Description of Event:
Tallahassee was aglow at the Writers for Migrant Justice Reading this past September. Sponsored by a local vegan restaurant and bar, The Bark, members of the Panhandle’s literary and activist community came together for a night of remembrance, solidarity, and poetry. Our evening began with a moment of silence for the migrant children who have been killed by our current government’s cruel and inept policies, which was then followed by a rousing speech by local activist, Morgan Flake. Poet Mat Wenzel then took over as emcee, introducing our slate of wonderful poets including Barbara Hamby, Laura Louise Minor, Tanya Grae, Ruth Ann Baumann, Alexa Doran, Dustin Pearson, Michael Rothenberg, Terri Carrion and DM Aderibigbe. After our scheduled reading, we held a brief and joyful open mic. We were all so grateful to have been part of this powerful event.
Description of Photos:
Hosts – Mat Wenzel, Dr. Laura Louise Minor, and Alexa Doran. Mat and Alexa are both working on their PhD in Poetry at Florida State University, Dr. Minor recently graduated from Florida State University with this same degree. Mat’s chapbook, Kindling, was recently a semifinalist in the 2019 Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest, and Laura Louise Minor’s book FLOWERS AS MIND CONTROL, was recently a finalist in the National Poetry Series competition. You can grab Alexa Doran’s chapbook Nightsink, Faucet Me a Lullaby from Bottlecap Press (2019).
Barbara Hamby is a professor at Florida State University and the author of several poetry collections including All Night Lingo-Tango and Bird Odyssey.
DM Aderibigbe is the author of the book How the End First Showed and the chapbook In Praise of Our Absent Father.
Morgan Flake is an activist and community organizer who has put a lot of effort into fighting the Trump administration’s various attacks on immigrants.
Alexa Doran was the main host for this event and is the author of the chapbook Nightsink, Faucet Me a Lullaby.
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Organizers: Alexa Elizabeth Doran
Cohosts: Laura Louise Minor, Mat Wenzel
Venue: The Bark vegan/vegetarian restaurant
Readers: Morgan Flake, Dustin Pearson, Barbara Hamby, DM Aderibigbe, Mat Wenzel, Tanya Grae, Michael Rothenberg, Ruth Ann, Terri Carrion, Laura Louise Minor, Alexa Doran