In celebration of National Poetry Month, enjoy an afternoon of poetry as four local poets read selections from their works. Participating poets include: Jon Bishop; Kevin Carey; Gayle Heney; and Pilar Quintana. Q&A and book signing to follow the event for those interested. Light refreshments will be provided.

Poet Bios:  

Jon Bishop, a former reporter for the Tewksbury Town Crier, recently published his first book of poetry, Scratching Lottery Tickets On A Street Corner. His work has appeared in outlets like Boston Literary Magazine, the Arts Fuse, the Lowell Sun, and Fourth & Sycamore. He holds a Master's degree in English literature.

Kevin Carey is the Coordinator of Creative Writing at Salem State University. He has published three books – a chapbook of fiction, The Beach People from Red Bird Chapbooks and two books of poetry from Cavankerry Press, The One Fifteen to Penn Station and Jesus Was a Homeboy, which was selected as an Honor Book for the 2017 Paterson Poetry Prize. Kevin is also a filmmaker and playwright. His latest documentary film, Unburying Malcolm Miller, about a deceased Salem, MA poet, premiered at the Mass Poetry Festival in 2016. His new stage play “The Stand or Sal is Dead” a murder mystery comedy, opened in Newburyport, MA at The Actor’s Studio in June.  

Gayle C. Heney is the producer and host of the TV series Write Now and a former 2-term poet laureate of North Andover. She is the editor of Songs from the Castle’s Remains, and Leaf Sorrow Tree Strong and co-editor of Soulmates. In 2018, she installed a concrete poem in Maudsley State Park entitled, Lost or Saved, and created the TV program “No Gas Poetry”. In 2019, Ms. Heney’s poems have appeared in Methuen’s “Words for a Winter Waterfall”, “Growing Poetry” and Merrimac Mic Anthology V. She founded and chairs the poetry critique group The Write Group. She has taught poetry at MA Poetry Festivals, libraries, schools and MA Student Day of Poetry.

Pilar Quintana is a member of the Grey Court Poets and the Arts Institute Group of the Merrimack Valley whose poems and art have been published in the Grey Court Poets’ Songs From the Castle’s Remains; their art/poetry collaboration with the AIGMV, Soulmates; MethuenLife; Persian Sugar in English Tea (Vol. III): The Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Love Poems; and online at Word of Mouth, Queen Mob’s Tea House, and HIV Here & Now. Pilar’s poetry can also be seen on the Methuen Rail Trail.