Goin' Up Yonder: Religion in Black Poetics

  Quinton Collins, Matthew E. Henry, Sarah Kersey 

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

I will be returning to Grolier to read with Jack Saebyok Jung and Joan Naviyuk Kane.

A poetry and music tribute to the late/great Charles Coe will take place at the Menino Art Center on Friday, June 12th from 7 to 9 PM.

Six poets will present Charles’ poems:

• Amy Alvarez

• Tonie Bee

• Linda Carney-Goodrich

• Matthew E. Henry

• Cecily Miller

• Aidan Parkinson

Ken Field and B. Mez will be play/improvise music.

I will be one of the night’s readers at Serendipity Bookshop in Taunton, Ma.

More info TBA…

I will be the featured reader at c Voices in Verse Poetry Cafe.

The Poetry Cafe begins with a craft workshop, followed by an open mic, then the feature reading.

It is my please to read, once again, at Tidepool Bookshop in Worcester, MA.

More info to come…

Faith & Migration: Author Talk w/ KÁNYIN Olorunnisola & Matthew E. Henry

KANYIN Olorunnisola, Yoruba writer and author of ARA’LUEBO: The Immigrant Monologues will be joining boston-born editor and author of Promises to Keep, Matthew E. Henry for a reading and conversation highlighting their most recent collections of poetry. Join us for an evening exploring the oetics of faith and migration.

I’ll be the Keynote speaker for the Educators Showcase in Brockton. A night highlighting poetry and education.

I’ll be presenting and reading at the Five Ponds Creative Writing Festival at Gordon College.

“What Can We Learn from the Prophetic Voice?”

It has been argued the prophets of the Hebrew Bible have more in common with spoken word and slam poets than Sunday morning preachers. Tasked with communicating the “word” and “vision” of the LORD, and recognizing the magnitude of the communal and cosmic stakes, their sensitivity to evil and hatred of public performative piety, infused their poetry with controversial imagery, often at great personal risk. What can modern writers with similar spiritual sensitivities learn from the rhetorical elements of the Prophetic critique—the images, metaphors, and sign-acts that they employed? What can we get away with? How far is too far?

I will be a featured reader at Everyone Has A Voice at the Brockton Public Library alongside one of my students.

I’ll be reading with Quintin Collins and Tatiana Johnson-Boria. Open mic to follow.

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

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

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.

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.