What a wonderful way to enjoy an afternoon in April, with a poetry reading and the craft of writing poems. After all, April is National Poetry Month, a good reason to add more poetry to your life.
The Summerland Library will be hosting two award winning poets for a special reading on Saturday, April 27 from 1 to 2 p.m. Michael V. Smith and Kerry Gilbert will be visiting the branch as part of the Valley Voices Spring Reading series.
Register in advance for “Seeing Things: Developing the Image” Poetry Writing Workshop directly after the reading, from 2 to 3:30 p.m, facilitated by local creative writing students. Use your senses in this generative workshop, to identify and develop the central image for a new poem. An assemblage of natural items will be on hand to inspire you through the senses of touch, smell, sight and sound. All writing levels are welcome to join this free workshop.
You will be inspired to put pen to paper, especially after listening to our two esteemed poets. We are grateful for the grants provided by the League of Canadian Poets and the Canada Council for the Arts, whose generous support made this author reading possible.
Michael V. Smith is an award winning, multi-talented author, poet, filmmaker and educator. His latest book of poetry is titled “Queers Like Me”, an insightful exploration into the complexities of family, queer identity and the human condition.
Kerry Gilbert is an award winning poet, founder of the Spoke Literary Festival, and a creative writing instructor. Her latest book of poetry is titled Lady Bird, a look at the mystery surrounding Amelia Earhart’s disappearance and the conspiracy theories that surround her death.
Join us on Saturday April 27, when Michael V. Smith and Kerry Gilbert add some much needed poetry to our lives. It’s an event you don’t want to miss!
Caroline McKay is the community librarian at the Summerland branch of the Okanagan Regional Library.