Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, and Ragged Sky Press, a local publisher focused on poetry, hosts its monthly Second Sunday Poetry Reading on June 9 at 4 p.m. The readings take place at the Princeton Makes store in the Princeton Shopping Center. Poets Phyllis Frakt and Marie Gray Wise read from their work, followed by an open mic available to up to 10 audience members who would like to read their original poetry.
Phyllis Frakt had a long career in higher education teaching and administration. After her retirement, she began volunteering in adult ESL programs. When her ESL class asked about the inauguration ceremony for Joe Biden, she played a little of Amanda Gorman reading “The Hill We Climb.” It was too hard for the students, so she tried some easier poems, and then she began writing a few herself. Now, more than three years later, she has written about 200 poems. She benefits from suggestions at the weekly meetings of the DVP/US 1 Poets and has published poems in US 1 Worksheets and online in New Verse News. A sample of her work is below.
“Anna and Her Daughters” is Marie Gray Wise’s first book. She has published both poetry and short stories in various journals including I-70 Review, Atlanta Review, Main Street Rag, US 1 Worksheets, English Journal, Tipton Poetry Journal, and The Paterson Literary Review. She has also been nominated for the anthology Best New Poets (2023) by Naugatuck River Review. More of her work can be found at www.MarieGrayWise.com and in the sample below.
Second Sunday Poetry, Princeton Makes (next to Metropolis), Princeton Shopping Center, 301 North Harrison Street, Princeton. Sunday, June 9, 4 p.m. After a summer break, readings will resume in September. Free.
For more information, contact Princeton Makes coordinator Jim Levine at princetonmakes@gmail.com.
For more information on Ragged Sky Press, visit www.raggedsky.com.
