Moonstone Arts Center

Book Release: And If You Saw Me by Craig Czury
2025-11-23 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Book Release: And If You Saw Me by Craig Czury
Featuring: Craig Czury, J. C. Todd, and Olga Livshin
Live at Fergies Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Craig Czury has been conducting innovative life-writing and poetry workshops in schools, shelters, prisons, psych wards, community centers, and universities for over 30 years. A native of the Wilkes-Barre area of Pennsylvania, Craig is also an editor, publisher, and tireless arts advocate. He has authored over 20 books of poetry, many of which are translated into other languages, and he has been featured in poetry festivals all over the world. Craig lives, writes, and teaches in northern Italy and in northeastern Pennsylvania.
You can purchase copies at the event or online on Square here.
J. C. Todd explores the traumatic effects of war on women and the environment. Author of six books of poetry, most recently Beyond Repair (Able Muse Press, 2021) and a bilingual new and selected What Kept Me Awake? / Kas neleido užmigti? (PDR, 2024), she is a co-editor of Convergence: Poetry on the Environmental Impacts of War, a ground-breaking anthology addressing war’s damage to the natural world (Scarlet Tanager Press, 2026). Awards include fellowships from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. She has taught Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr College and in the Rosemont MFA Program.
Olga Livshin’s poetry and translations recently appear in Poetry magazine, the Southern Review, the New York Times, and Ploughshares. She is the author of A Life Replaced: Poems with Translations from Anna Akhmatova and Vladimir Gandelsman (Poets & Traitors Press, 2019). Livshin co-translated Lyudmyla Khersonska’s Today is a Different War (Arrowsmith Press, 2023) and Vladimir Gandelsman’s A Man Only Needs a Room (New Meridian Arts, 2022). She lives just outside Philadelphia.
Open Reading Follows

Live Poetry: Barb Gonzalez & c.r. hooker
2025-11-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Poetry: Barb Gonzalez & c.r. hooker
Live @ Fergies Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Barb Gonzalez (they/he) is a Philadelphia based poet just here to prove that there is something charming, or maybe a lesson to be learned in the mundane. as a haunter of dreams, naturally they write about nightmares and woes of their own.
c.r. hooker (they/them) is a nonbinary, bisexual poet and artist born and raised in the unforgiving heat of the Arizona desert. They are the photographer for Scribes on South and currently call the concrete jungle of Philadelphia their home
Mac Chandler Host, Open Reading Follows

New Voices: Live at Parkway Central Library
2025-12-02 17:30 - 19:30 | PA
New Voices: Fall 2025
A series for emerging poets between the ages of 10 and 25. This bi-annual publication invites poets to voice their experiences, introduce their new ways of thinking, and create the next generation of poetry. New Voices brings diverse voices and perspectives to print, from varied ethnic, gender, and class backgrounds.
Join us as contributors read their poems!
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 – If you live near Philadelphia please join us live.
LIVE at 5:30 EDT – Central Library, 1901 Vine St.

Philly Loves Poetry Interview and Readings Series - Live Broadcast
2025-12-02 18:30 - 20:00 | PA
Moonstone Poetry @ PhillyCAM: Can be viewed on the Phillycam website Or Cable 66/966HD/967 or Verizon FIOS, 29/30. In Philadelphia.
Leonard Gontarek is the author of eight books of poems, his poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Field, Poet Lore, Fence, and in the anthologies, The Best American Poetry among others. He coordinates The Philadelphia Poetry Festival, Peace/Works: Poetry Readings for Peace, the Green Line Café Reading and Interview Series, and Poetry In Common. Since 2006 he has conducted 1000 poetry workshops in venues including, The Moonstone Arts Center, Musehouse, The Kelly Writers House, University City Arts League, Free Library of Philadelphia, Mad Poets Society, Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, and a weekly Saturday workshop from his home in West Philadelphia. In 2014 he created the first Philly Poetry Day.
Charles S. Carr, Host

Live Poetry: Peter E. Murphy, Karol Wasylyshyn, & Bernardine (Dine) Watson
2025-12-03 19:00 - 21:00 | PA
Live Poetry: Peter E. Murphy, Karol Wasylyshyn, & Bernardine (Dine) Watson
Live @ Fergies Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Peter E. Murphy is the author of thirteen books and chapbooks of poetry, his writing has appeared in The Michigan Quarterly Review, The North American Review, Poetry Wales, and elsewhere. The founder of Murphy Writing of Stockton University, Peter leads workshops for writers in the US and Europe.
Karol Wasylyshyn has published volumes of poetry, in the wake of her husband’s death in 2024, she edited a collection of his grammar columns in a book entitled The Queen’s English, and is now working on a series of illustrated grief poems. Karol and Ken Butera are pictured here.
Bernardine (Dine) Watson has written on social policy issues for major foundations, nonprofit organizations and for the Washington Post. Her memoir, Transplant, won the 2023 prize for nonfiction and appeared on National Public Radio’s 2023 list of “Books We Love.” Her poetry has been published in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Bourgeon/Mid Atlantic Review, and others. While living in Philadelphia, Dine served as president of The Painted Bride Art Center board of directors and as a board member for Scribe Video Center. She recently joined the board of the Washington Writers’ Publishing House.
Aaren Perry Host, Open Reading Follows

Live Poetry: Derrick C. Brown & Erica Miriam Fabri
2025-12-07 08:00 - 17:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Poetry: Derrick C. Brown & Erica Miriam Fabri
Wednesday December 10, 2025 – 7pm
Live at Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Derrick C. Brown is a renowned poet, comedian and former Paratrooper. He is the poet laureate of Los Feliz, CA. His album, ‘A Close Shave with Heaven’ earned him Paste Magazine’s ‘2023 Album of the Year.’ Winner of the Texas Book of The Year award for Poetry, owner and president of Write Bloody Publishing, hailed by Forbes and Filter Magazine as one of the nation’s premier independent poetry presses with a sister company, Write Bloody North in Toronto. He has authored ten poetry books and four children’s books. Brown’s impact on literature is undeniable. He’s toured stages worldwide, from Glastonbury to The Tonight Show, and collaborates with poets and comedians like Bobcat Goldthwait, Kristin Schaal, David Cross, and Eugene Mirman.
Erica Miriam Fabri is a NYC-based poet and the author of Dialect of a Skirt (a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize) and Morphology (winner of the Write Bloody Publishing Jack McCarthy Book Prize.) Her poetry has been widely published in magazines, anthologies, and featured in multi-media formats including art installations, short films, and television commercials. She teaches writing at Pace University and for The City University of New York.
Amy Saul-Zerby Host – Open Reading Follows

Live Reading: 30th Annual Poetry Ink
2025-12-13 14:00 - 16:00 | The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
30th Annual Poetry Ink – LIVE READING
Saturday, December 13, 2pm
Central Free Library, 1901 Vine Street, Literature Dept. 2nd Floor

The 30th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology contains 118 poems by poets from around the world.
We want you all: Published Poets, Unpublished Poets, Academic Poets, Street Poets, Poets who write Sonnets, Villanelle, Haiku, Ekphrastic poems, Concrete Poems, Epitaph, Limerick, Ballad, Ode, Free Verse. Join us for our 30th year of Presenting Poetry Ink.
You can also purchase the 30th Poetry Ink anthology on our ecommerce site here.
There will also be a virtual Zoom reading for poets who are not in the Philadelphia area to participate.

Virtual: 30th Annual Poetry Ink
2025-12-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
30th Annual Poetry Ink – LIVE READING
Sunday, December 14, 2pm
Online via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GeRraO9xQ_yAefQXVw3J2g

The 30th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology contains 118 poems by poets from around the world.
We want you all: Published Poets, Unpublished Poets, Academic Poets, Street Poets, Poets who write Sonnets, Villanelle, Haiku, Ekphrastic poems, Concrete Poems, Epitaph, Limerick, Ballad, Ode, Free Verse. Join us for our 30th year of Presenting Poetry Ink.
You can also purchase the 30th Poetry Ink anthology on our ecommerce site here.

Virtual: Bill of Rights 2025 Anthology
2025-12-21 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
Virtual: Bill of Rights 2025
Sunday December 21, 2pm EST
Register for Zoom here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oYNfQ0_WTCSJj2p4dFC62Q
The United States’ Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791, meant to guarantee civil rights and liberties. Below is a reminder of the rights included in the ratification.

Our last anthology of the year – What happened to our rights?

Join us and reflect on the founding of the United States.

Free and open to everyone; not all poets will be reading
Virginia Alcott
Patricia Bailey
A. C. Blake
Linda M. Crate
Jeanne DiGrazio
Francis Flavin
William Scott Galasso
Marjorie Gowdy
Bruce Grossberg
Steven Halpern
Annie Hartford
Valdez Hill
Jones Irwin
Annie Lanzillotto
Lynn Lipinski
George Schaefer
Jennifer Schneider
Karamo Muchuri Sulieman
Eike Waltz

Live Reading: Moonstone Hosts
2026-01-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Reading: Moonstone Hosts
Wednesday, January 7th at 7pm
Live at Fergies Pub: 1214 Sansom Street
Featured readers for this live event are all of Moonstone’s poetry reading hosts. We hope you join us in the new year to meet our hosts, hear their latest work, and gather in community.
Featured Moonstone Poetry Hosts
Liz Allen
Charles Carr is author of 3 collections, and his poetry has been published widely in the small press. He is the host of Philly Loves Poetry on Philly Cam and is active with the Moonstone Arts Center.
Mac Chandler is a writer. They have been published in some places and not in others. You can find them hosting for Moonstone, as well as reading, bartending, and, i don’t know, just kinda waiting around.
Julianna Forlano, writer, radio host, and educator, whose work weaves personal narrative with politics, culture, and Italian-American history, her writing explores cultural memory, and family.
Sean Hanrahan, author of Headless, Safer Behind Popcorn and Ghost Signs, Hardened Eyes on the Scan and Gay Cake. His work has also been included in various anthologies and journals..
Lindsay Hargrave is a poet, first mate at Scribes on South, a coproducer at House Poet, half of the experimental group Kelpius, the author of two chapbooks and a copywriter for Temple University.
Warren C. Longmire, Black poet, performer, and technologist from North Philadelphia, whose poetry and hybrid media work investigate race, surveillance, and digital embodiment through generative literature, interactive design, and live performance.
S.W. Lynch is a writer and editor, author of five books of poetry and a novel entitled The Beast in the Pines. He has worked with Moonstone Arts Center for over a decade as an editor and poetry reading host
Aaren Perry, author of Shipping and Receiving and Open Fire, is a grant writer and editor. He co-edited Under Lock and Key: 100 Poems From Death Row; and The Art Of Inclusion.
Amy Saul-Zerby, author of three poetry collections, her poems have appeared in The Rumpus, The Chicago Review of Books, American Poetry Review, , and elsewhere. She edits Voicemail Poems.
Anne-Adele Wight, author of An Internet of Containment, The Age of Greenhouses, Opera House Arterial, and Sidestep Catapult. Her work has appeared in Poets and Writers, Luna Luna, and other publications.
Larry Robin is the director of the Moonstone Arts Center.

Philly Loves Poetry: Reading and Interview with Hayden Saunier
2026-01-13 18:30 - 19:30 | PA
Moonstone Poetry @ PhillyCAM with Hayden Saunier
Tuesday January 13, 2026
6:30pm EST – Live Broadcast
Can be viewed for free on the PhillyCAM website
Or Cable 66/966HD/967 or Verizon FIOS, 29/30
Philly Loves Poetry Interview and Readings Series with Hayden Saunier
Hayden Saunier is a poet, actor, and teaching artist living in the Philadelphia area. Hayden has published six collections of poetry and her work has been awarded numerous prizes including a Pushcart Prize and twelve nominations; the Rattle Poetry Prize; Nimrod International’s Pablo Neruda Prize, among others. She is the founder and director of No River Twice, a group of poets who offer interactive poetry readings that are never the same twice. Hayden is a Poet Laureate Emerita of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Hosted by Charles S. Carr

Live Poetry: Herman Beavers, Anisha Bhat, Steve Burke, and Octavia McBride-Ahebee
2026-01-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Poetry: Herman Beavers, Anisha Bhat, Steve Burke, and Octavia McBride-Ahebee
Wednesday January 14, 2026 – 7pm
Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Herman Beavers is an African American writer and the author of The Vernell Poems and Geography and the Political Imaginary in the Novels of Toni Morrison. Beavers’s honors include the Charles Ludwig Distinguished Teaching Award. He is currently a professor of English and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Burlington Township, New Jersey.
Anisha Bhat, originally from Chicago, Illinois, is a writer and staff member at Temple University where she directs research and creative programs for undergraduates. She has an MPhil in World History from the University of Cambridge and an MA in History from Northwestern University. In her free time she can be found buying too many books at used book stores, eating at the same five restaurants in South Philly, or working on her first poetry chapbook.
Steve Burke’s poems have been published in numerous journals & magazines; has three chapbooks – After The Harvest, For Now, & Small Answers – published by Moonstone Press. He has been a featured reader at the Painted Bride Arts Center, Moore College of Art, the Free Library, the Philadelphia Poetry Festival, the Big Blue Marble Bookstore, the Mad Poets’ Festival, the Green Line Café, along with Fergie’s Pub. He worked for 25 years as a labor and delivery nurse; lives with wife Giselle in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia.
Octavia McBride-Ahebee’s work is influenced by the convergence of cultures and the many ways in which people move throughout the world, she explores relationships within the broader framework of global inequality and contributes to The Africa Migration Report Poetry Anthology Series (exploring African and diasporic migration through poetry and is involved with Forced Migration and The Arts.) Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies including For Harriet, Raising Lilly Ledbetter; Women Poets Occupy the Workplace, Yellow Medicine, South Philly Fiction, Damazine; A Literary Journal of the Muslim World, Fingernails Across The Chalkboard: Poetry And Prose on HIV/AIDS From the Black Diaspora, Under Our Skin: Literature of Breast Cancer, The Journal of the National Medical Association, Art in Medicine Section, International Quarterly; Faces of the Americas, the Beloit Poetry Journal. Her poetry collections include Assuming Voices, Where My Birthmark Dances and Praise Song for the Gravediggers.
Liz Allen Host – Open Reading Follows

Live Poetry: E. Lynn Alexander, Holiday Noel Campanella, Shannon Frost Greenstein & C.L. Liedekev
2026-01-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Poetry: E. Lynn Alexander, Holiday Noel Campanella, Shannon Frost Greenstein & C.L. Liedekev
Wednesday, January 21st at 7pm
Live at Fergies Pub: 1214 Sansom St.
E. Lynn Alexander is an artist, poet, maker of unlikely things from other things, independent publisher, and cemetery walker. She cohosts The Friday Collapse reading series and has a book of meandering femwarrior poetry called Find Me in the Iris. She says the following: “Why are we destroying everything at such an alarming rate, turning the corner on so much that is irreversible? Our path is one that rewards extremes: self centered, immediate and empty gratification, consumption, competition, exhibitionism, self interest. To commune and cooperate is to be “weak”, to share knowledge is to lose “advantage”. Where shame is the tool, coerced participation is the result. The desire to diminish and destroy pushes us to channel our energies defensively and we are depleted.”

Holiday Noel Campanella is a multi-disciplinary writer and artist from South Philadelphia. Her work has been published in numerous lit mags and journals, (Gigantic Sequins, San Pedro River Review, Pink Disco, Meow Meow Pow Pow) exhibited and sold nationally, (The Smithsonian Museum, Anthropologie, The Clay Studio) and collected in public and private collections (The Free Library of Philadelphia, Vanderbilt Libraries Special Collections). She has a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania and The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in painting and creative writing. You can find out more at holidaynoelcampanella.com.

Shannon Frost Greenstein is the author of Through the Lens of Time, and These Are a Few of My Least Favorite Things. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s, Pithead Chapel, Nimrod Journal, and elsewhere. Shannon’s passions include Friedrich Nietzsche, anti-racism, the Seven Summits, the Hamilton Soundtrack, and acquiring more cats.

C.L. Liedekev is a poet living in Conshohocken, PA, with his real name, wife, and children. He is a two-time nominee for Best of the Net, with his poem “November Snow. Philadelphia Children’s Hospital” being a finalist in 2021. His poem, The Hungry, was a 2023 Inaugural Plentitudes Prize finalist. Alien Buddha Press released his debut collection, No Damage Visible, in 2024.
Open Reading Follows

Live Poetry: Anne Kaier, Massimo Lavelle, and Aaren Perry
2026-01-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Poetry: Anne Kaier, Massimo Lavelle, and Aaren Perry
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – 7pm
Live at Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Anne Kaier a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow and has served on a Fulbright screening committee for creative writers. Her poetry collection, How Can I Say It Was Not Enough? won the Propel Poetry Award and was published by Nine Mile Press and the University of Syracuse in Spring 2025. Her essays have appeared widely in venues such as The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, 1966 journal, Alaska Quarterly Review, and the anthology About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of The New York Times for which she appeared on NPR’s Radio Times. “Maple Lane” was mentioned on the list of notables in an edition of Best American Essays.
Massimo Lavelle is a spoken word poet. He performs throughout Philadelphia and has also featured at Yale University African American Studies Department and O’bheal in Ireland. He has hosted different events in the city and has collaborated with musicians, dancers and videographers on a diverse range of projects. He loves seeing people sharing positive and creative work and hopes his poetry encourages that.
Aaren Perry’s most recent book Shipping and Receiving is published by Moonstone. Bilingual with an MFA from Vermont College, Perry is a grant writer and editor. He edited a forthcoming collection of new poems by Lamont B. Steptoe; co-edited with James Villarreal, Under Lock and Key: 100 Poems From Death Row, by Anthony Reid; and co-edited The Art Of Inclusion with John Lavin and Eleanor Wilner.
Anne-Adele Wight Host, Open Reading Follows

Virtual Reading: Remembering Langston Hughes
2026-02-01 14:00 - 15:00 | virtual
Remembering Langston Hughes
Sunday February 1, 2026 – 2pm Eastern
Zoom Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/XXf_26_ZRE6a9MzFrJzzRw

Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967)
During the twenties when most American poets were turning inward, writing obscure and esoteric poetry to an ever-decreasing audience of readers, Hughes was turning outward, using language and themes, attitudes and ideas familiar to anyone who had the ability simply to read… Until the time of his death, he spread his message humorously—though always seriously—to audiences throughout the country, having read his poetry to more people (possibly) than any other American poet.”
Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/XXf_26_ZRE6a9MzFrJzzRw
The Dream Keeper (1925)
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers.
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
from the too rough fingers
Of the world.
Not All Poets will be Reading

Anne Catharine Blake
Jacqueline Braswell
Francisco Carrasco
AJ Chilson
Tony Nicholas Clark
Joan Dobbie
David Eberhardt
Jacalyn Eyvonne
Linda Goss
Paz Griot

Monique Hayes
Valdez Hill
Jones Irwin
Jim LaVilla-Havelin
John Lavin
Maria Lisella
Moises Maldonado
Torie Michelle
Marjorie Moorhead
Derrick Owings
John Pietaro

David Radavich
Janet Restino
Katherine Shehadeh
Jay Shifman
Linda Simone
Robert Lavett Smith
Otis Sprow
Andre Brenardo Taylor
Pam Ward
Anthony Webb
Daniel Williams
Samantha Wright

Live Poetry: Elliott batTzedek, Pheralyn Dove, Mikey Franz, and Alina Macneal
2026-02-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Live Poetry: Elliott batTzedek, Pheralyn Dove, Mikey Franz, and Alina Macneal
Wednesday February 4, 2026 – 7pm – LIVE
Live at Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street
Elliott batTzedek is a Pushcart-prize nominated poet, liturgist, and bookseller and was chosen as an attendee for the inaugural conference for Yetzirah: A Hearth for Jewish Poetry. Her poems and translations have been published in: American Poetry Review, Massachusetts Review, Lilith, I-70 Review, Hunger Mountain Review, Sakura Review, Apiary, Cahoodaloodaling, Naugatuck River Review, Poemeleon, Poetica, Philadelphia Stories, and a Split This Rock poem of the week. She is author of the enkindled coal of my tongue and a chapbook of translations from Shez, A Necklace of White Pearls. She is the co-leader of Fringes: a feminist, non-zionist havurah, which was founded in 2007 and serves as a liturgy lab for Jewish communities across the U.S.
Pheralyn Dove is a word-warrior: poet, writer, educator. She lives in a state of perpetual gratitude. A graduate of Hampton University, she is the author of “Color in Motion, a book of poetry with a foreword by drummer Max Roach. Little Girl Blue, her one-woman show in which she portrays 17 characters, is a multi-media production about a woman’s journey from victim to victor. She performed at Jazz a la Villette in Paris and was chosen for the juried NYC International Fringe Fest. She is featured on bassist Tyrone Brown’s, Moon of the Falling Leaves CD.
Mikey Franz is a writer & musician based in the Philadelphia area. His chapbook Terrestrial Sanctuaries was published by Moonstone Press in 2022. His debut album, Cosmic Claw Machine, is forthcoming. You can usually find him at an open mic with a ukulele.
Alina Macneal is a Philadelphia-based educator, writer, and architect. Her poems have appeared in Apiary, Poems for the Writing, The World to Come, Poetry 24, Welcome to the Resistance, and other publications. Born in Poland, she came to the US with her family as a child, growing up bilingual in the mono-lingual suburbs of St. Louis. She lives in University City and has been on the faculty at Drexel University for 30 years.
Open Reading Follows

Philly Loves Poetry with Sean Hanrahan: Interview and Reading
2026-02-10 18:30 - 19:30 | PA
Philly Loves Poetry with Sean Hanrahan: Interview and Reading
Moonstone @ PhillyCAM
Watch on the PhillyCAM website or on Cable 66/966 HD or Verizon FIOS 29/30 in Philadelphia
Sean Hanrahan (he, him, his) is a Philadelphian poet originally hailing from Dale City, Virginia. He is the author of Headless (Collapse Press), the full-length collections Safer Behind Popcorn (2019, Cajun Mutt) and Ghost Signs (2023, Alien Buddha), and the chapbooks Hardened Eyes on the Scan (2018, Moonstone Press) and Gay Cake (2020, Toho). His work has also been included in various anthologies and journals. He has taught classes titled A Chapbook in 49 Days, Ekphrastic Poetry, Poetry Embodied, and has hosted and read at poetry events throughout Philadelphia. He can be found on Instagram at @gaycakepoet.
Hosted by Charles S. Carr

February 18 - Live at Fergie's Pub
2026-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
February 18, 2026 – Live at Fergie’s Pub
Featuring: Alison Hicks, Chloe Yelena Miller, David J. Schast, Laura Tanenbaum and Sean Hanrahan as the host.
Alison Hicks’ fourth collection of poems is Homing. Previous collections are You Who Took the Boat Out and Kiss, and chapbook Falling Dreams. Her work has appeared in Gargoyle, Permafrost, and Poet Lore. She is founder of Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio, which offers community-based writing workshops.
Chloe Yelena Miller is the author of Perforated and Viable, and the poetry chapbook Unrest. She co-founded and co-directs Brown Bag Lit, an online writing community. Miller teaches writing and literature through University of Maryland’s Global Campus, Politics and Prose bookstore and New Directions in Writing. Miller has a BA in Italian language, literature and an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College.
David J. Schast is a poet living near Philadelphia who returned to writing after decades of creative and practical pursuits. His work draws on a full, varied life and has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The F-Word, Sheila-Na-Gig Online, Voicemail Poems, and multiple Moonstone Press anthologies.
Laura Tanenbaum is a Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York, where she taught composition, literature and creative writing. Her debut collection, Dear Mother, was published by Main Street Rag in January of 2026. Her poems and short stories have appeared in Rust & Moth, Cleaver Magazine, Aji, Rattle, On the Seawall, and many other publications. She has also published essays and book reviews for The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, Dissent, and other venues.
Sean Hanrahan Host – Open Reading Follows

Sunday February 22, 2026 - ICE OUT - VIRTUAL
2026-02-22 14:00 - 17:00 | PA
Sunday February 22, 2026 – ICE OUT
Register Here: ICE OUT VIRTUAL READING
Poems about ICE, the Murders of Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and Others
There are 127 poets, click here for the list of names:

Not all Poets will be Reading – Please join us.

February 25, 2026 - Live at Fergies
2026-02-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
February 25, 2026 – Live at Fergies
Featuring: Blaithin Simpson, Julien Smith, and Mac Chandler as host.
Blaithin Simpson is a 22 year old writer who focuses on projecting inner thoughts in abstract ways. She is currently studying creative writing at The New School.
Julien Smith (he/they) is primarily a fiction writer who dabbles in nonfiction flash and poetry. They are often inspired by animals, flowers, the cosmos, and the universe around them. Feeling things deeply runs in their veins.
Mac Chandler Host – Open Reading Follows

March 4, 2026 - Live at Fergie's Pub
2026-03-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Wednesday March 4, 2026 – Live at Fergie’s Pub
Featuring: Jo Piazza, Christina Rosso-Schneider, and Julianna Forlano as Host
Jo Piazza is an international bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and podcast creator known for 12+ books, including The Sicilian Inheritance and We Are Not Like Them. She hosts the critically acclaimed podcast Under the Influence. Her work spans fiction and non-fiction, often exploring relationships, motherhood, and social commentary.
Christina Rosso-Schneider (she/they) is a queer, disabled writer based outside Philadelphia. She is the author of CREOLE CONJURE and SHE IS A BEAST. Her fiction and nonfiction—often exploring gender, sexuality, fairy tales, and the occult—has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions. She is also the co-owner of A Novel Idea, an independent bookstore and event space on Passyunk named one of the best bookstores in the region by The Philadelphia Inquirer, and teaches in the Humanities department at Moore College of Art and Design.
Julianna Forlano of the Italian American Herald and Olive on the Apple Tree on Substack—centering Italianità, ancestral voice, and the stories that both carry us forward and root us to home.
Julianna Forlano Host – Open Reading follows

Saturday March 7, 2026 - ICE OUT - LIVE READING
2026-03-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Samuel S Fletcher Art Memorial, 719 Catherine Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147, United States
Saturday March 7, 2026 – ICE OUT – LIVE READING
At Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catherine Street, Philadelphia
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are acting like the Nazi German SS who were tasked with detection of potential enemies of the state, the neutralization of opposition and providing domestic and foreign intelligence. The SS was most responsible for the genocidal murder of an estimated 6 million Jews and millions of other victims during the holocaust.
On January 7th, ICE agents carrying out an operation in south Minneapolis were briefly obstructed by a car blocking traffic. ICE agents approached the female driver, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, yelling, “Get out of the fucking car,” and one of them attempted to open the driver’s-side door. After the driver backed up to turn around and move, another agent drew his gun and unloaded three shots into the car. The car barreled into a light pole about 100 feet down the road, and the driver was quickly pronounced dead. This is confirmed by eyewitness accounts and videos from multiple angles.
Make Yourself Heard Everyone is Invited

Philly Loves Poetry Interview and Readings Series
2026-03-10 18:30 - 19:30 | PA
Philly Loves Poetry Interview and Readings Series
Live on PhillyCAM
Can be viewed on the Phillycam website Or Cable 66/966HD/967 or Verizon FIOS, 29/30 In Philadelphia.
Featuring: Lesley Valdes and Charles S. Carr as host
Lesley Valdes, a classically trained pianist, comes to poetry following a career in arts journalism — as classical music critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer and for other national publications and media. She lives in Philadelphia where she is on the faculty of the Fleisher Art Memorial, an instructor of piano, and ardent guest speaker for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. This is her debut collection.

Wednesday March 11, 2026 - Live at Fergie's Pub
2026-03-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Wednesday March 11, 2026 – Live at Fergie’s Pub
Featuring: Eli Goldblatt, Michelle Myers, Diane Sahms, Iris Wilde, and Aaren Perry as Host
Eli Goldblatt is Professor Emeritus of English at Temple University and former director of New City Writing.
Michelle Myers is an award-winning poet, author, and educator whose work centers storytelling, cultural memory, and voice.
Diane Sahms is the author of nine poetry collections, most recently, —of an octopus: an archite |x| tural awareness of words.
Iris Wilde is a poet, artist, and former English Teacher from the Philadelphia area. They are queer, neurodivergent, and have chronic, invisible disabilities.
Aaren Perry Host – Open Reading Follows

Sunday March 15, 2026 - Latinx Voices in Poetry: Poetry Without Borders - VIRTUAL
2026-03-15 14:00 - 16:00 | PA
Sunday March 15, 2026 – Latinx Voices in Poetry: Poetry Without Borders
Register Here: Latinx Voices in Poetry: Virtual Poetry Reading
This anthology will include three sections: Remembering Marjorie Agosin, Remembering Ernesto Cardenzal, and Latinx Voices in Poetry: Poetry Without Borders – Poetry by Latin American Poets both in the US and Latin America

Wednesday March 18, 2026 - LIVE at Fergie's Pub
2026-03-18 19:00 - 2026-03-29 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Wednesday March 18, 2026 – LIVE at Fergie’s
Featuring: Vincent Bush, Demetra De’Vine, William E. Heston, Matthew Klauber, and Sean Hanrahan as Host
Vincent Bush is a Philadelphia-based mixed media artist and poet. Through his chosen mediums, Vincent explores healing, identity, and the power of love, often using the heart as a universal symbol that transcends culture, religion, and background.
Demetra De’Vine moved on to poetry in middle school. Not published yet but she’s currently working on her first book. She’s performed for open mics and other events in the city. She writes about her experiences as a black queer person born and raised in the lovely city of Philadelphia.
William E. Heston is a poet, painter, musician, and filmmaker whose art focuses on the personal drama of working class life-whether it’s through the lens of gritty realism, low fantasy, or surrealism.
Matthew Klauber is a writer and educator based in the Philadelphia area. A longtime devotee of the Moonstone Arts Center, his work has been published in The Literary Hatchet, Orchards, Calliope, and elsewhere.
Sean Hanrahan Host – Open Reading Follows

Sunday March 22, 2026 - World Poetry Day - Virtual
2026-03-22 14:00 - 16:00 | PA
Sunday March 22, 2026 World Poetry Day – Virtual
Register Here: World Poetry Day – Virtual
World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21st, and was declared by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) in 1999, ”with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard”. Its purpose is to promote the reading, writing, publishing, and teaching of poetry throughout the world, and as the original UNESCO declaration says, ”to give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional, and international poetry movements”.

Wednesday April 1, 2026 - LIVE
2026-04-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Wednesday April 1, 2026 – Live at Fergie’s Pub @ 7pm
Featuring: Peter Baroth, Courtney Bambrick, Emiliano Martin, and Liz Allen as Host
Peter Baroth is a writer, artist, and musician based in the Philadelphia area. He has published a novel, Long Green and his most recent chapbook is Ski Oklahoma. , he is on the editorial board of Philadelphia Stories magazine.
Courtney Bambrick was poetry editor at Philadelphia Stories, her poems appear in American Poetry Review, Spotlong, Mom Egg Review, Landlocked, Clockhouse, Pinhole, Thimble, SWWIM Everyday, New York Quarterly, Invisible City, and more.
Emiliano Martin is a bilingual poet originally from Spain. Martín served as President of “Círculo Español”, was the founding director of the “Philadelphia Poetry Forum”, Executive Director of the Latin American Guild for the Arts in Philadelphia and President of the Pennsylvania Poetry Society.
Liz Allen Host – Open Reading Follows

Wednesday April 8 - LIVE
2026-04-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Wednesday April 8, 2026 – Live at Fergie’s Pub @ 7pm
Featuring: John Wall Barger, Mac Chandler, Ernest Hilbert, and Sean Lynch as Host
John Wall Barger, author of Praise for Resurrection Pie, is a contract editor for Frontenac House, lives in Vermont, and lectures in the Writing Program at Dartmouth College.
Mac Chandler is a writer from West Philly who has been published in some places and not in others. They currently host quarterly shows for Moonstone Arts, and recently self-published their first collection of poetry, There Is A Thing Haunting Me I Could Grow To Love.
Ernest Hilbert founded the Oxford Quarterly and E-Verse Radio. He has also served as editor of both the Contemporary Poetry Review and Random House’s magazine Bold Type.
Sean Lynch as Host – Open Reading Follows

Sunday April 26, 2026
2026-04-11 08:00 - 17:00 | PA
Sunday April 26, 2026 – VIRTUAL at 2pm
Moonstone Chapbook Contest 2025 – Reading Featuring:
The Winning Manuscript: All at Once by Lucia Owen
High Honorable Mention: Tarifa Moon by Bill O’Connell
Honorable Mention: Bright Clatter by Susan Coppock
Honorable Mention: Shadow House by Ada Lowenthal

PLUS These Exceptional Poets
Aliyah Cotton, author of The Lungs Remember Breath
Anne Greenhaigh, author of Half sun, half shade: a sequence of sestinas
Vincent Hostak, author of The Strangest Fire
Stacie Kiner, author of Abby Road
Brandy Reinke, author of Remnants of the Injury of Finding the Known
Meri Tumanyan, author of Why I Pray in Armenian
Register Here!
