Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Bard Fest 2019 - In Celebration of National Poetry Month

Berks Bards is excited to announce our Bard Fest 2019 Event Line-Up!


Berks Bards is celebrating 21 years of fostering poetry in our community! Come wish us a Happy Birthday! Learn about poetry readings and workshops by checking out the events below!



What: Poetry-Collaging Workshop for Homeschooled Students by Jennifer Hetrick

When: April 4th, 2019 from 10-11:30 AM

Where: Reading Public Library

100 S 5th St, Reading, PA 19602

*Call 610.655.6350 x 241 to RSVP

For more information visit: poetrywithjenniferhetrick.blogspot.com



What: 1st Thursday Poetry & Open Mic Featuring Darla Himeles

When: April 4th, 2019 at 6 PM

Where: GoggleWorks Center for the Arts

201 Washington St, Reading, PA 19601

Darla Himeles is a Pushcart-Prize and Best-of-the-Net nominee whose poetry can be read in recent issues of Talking River, Naugatuck River Review, Atticus Review, Storyscape, and Pittsburgh Poetry Review. An associate editor of The Stillwater Review, Darla  holds an AB in English from Bryn Mawr College and an MFA in poetry and poetry in translation from Drew University. She is currently a doctoral candidate in American literature at Temple University, where she is also assistant director of the university's writing center. A 2018 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award recipient, Darla lives in Philadelphia with her wife, daughter, and two orange cats. She is the author of the chapbook Flesh Enough (Get Fresh Books, 2017).

Learn more about Darla Himeles by visiting: https://www.darlahimelespoetry.com/


What: The Poet Tree Open Mic

When: April 6th, 2019 from 6-9 PM

Where: Custom IT AFS

1801 N 12th St #101, Reading, PA 19604

For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/Customitafs/



What: Michael Czarnecki Poetry Workshop

When: April 6th, 2018 at 1PM

Where: L.T. James' Home

1840 Lorraine Road Reading, PA 19604

 *RSVP via email ltjamesthepagoda@gmail.com

For more information visit: http://www.pagodawriters.com/



What: Poetry & Music | Turtle Moon Native American Flute Circle

When: April 7th, 2019 from 1-4 PM

Where: Social Hall of the Bern Reformed UCC Church

3196 Bernville Rd, Leesport, PA 19533

For more information visit: https://turtlemoonnafc.wordpress.com/ 


What: 2nd Tuesday Poetry Open Mic

When: April 9th, 2018 at 6 PM

Where: Aladdin's Restaurant

401 Penn Ave, West Reading, PA 19611


Our regularly occurring 2nd Tuesday Poetry Open Mic meets at Aladdin's Restaurant at 6 PM every second Tuesday of the month. Join us downstairs for food, drinks, conversation, community, and of course...poetry!


What: Bird Poems Workshop by Jennifer Hetrick

When: April 13th, 2019 from 9:30-11:30 AM

Where: Rock Hollow Woods Environmental Learning Center

615 Rock Hollow Rd, Birdsboro, PA 19508

$20 Registration Fee can be paid by visiting:
https://www.rockhollowwoods.org/store/p72/Bird_Poems_Workshop-Saturday%2C_April_13%2C_2019.html




What: Celebrate 21 Years of Berks Bards

When: April 14th, 2019 from 3-5:30 PM

Where: Brandywine Branch Distillery & Bistro

350 Warwick Rd, Elverson, PA 19520

$25 Ticket includes a signature cocktail & salad

Learn more at : https://TinyURL.com/BerksBards21st


What: Tanka: Poetry Reading & Mini-Workshop with Elizabeth Bodien

When: April 16th, 2019 at 6 PM

Where: Wyomissing Public Library

 9 Reading Blvd, Wyomissing, PA 19610

Elizabeth Bodien is the author of two books of poetry: Blood, Metal, Fiber, Rock and Oblique Music: A Book of Hours  as well as four poetry chapbooks all written since she retired from teaching at Northampton Community College.She is also the author of the spiritual memoir Journeys with Fortune: A Tale of Other Lives. She holds degrees in cultural anthropology, consciousness studies, religions, and poetry. She has worked as an instructor of English in Japan, an organic farmer in the mountains of Oregon, a childbirth instructor in West Africa, and as a professor of anthropology. She retired from teaching to devote time to writing. She has taught poetry workshops and given talks on poetry and poetics on radio and TV.  Her poems, essays, and book reviews have appeared in Cimarron Review, Crannóg, and Parabola, among many other publications in the USA, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and India. Now she is working on a collection of her trance writings.  Bodien grew up in the “burned-over” district of Western New York but now lives near Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania.

Learn more about Elizabeth Bodien by visiting: http://www.elizabethbodien.com/

What: Bad Poetry Workshop for Teens

When: April 18th, 2019 from 6-7:30 PM

Where: Boone Area Library

129 N Mill St, Birdsboro, PA 19508


What: Poetry Workshop with Anthony Orozco aka Glyph

When: April 18th, 2019 at 6 PM

Where: Barrio Alegria

140 N 5th St, Reading, PA 19601



What: Poetry with Dr. T | Workshop for Children

When: April 20th, 2019 at 1 PM

Where: Sweet Ride Ice Cream

542 Penn Ave, West Reading, PA 19611


What: Artress Bethany White Poetry Reading

When: April 23rd, 2019 at 6 PM

Where: Barrio Alegria

140 N 5th St, Reading, PA 19601

Artress Bethany White is a poet, essayist, and literary critic. She is the recipient of the 2018 Trio Award for her new poetry collection, My Afmerica (Trio House Press, 2019). Her prose and poetry have appeared in such journals as Harvard Review, Tupelo Quarterly, The Hopkins Review, Poet Lore, Ecotone, and Pleiades. She has received the Mary Hambidge Distinguished Fellowship from the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts for her nonfiction, The Mona Van Duyn Scholarship in Poetry from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and writing residencies at The Writers Hotel and the Tupelo Press/MASS MoCA studios. She is a visiting assistant professor of American cultural studies at Albright College in Pennsylvania.



What: Memory Poem Workshop with Nancy Yeager

When: April 24th, 2019 from 9:30-11 AM

Where: The Mifflin Senior Center of Berks Encore

30 Liberty St, Shillington, PA 19607

What: Joshua Surita Poetry Reading

When: April 27th, 2019 at 1 PM

Where: Park Road Cafe

840 N Park Rd, Wyomissing, PA 19610

Joshua Surita was born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, where he first discovered his love for poetry in a high school classroom. After graduating in 2010, he continued to refine his craft by writing in between classes at Penn State and presenting pieces at many schools, community conferences, and countless open mics. This passion eventually led to Joshua being invited to California for Rhetoric 2018, one of the largest Spoken Word Poetry events in the country. But when he’s not crafting poetry, he’s crafting lesson plans as a Special Education teacher. And while his audience may change from poet enthusiasts to middle school students, Joshua’s underlying goal is the same: to glorify Jesus Christ.

What: Candy Poems Workshop by Jennifer Hetrick

When: April 28th, 2019 from 1-3 PM

Where: The Peppermint Stick Candy Store

26 E Philadelphia Ave, Boyertown, PA 19512

What: 8th Berks County Poet Laureate Celebration Ceremony

When: May 1st, 2019 at 7 PM

Where: Miller Center for the Arts at RACC

4 N 2nd St, Reading, PA 19601




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