READING: Red Sky: poems on the global epidemic of violence against women is an anthology edited by Houston poets Gabrielle Langley and Stacy Nigliazzo (and Austin Poet, Melissa Hassard).  On Sunday, March 18, at 4:00 PM at Brazos Bookstore there will be a reading from the anthology featuring Houston poets Jane Chance, Carolyn Dahl,  Gabriel Langley, Stacy Nigliazzo, Aleenah Spencer and Chris Wise (see bios below).

WORKSHOP:  Poetry, Trauma, and Violence: Writing About the Unspeakable
SAT. MARCH 24, 3-5 PM at RUDYARD’S
REGISTRATION: $10 At The Door

Poets and editors, Gabrielle Langley and Stacy Nigliazzo, will be available to discuss and support poets who are interested in writing more effectively about violence and trauma. This two hour workshop will explore elements and approaches that make for stronger poems about traumatic events.  The workshop will include written exercise as well as a question and answer session led by the founder of Public Poetry, Fran Sanders.

POET BIOS:
Jane Chance’s first book of poems, “Only Begetter, “was published by White Violet Press in 2014; her second book, “The Middle Ages,” will be published by Finishing Line Press in 2018.  Her poetry has appeared in Antigonish Review, Ariel, Dalhousie Review, Degenerates: Voices for Peace, Harbinger Asylum, Icarus (Trinity College Dublin), Ilanot Review, Kansas Quarterly, The Literary Review, Lyric, New America (Women Artists and Writers of the Southwest), Nimrod, Poet Lore, Quartet, Southern Humanities Review, Texas Poetry Calendar 2016 and 2018, Wascana Review,” and other journals and anthologies. Recipient of an NEH Fellowship, Guggenheim, Bellagio Residency, and membership at the Institute for Advanced Study-Princeton, she has published six books on medieval mythography, four books on medieval women writers and medievalists, and six books on J.R.R. Tolkien. The Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, Rice University, she received a D. Litt. from Purdue University in 2013.

Carolyn Dahl was the Grand Prize winner in the 2015 Public Poetry/MFAH ekphrastic poetry competition, ARTlines2.  Her essays and poems have been published in twenty-five anthologies including Women On Poetry (McFarland), Goodbye, Mexico (Texas Review Press), Beyond Forgetting (Kent State), and in various literary journals including Copper Nickel, Camas, Hawaii Review, Colere, Sojourn, and Pirene’s Fountain. She is the co-author of the poetry and art book The Painted Door Opened, has received grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, residencies to Hedgebrook and the Vermont Studio Center, and won a finalist award from PEN Texas in nonfiction.  Also a visual artist, Carolyn has shown her work in various museums and national galleries, been a guest artist on HGTV and PBS television programs, and has authored two art books: Transforming Fabric (F&W Books) and Natural Impressions (Watson-Guptill Publications).  www.carolyndahlstudio.com

Gabrielle Langley has been featured in the Huffington Post as one of Houston’s important emerging poets (“Five Poets You Need to Know About,” HuffPost 11/23/2015). She was Houston Poetry Fest’s Featured Poet for 2017, a recipient of the Lorene Pouncey Award, Houston Poetry Fest’s Jury Prize, Vivian Nellis Memorial Award for Creative Writing, and an ARTlines national poetry finalist. Her work has been appearing in a variety of literary journals. Ms. Langley is also a founder and editor of Red Sky: poetry on the global epidemic of violence against women (Sable Books – 2016). She works during the day as a licensed mental health professional. To safeguard her own mental health, she writes poetry and dances Argentine tango at night. Additional information about this poet can be found at www.gabriellelangley.com .

Stacy R. Nigliazzo is the award-winning author of two full-length poetry collections, Scissored Moon (Press 53, 2013) and Sky the Oar (Press 53, forthcoming, fall 2018). She is co-editor of Red Sky, Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals including Journal of the American Medical Association, Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine, Third Space (Harvard Medical School), American Journal of Nursing, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Annals of Emergency Medicine. Her poem “Relic” was a finalist for the 2012 Marica and Jan Vilcek Poetry Prize. She reviews poetry for the American Journal of Nursing and the Bellevue Literary Review. In addition to her R.N. degree, she holds a B.S. in psychology from Texas A&M and has been recognized by Elsevier for nursing excellence.

Aleenah Spencer is a recent graduate student at Texas A&M University. She recently received her Master’s of Science in Veterinary Integrative Biosciences. She is aiming for her Doctorates in Veterinary Medicine. Aleenah is a published poet, a model and photographer. She currently works as a veterinary nurse, dog walker, and barista. In her free time, she can be found lounging around with her chiweenie, obscurely mixed-breed terrier, and two black cats. She thoroughly enjoys spoken word, ballet, coconut le croix, meditative walks and roller skating.

Chris Wise is a poet and novelist. He has been published in various poetry anthologies and small press literary magazines such as Nerve Cowboy, Blue Collar Review, and Road Not Taken. He has been a featured author in Cowboys and Indians Magazine and has made several radio appearances on KPFT’s Living Art, Houston Public Poetry, and the Word Around Town Poetry Tour. His book Colliding With Orion Writing From Life (a collection of poetry, short stories and essays on craft) from Absey & Co. was released in 2017. He writes for and hosts the internet television show The Crawl on KH-TV.com where he features Texas wineries, distilleries, breweries and events that promote them. He is a veteran of the US Army, earned an English degree from Texas A&M, and currently lives in Houston, TX