Featured poets are Michael Lepore and Rhett Watts. Leslie McGrath was originally scheduled but passed away in August 2020.
Dr. Michael Lepore, a retired orthodontist, is Glastonbury’s
Poet Laureate and the author of three poetry books that deal with the lingering
effects of combat service in the Vietnam War. His first book,
Forgotten Heroes- Poems for and about Veterans of the Vietnam War was
published in 2010. His second book,
Vietnam
Voices- Echoes of the Vietnam Experience
received a Bronze Medal from the Military Writers Society of America. His third
book,
Moral Injury- A Vietnam War Journey
of Moral and Spiritual Confusion received the Gold Medal in the “Poetry
Book” category of the 2017 Awards Program of the Military Writers Society of
America. His fourth book,
My Inner Eye, is a reflection on his life’s
journey. All four books were published by Grayson Books, West Hartford, CT. His
poem,
Impaired, received the First Prize award from the Connecticut
Poetry Society’s 2019 Awards program.
Rhett
Watts has lived in Beirut, New York and San Francisco. After 35 years in Connecticut,
she and her husband moved to Massachusetts where they live beside Dark Brook.
Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and is included in the books: The Best
Spiritual Writing 2000 and Knitting into the Mystery: A Guide to the
Shawl-Knitting Ministry. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize, she took first
place in the CT Poetry Award 2013 and was co-winner of the Rane Arroyo Chapbook
Prize for No Innocent Eye. Her books are: Willing Suspension (Antrim
House) and The Braiding (Kelsay Books). Rhett holds an MFA in Writing
from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a member of the 4x4 artist/poet
collaborative and also writes with The Shes in Bloomfield. As a certified
writing facilitator (Amherst Writers & Artists), she leads workshops in CT
and MA. A SoulCollage® facilitator and trained spiritual companion, she views
the world as 'a vale of soul-making' as poet John Keats wrote in his letters.
For the open mic, if you would like to read one of Leslie McGrath's poems, please do!
You must provide your email address at registration to receive the Zoom link. Your Registration Confirmation Notice includes the Zoom link for the program. All participants will start with video off and sound muted. No computer/internet at home? Call the Library for the phone number, meeting ID & password and join us over the phone.
