This event will feature readings by:

Members of the Overbrook Poets group

Open mic to follow. Hosted by Sibelan Forrester

Community Arts Center
414 Plush Mill Road
Wallingford PA 19086

William Burrison, though more known as a community journalist and playwright, has written several unpublished poetry manuscripts, more or less cohering books, in terms of place, or subject matter. This features "The Swansong of Walter Adams Pennypacker," a narrative poem set in downtown Philadelphia during the 80's. He is presently working on "Sailing Out of Liverpool," intended to be his first published chapbook.

Mark Butler is a former newspaper reporter, a magazine editor, a free-lance writer, and more recently, a painting contractor. His poetry has appeared in Red River Review, Three Line Poetry, Houseboat, Vox Poetica and other online journals, as well as a university anthology of contemporary literature. His nonfiction and news reporting has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes and business and trade journals nationally. He and his wife live near Philadelphia, Pa.

Ray Greenblatt has been a poet since college. He taught high school English for nearly fifty years. He has given innumerable readings in the Philly area ranging from the Philomethean Club at the University of Pennsylvania to the Middle East Restaurant. He has been a poet-in-residence in a number of schools like Penn Charter and Springfield High. Presently he is a freelance writer for the Schuylkill Valley Journal and teaches a “Joy of Poetry” course in its tenth year at Temple University-OLLI. He has also written book reviews for the Dylan Thomas Society, John Updike Society, Joseph Conrad Today. His latest book is FROM AN OLD HOTEL ON THE IRISH COAST (Parnilis Media, 2023).

Peter Krok has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Schuylkill Valley Journal since 2001. The journal was founded in 1990. He also serves as the humanities/poet and director of the Manayunk Roxborough Art Center where he has coordinated a literary series since 1990. Because of his identification with row house and red brick Philadelphia, he is often referred to as “the red brick poet.” His poems have appeared in the Yearbook of American Poetry, America, Mid-America Poetry Review, Midwest Quarterly, Poet Lore, Potomac Review, Blue Unicorn and numerous other print and online journals. In 2005 his poem “10 PM At a Philadelphia Recreation Center” was included in Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (published by Penn State University). His book, Looking For An Eye, was published by Foothills Press in 2008 and Wounded World by Moonstone Press in 2020

Agnes Moncy: poet, translator, sculptor and literary critic with publications in these areas; most significant is FORTUNATA AND JACINTA (TWO STORIES OF MARRIED WOMEN), by Benito Perez Galdos, 19th century author in Spain. Latest sculpture shown: three portraits in clay, 2023. Taught literature at Temple University (1973-2010).

Gloria Parker's poetry has appeared or will appear in Prairie Schooner, Margie, Slipstream, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Nimrod, Loch Raven Review, Rattle, Paterson Literary Review, Gyroscope, Healing Muse, Third Wednesday, Hiram Poetry Review, Tipton Poetry Journal, North Dakota Quarterly, The MacGuffin and elsewhere.

Fereshteh Sholevar, the Iranian American poet and writer, immigrated to Germany in 1978 and later to the USA in 1990. She got her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Iowa and Rosemont College, Pa. She writes in four languages and has authored 6 books of poetry (two of which are bilingual: English German and English Spanish), a novel, and a children’s book. She won two awards from Philadelphia Poets and Pa Poetry Society second prize in 2004. She also won three prizes from the Pennsylvania Poetry Society in March 2019. Her new bilingual poetry book (English French) Of Dust And Chocolate is out and available @ Amazon. com

Robert Zaller is the author of eight books and chapbooks of poetry, most recently The Dresden Zoo (Moonstone Press). He is the translator of the Greek poet Lili Bita, and, with Bita, of Thirty Years in the Rain: The Selected Poetry of Nikiforos Vrettakos.