of Alice Carpenter\; and
\, Surviving the Eremocene\, which was released by Sheila-Na-Gig Editions
in autumn 2025.
chucksalmons.com
2:00 PM &ndash\; 3:0 0 PM: Reading by contest winners
\n3:00 PM &ndash\; 4:00 PM: Readings by prior Lucas County Poets Laureate - Jonie M cIntire\, Jim Ferris and Joel Lipman
\nJonie McIntire\, former Poet Laureate of Lucas County\, Ohio (2022-2026)\, has authored Semidomesticate d\, (rereleased through Sheila-Na-Gig Editions\, 2022) which won Red Flag Poetry&rsquo\;s 2020 chapbook contest\; Beyond the Sidewalk\, (Nightballet Press\, 2017)\; and Not All Who Are Lost Wander\, (Finishing Line Press\, 2016). She hosts a monthly reading series called Uncloistered Poetry from Toledo\, Ohio. \;
\nJim Ferris is author of Slouching Towards G uantanamo\, Facts of Life\, and The Hospital Poems. Past president of the Society for Disability Studies and the Disabled &\; D/deaf Writers Cauc us\, he has received awards for performance and mathematics as well as poe try and creative nonfiction. Ferris was \;Poet Laureate of Lucas Count y\, Ohio from 2014-2020. He earned a doctorate in performance studies and was \;the Ability Center Endowed Chair in Disability Studies at the Un iversity of Toledo.
\nJoel Lipman was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Lucas County\, appointed in 2008 and serving until 2014. Lipman holds deg rees from the University of Wisconsin and the State University of New York -Buffalo. He taught poetry\, creative writing and book arts at the Univers ity of Toledo from 1975-2012. He is a five-time recipient of Oho Arts Coun cil Individual Artist Fellowships\, and in 2022 was named Axon Creative Fe llow by the University of Toledo&rsquo\;s Department of Art.
\n< strong>Sensory Considerations: \;The Exhibitor Hall will take place in our atrium that contains a mix of natural and artificial light. Expect volume level to be commensurate with crowd size\, which may vary.
\nAccessibility Details: \;Located on t he first floor\, accessed by elevator and/or stairs. Tile or low pile carp et throughout the building. Limited free parking is available in the attac hed garage. A limited number of mobility assistance scooters will be avail able for use.
\nPlease call Public Services at 419-259-5293 to request an accommodation at least two weeks prior to the program date.
\nhttps://toledo.libnet.info/event/17406238 URL;VALUE=URI:https://toledo.libnet.info/event/17406238 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR