Reading and discussion of my poetry (theological and otherwise) at St Andrews Episcopal Church in Marblehead, MA).

Bearded Bards of Bluesky is returning and raising money for Trans Lifeline!

The November lineup:

• Todd Dillard

• Brian Spears

• Matthew E. Henry

• James McConachie

• David J Bauman

• Jonathan Everitt

Join us for an inspiring evening of spoken word and poetic expression at our Poetry Night, featuring five dynamic voices: Sam Aureli, Sara Jane Ferreira, Ariel Friedman, Matthew Henry, and Merryn Rutledge. Each poet brings a unique rhythm and perspective to the mic, offering a night of creativity, connection, and powerful storytelling. Whether you're a longtime poetry lover or just curious, come be part of the magic—words are waiting.

I’ll be reading at The Square Root in Roslindale with Josette Akresh-Gonzales.

The NEPC’s summer season continues at The Old Manse in Concord, Mass. This free reading will be held under a tent outdoors, at an accessible venue where I will be reading with Nina Alonso Hathaway and Elizabeth C. Maxey.

See the link below for more information.

I'll be reading with Luisa Caycedo-Kimura at the Gloucester Writers Center!

I will be reading with Linda Carney-Goodrich at The Bookstore of Gloucester

The Night Office: Embracing the Creative Power of Darkness

With lights and ever more lights, we drive the holiness and the beauty of night back to the forests and the sea …      Henry Beston, “Night on a Great Beach” (1928)

 How does darkness influence our art, our prayer, our perspective? Given the explosion of artificial light over the past 150 years, how do we navigate the loss of darkness and what—exactly—are we losing? In this panel, we’ll explore ways to enrich our creative practices through mindful engagement with darkness, literal and metaphorical. We’ll also explore the profound effects artificial light has on the natural world, and our accompanying grief. We hope to converse across theology, ecology, poetry and non-fiction, touching on such topics as winter solstice, via negativa, midnight prayer (‘the night office’), and the importance of the night sky.

Presenters: Hannah Larrabee, Nina MacLaughlin, Carolyn Oliver, and Matthew E. Henry

Goin’ Up Yonder: Religion in Black Poetics

For many in the Black American community, religion played a large role in our upbringing. Whether we maintain our beliefs into adulthood, embrace a new faith, or abandon religion altogether, we may reckon with or otherwise allude to how that cultural context informed our lives through poetry. Four writers will read poems that include imagery, diction, and other aspects of religion. Then they will discuss among themselves and with the audience how these influences appear in and drive their work. 

Presenters:  Quintin Collins, Sarah Kersey, Porsha Olayiwola, and Matthew E. Henry

I will be joining Jabari Adsim and Alexis Rizzuto at Newtonville Books to celebrate and launch the latest issue launch of Solstice Literary Magazine.

I’ll be reading alongside Michelle Richardson (AKA Michelle de la Poetica) at The Galleries at Lynn Arts (GALA) as part of The Thursday Poets Reading Series, which celebrates the talent and diversity of Lynn’s literary community.

Frances Klein 

Megan McDermott

Jared Beloff

Matthew E. Henry

Register below. More info coming

I’ll have a slot in The Meg and Greg Show during the 2025 Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival at the university of New Hampshire

Reading alongside Crystal Valentine, Dorothea Lasky, Ricky Orng, Bianca Stone, Maeve Flusser, and M.P. Carver. Hosted by Meghan Miraglia and Gregory Glenn.

I’m on from 1:30- 2:00pm

Room 210 | Hamilton Smith Hall

Though it May Look Like Disaster: Poetic Forms to Save Your Life (Marianne Kunkel, Melissa Fite Johnson, Faisal Mohyuddin, Ashley M. Jones, Matthew E. Henry)

Do poetic forms have life-saving properties? Five poets will discuss how meter, rhyme, syllable count and other constraints have been sources of constancy and control during personal and political upheaval: layoffs, death, addiction, religious trauma, racism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They will examine the healing power of classic forms—sonnet, abecedarian and #ceasefire haiku—as well as remixed/invented forms, and share how forms can be a balm for a writer’s (or reader’s) heartbreak.

Location: Concourse Hall 151, Level One, Los Angeles Convention Center

Session Code: F227

3:20 PM - 4:35 PM PDT (6:20 - 7:35 EST)

I will be reading with Kevin Gallagher and Anastasia Vassos at the Chapter and Verse literary reading series in Jamaica Plain at the historic Loring-Greenough House, sponsored by the Jamaica Pond Poets.

I’ll be reading with Sara Letourneau as part of the Poetry: the Art of Words Reading Series in Plymouth, MA once again.

I’ll be reading at Athan’s Bakery with poets Ruth Chad, Tzynia Pinchback, and Irish story teller Aidan Parkinson.

I'll be reading with Eric Hyett and Linda Lamenza, followed by an open mic, at Open Doors Center for the Arts in Weymouth, MA on Saturday, February 22nd at 6 PM.

Experiment under the mentorship of accomplished writers. The conference will feature a combination of writing workshops and readings led by published mentors. This year we are pleased to offer mentorship by authors January O’Neil, Matthew Henry, and D. Eric Parkison. The workshop will culminate in a group reading of student work created during the day. Participants may experiment with different styles of creative writing, including poetry, fiction, and personal essay. Students will have an opportunity to work in small groups with each mentor over the course of the day.

The Word is a monthly poetry open mic & reading series at Workshop13, a cultural arts & learning center in Ware, Massachusetts. We start with an engaging, compassionate open mic with a featured reader to follow right after. The event takes place in Workshop13’s Great Hall, a refurbished church and a beautiful space to read, listen, and be heard. BYOB. Free popcorn. This is an all ages event.

SIGN-UPS start at 2:30. Open mic starts promptly at 3pm, with our featured reader to follow after a short break.

I’ll be the featured reader at the Pour Me A Poem Reading Series. Open mic to follow.

See the information below about the reading

Poets Wayne-Daniel Berard and Sara Letourneau are hosting Pour Me a Poem on the second Thursday of each month at 51 Park Street (Wayne-Daniel's home) in Mansfield, MA, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The next one will be on Thursday, August 8, 2

Please ensure you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before attending. Also, please make sure you park on the even-numbered side of the street, opposite from Wayne-Daniel's house.

I’ll be joining Joan Kwon Glass and Miller Oberman at Possible Futures in New Haven, CT

Poetry as a Radical Act

I have the honor of reading with Joan Kwon Glass, Jennifer Martelli, Kevin McLellan, and Anna V. Q. Ross, with Danielle Jones as part of the Boston Book Festival.

Audre Lorde said, “Poetry is not a luxury.” To think, write, and be fully engaged with the world around us in ways that matter is nothing less than a radical act of survival.

I’ll be reading at the First Congregational Church of Wareham as a part of their Arts at the Stone Church Cafe series.

Light Dinner: 6:30-7:30

Poetry and Q&A: 7:30-8:30

I am honored to be joining Quintin Collins as a reader for the launch of Sarah Kersey’s debut collection Residence Time!

I’ll be a featured reader in the Zoom-based Wild & Precious Life Series. I’ll be joining Kai Coggin and MT Vallarta on Thursday, September 26th, 2024.

The Wild & Precious Life Series launched on 4/1/20 as a response to the pandemic to create a virtual space for poets to share their work, poetry lovers to receive it, and spotlight poets with books being released during the pandemic.

The series has featured Diane Seuss, Marilyn Nelson, Dorianne Laux, Patricia Smith, Alicia Ostriker, Carolyn Forché, Denise Duhamel, Oliver de la Paz, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Victoria Chang, Paisley Rekdal, Major Jackson, Victoria Redel, Ashley M Jones, Dan Beachy-Quick, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Nin Andrews, Tina Chang, Tyree Daye, José Olivarez, Erika Meitner, Brynn Saito, Geffrey Davis, Mark Wunderlich, Julie Marie Wade, and many others. Click here for select recordings of WPLS readings.

“Doors” open at 7:15pm (EST).

All readings start at 7:30pm (EST).

I will be reading with others published in issue #9 of Molecule Mag as part of the Salem Literary Festival.