Literary Lights: A Celebration of Summer
Register Here to join the event
Join us for a Literary Lights' reading, A Celebration of Summer, Sunday Zoom matinee, July 11th, 2:00-3:00 CST through Next Chapter Booksellers featuring Minnesota poets Sharon Chmielarz and Richard Terrill; Cincinnati's first Poet Laureate Pauletta Hansel; and Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda. With host Donna Isaac.
Donna is especially excited about this reading, presenting two well known Minnesota writers, Sharon Chmielarz and Richard Terrill, who also hosts the Midstream Reading series in Minneapolis. Sharon will read her poetry and share some riddles from her new Nodin Press book Speaking in Riddles. "Because of Zoom, we will also be hearing from Ohio poet and first Poet Laureate of Cincinnati, Pauletta Hansel, and Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda. This reading gives us a chance to celebrate summertime, so sit back and savor the words, the wit, and the beauty of these four amazing artists!"
Biographies for the Readers:
Sharon Chmielarz is a noted Minnesota poet who will be reading from her 13th published book Speaking in Riddles published by Nodin Press in 2021. Since that is an unlucky number, she'll also read from another Nodin Press book, little eternities (2017) and from three published picture books. Kirkus Reviews named her book The Widow's House (2016) and The J Horoscope (2019) one of the 100 Best Indie Books for the years in which they were published.
Richard Terrill is Professor Emeritus at Minnesota State, Mankato where he is a distinguished faculty scholar. His newest book is What Falls Away Is Always: Poems & Conversations from Holy Cow! Press. He is the author of five previous books including the memoir Fakebook: Improvisations on a Journey Back to Jazz; Coming Late to Rachmaninoff, winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry; and Saturday Night in Baoding: A China Memoir, winner of the AWP Award for Nonfiction. His work also appears in journals such as the Iowa Review and Georgia Review, among others. His website is www.richardterill.com.
Pauletta Hansel's eight poetry collections include Friend, Coal Town Photograph, and Palindrome, winner of the 2017 Weatherford Award for Best Appalachian Poetry. Her writing has been featured in Oxford American; Rattle; One from Jacar Press, Still: The Journal; and American Life in Poetry, among others. Pauletta was Cincinnati's first Poet Laureate (2016-18) and is past managing editor of Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, the literary publication of Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative (2010-20). https://paulettahansel.wordpress.com/.
Dr. Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita, has co-edited three anthologies and published nine books, including These Flecks of Color: New and Selected Poems and The Embrace: Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, winner of the Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award. Her poems appear throughout the world in numerous journals and anthologies, such as Nimrod, Prairie Schooner, Mid-American Review, World Poetry Yearbook, and Best of Literary Journals. Her poetry, along with that of other Virginia poets laureate, is featured in two art installations at the McLean Metro Station in Northern Virginia. An abstract artist, Kreiter-Foronda's paintings and sculpture have been exhibited in galleries, educational settings, and nursing homes.