Midcoast Poetry Readings
Past Readings current readings
Monday September 7 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet: Heather Webster
Heather Webster will read from her recently published chapbook, Family Recipes.
A lifelong Midcoast Mainer and 2020 Lincoln County Teacher of the Year, Webster lives in the region with her family and spent 25 years teaching English before transitioning to her current role as an instructional coach. She is a teacher consultant with the Maine Writing Project and holds a Master’s Degree in Writing and the Teaching of Writing.
Family Recipes is Webster’s first published chapbook and explores memory, family, and the stories carried through generations.
Spotlight Feature: Lise Kunkel
Lise Kunkel is a retired Hospice RN and writer living in Belfast. Her poem “On Borders” was published on March 29 this year in the Midcoast Villager.
This will be an evening of great fun, you won’t want to miss.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Tuesday August 18 6:00 p.m.
Dog Days of Summer
Rockland Public Library 80 Union St, Rockland Maine, in the Community Room
A Poetry Reading of Original Poems about Animals
Hot? Enjoy the “dog” days of summer with the Rockland Poetry Peers! They will present original poems about animals. There will be a/c, cold soft drinks, and great poetry. Who could ask for anything more?
Monday August 3 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Barnswallow Books
Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet: Judy Kaber
past Poet Laureate of Belfast Maine
Judy Kaber is known for her lyrical, nature-infused work and her deep connection to Maine’s landscape and community. Her work appears in journals including Comstock Review, Wolf Moon Journal, Off the Coast, Puckerbrush Reiview, Rattle, Pleiades, and Prairie Schooner.
She has also published chapbooks and collections, including Renaissance Man, In Sleep We Are All the Same and A Pandemic Alphabet.
Spotlight Feature Gin Mackey
Author and proud member of Thomaston Public Library Poets’ Corner and Rockland Poetry Peers, Gin Mackey is a master at injecting humor into grim situations. Also a novelist, she was dubbed “Owls Head’s Community Chronicler” by the Midcoast Villager for her book Last Chance Church and Restaurant. Her work blends humor, mystery and heartfelt storytelling. This will be an evening of great fun, you won’t want to miss.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Monday July 6 3:00 ‑ 5:00 p.m.
Len Germinara will offer a bookbinding demo, from 3‑5 PM, a simple DIY process that will have you creating handmade, “perfect bound” paperback books.
Monday July 6 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Barnswallow Books
Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet: Eleanor Cade Busby
who will share selections from her three poetry collections: Just North of Ordinary Tides, Braided in Last Light: Poems Through the Wheel of the Year, and Rising Light: Poems of Passion and Protest.
Spotlight Feature Len Geminara. A winner of the Cambridge Poetry Award, Len is a dynamic performer known for bringing slam energy and theatrical presence to his work.
This will be an evening of great fun, you won’t want to miss.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Monday June 1 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Barnswallow Books
Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet: Elizabeth Thomas
Elizabeth is the newly appointed Poet Laureate of East Hartford CT. She is a widely published poet, performer and educator. The author of two poetry collections and a book on writing, she has read her work throughout the United States and in 2009 taught ‘Poetry as Theatre’ in the United Arab Emirates at a women’s university. Much of her energy and time is devoted to designing and teaching writing programs for all ages. These programs promote literacy and the power of written and spoken word. As an outstanding advocate of youth in the arts, Elizabeth is a coach and organizer with Brave New Voices: International Youth Poetry Slam and Festival. She believes poetry is meant to be heard out loud and in person.
Spotlight Feature Eileen Herbert Hugo. Eileen is a member of Rockport Public Library Poets’ Corner and a board member of Midcoast Poetry Calendar and Journal (this website).
This will be an evening of great fun, you won’t want to miss.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Saturday May 30 2 ‑ 4 p.m.
Come As You Are – A Midcoast Gathering of Voices
Skidompha Public Library, Porter Hall (entrance in the back), 184 Main St, Damariscotta
Midcoast Poetry Journal is delighted to host this evening of poetry. Join us as we celebrate the Midcoast Poetry Journal and the vibrant voices of our region.
Open Mic. to follow. Bring a poem, a page, or simply yourself. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1, 2 and 3 will be available for sale.
Thursday May 21 6:00 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
MPJ Book Celebration Volume 3!
Rockland Public Library 80 Union St, Rockland Maine
Join us as we celebrate the publication of the Midcoast Poetry Journal Volume 3. Contributors will read poetry from the journal, and all are welcome to join in at the open mic. to follow. Free and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Friday May 15 3:00 ‑ 5:00 p.m.
Jackson Memorial Library 71 Main St, St. George Maine
Len Germinara will offer a bookbinding demo, from 3‑5 PM, a simple DIY process that will have you creating handmade, “perfect bound” paperback books.
Friday May 15 6 ‑ 8 p.m.
MPJ Book Celebration Volume 3!
Jackson Memorial Library 71 Main St, St. George Maine
Join us as we celebrate the publication of the Midcoast Poetry Journal Volume 3. Contributors will read poetry from the journal, and all are welcome to join in at the open mic. to follow. Free and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Monday May 4 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet Poet/Activist Richard Cambridge
Richard Cambridge has produced and co‑authored Where the Red Road Runs, a dramatic performance by local artists of poetry and music providing a Native American perspective of the European settlement of the Americas. His one‑person theater piece, The Cigarette Papers – A Spiritual Journey from Addiction received wide acclaim in both the medical and literary communities and was called “a tour‑de‑force” by the Boston Globe. He Co‑founded Singing with the Enemy, a troupe of poets, musicians, and performance artists. The show, ¡EMBARGO! is a dramatic mural of poetry, music, and dance dedicated to bringing awareness to the devastating effects of the United States’ 44‑year economic blockade on the people of Cuba. Richard co‑founded ¡PRESENTE! In collaboration with local artists and imprisoned activists, ¡PRESENTE! is a dramatic tapestry of poetry, music, dance, mask, mime, and ritual that brings awareness to political prisoners and prisoners of war in the U.S. Currently performing throughout the Northeast. Richard is also the Curator of Poets’ Theater at Club Passim, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Spotlight Feature Megan Berman. Megan is a member of Rockport Public Library Poets’ Corner and lives in Rockport Maine with her husband and two children. Megan grew up in Maine and appreciates all the inspiration afforded by living on the gorgeous Maine coast.
This will be an evening of great fun, you won’t want to miss.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Saturday April 25 1:30 ‑ 3:30 p.m.
MPJ Book Celebration Volume 3!
Waldoboro Public Library, 958 Main St, Waldoboro Maine
Join us as we celebrate the publication of the Midcoast Poetry Journal Volume 3. Contributors will read from the journal and all are welcome to join in at the open mic to follow. Free and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1, 2 and 3 will be available for sale.
Sunday April 19 1:00 ‑ 3 p.m.
MPJ Book Celebration Volume 3!
Thomaston Public Library 60 Main St, Thomaston Maine
Join us as we celebrate the publication of the Midcoast Poetry Journal Volume 3. Contributors will read poetry from the journal, and all are welcome to join in at the open mic. to follow. Free and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1, 2, and 3 will be available for sale.
Wednesday April 8 3:00 ‑ 5:00 p.m.
Workshop: Craft a Journal of Your Own with Len Germinara.
Please register on Herring Gut Coastal Science Center’s Nature Poetry & Bookbinding web page. Thank you.
Look for the red Register Here button at the bottom of the page.
6:00 ‑ 7:00 p.m.
Nature Poetry at Herring Gut Coastal Science Center
Herring Gut Coastal Science Center 59 Factory Rd. Port Clyde
Calling All Poets! Celebrating Earth Month & National Poetry Month
We will also have a poetry reading featuring the Herring Gut poets in the Midcoast Poetry Journal, followed by an open mic. Bring your favorite nature poems to share. Poets of all ages welcome.
Monday April 6 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
86 Pascal Ave. Rockport – Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet Olivia FitzPatrick is a Thomaston-based poet whose work centers on queerness, intimacy, and the emotional weight of ordinary spaces. They are debuting a new chapbook – int3rrupted. Copies will be available for purchase at the reading.
Spotlight Feature Sarah Oktay is the executive director of the Herring Gut Coastal Science Center and holds a doctorate in chemical oceanography from Texas A&M University, Galveston. Her first chapbook, Sifting Light from the Darkness was published in 2020 and she has another chapbook in the works.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals will be available for sale.
Monday March 2 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet Jean Anne Feldeisen
Jean Anne Feldeisen is a 76-year‑old grandmother from New Jersey living on a farm in Maine. A retired psychotherapist, Jean Anne had her first poem published at age 72 in SPANK the CARP and more published in The HOPPER, The RavensPerch, Neologism Poetry Journal, Thimble Literary Magazine, Rising Phoenix Review, Eunoia Review, Mockingheart Review, Bracken, and The Fairy Tale Magazine, among other publications and anthologies. Main Street Rag published her first chapbook, Not All Are Weeping, in May 2023. In fall of 2023, she and her friend, Argy Nestor, self-published their collection of poetry and art, Catching Fireflies. Jean Anne’s first full poetry collection, South Jersey Sand, was released by Kelsay Books this year.
Spotlight Feature Mary Jane Martin. Mary Jane Martin started taking poetry seriously after joining the Moody Mountain Writers, a group that went on to publish their one and only chapbook, Stone In My Pocket, in 2007. Since then, she’s had the privilege of reading her poetry with several awesome local poets. Today she writes with the talented poets of the Thomaston Public Library Poets’ Corner.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals will be available for sale.
Sunday February 22 1:00 ‑ 3 p.m.
MPJ Book Celebration Volume 1 & 2!
Thomaston Public Library 60 Main St, Thomaston Maine
Join us as we celebrate the publication of the Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1 and 2. Poet contributors will read poetry from the journals and from their other work.
All are welcome to join in at the open mic. to follow. Free and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1 and 2 will be available for sale.
Monday February 2 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
New Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet Carol Willette Bachofner: Carol Willette Bachofner is an American poet of Abenaki descent. She currently resides in Rockland, Maine. She is the co‑founder and editor of the online literary journal, Pulse, established in 1997. Her substack is here.
Spotlight Feature Zachary Cole. His blog is here.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals will be available for sale.
Saturday January 24 1:30 ‑ 3 p.m.
MPJ Book Celebration Volume 1 & 2!
Waldoboro Public Library, 958 Main St, Waldoboro Maine
Join us as we celebrate the publication of the Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1 and 2. Poet contributors will read from the journal and all are welcome to join in at the open mic. to follow. Free and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1 and 2 will be available for sale.
Tuesday January 13 6:30 ‑ 8:00 p.m.
Wintersong: A Midcoast Gathering of Voices
Skidompha Public Library, Porter Hall (entrance in the back), 184 Main St, Damariscotta
Midcoast Poetry Calendar, River Company Theater, and Skidompha Library are delighted to host this evening of poetry. Join us as we celebrate the Midcoast Poetry Journal and the vibrant voices of our region.
Open Mic. to follow. Bring a poem you wrote or a poem you love. Free admission and open to all. Refreshments in the Lobby.
Midcoast Poetry Journal Volumes 1 and 2 will be available for sale.
Monday January 5 6 ‑ 7:30 p.m.
Coastal Verse: Poetry at Pascal Hall
New Poetry Series – first Monday of every month
Featured Poet Maya Stein Belfast Poet Laureate Emeritus, poet, writing facilitator, and creative adventurer.
Spotlight Feature Charles Brown award winning poet.
Open Mic. to follow. Free admission and open to all.
Midcoast Poetry Journals will be available for sale.