Join us on Sunday, January 14th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! The first of monthly readings will feature Dustin Nispel, York PA author who recently published a book titled “The Way Home.” Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Superbowl Sunday, February 11th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This event will feature Kara Valore, York PA author who will read from her book titled “Where the Compass Points.” Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public.

Join us on Sunday, March 10th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! The first of monthly readings will feature Stephen Concert, Harveys Lake PA author who has been writing poetry for over 45 years. His poetic works have been recognized in local, state, and national competitions—twice in Creative York’s “The Writer’s Eye” competition. He has been a featured reader for many reading series, including: First Friday at the Ragged Edge (Gettysburg), Givin Library (Mt. Holly), as well as Colorado and New Mexico. In March, Steven will be guest-hosting an ekphrastic poetry reading for Colorado poets via Zoom.

A volunteer who had the word “no” stripped from his vocabulary, Steven serves as 2nd Vice President and manuscripts editor for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies and has been a Board member for nearly eighteen years; he serves as president, treasurer, and anthology editor for the Pennsylvania Poetry Society; secretary for the Ohio Poetry Association; co-leadership and anthology editor for the River Poets (Bloomsburg, PA); and quarterly newsletter editor for the Mad Poets Society (Philadelphia, PA).

His poetry has been published in Agates, Art Through the Eyes of the Mad Poets, Common Threads, Fixed and Free Quarterly, Got Verse?, Listening to Water, ONE ART, Poetry 2022, River Poets anthology, and Word Fountain. Steven’s published collections include: Steer into the Skid (North 415 Press, 2022), No Mortar Required (2013), Standing in the Chaos (2006), and Too Blind to See (1996).

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Sunday, April 14th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! Celebrating National Poetry Month, our featured reader will be Ikysha Jones, one of York’s outstanding, dynamic spoken word poets and philosophers.

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Sunday, May 5th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This of month’s reading will feature Robert Royal Poff, a poet and author of the books More Useful Words for Useless People and Sleeping Among Wolves. They have always been enamored by puzzlework poems and flowery prose that requires multiple reads to fully decipher. Each of their works vary from personal love letters to poems about their views on such topics as death, love, addiction, and the darker side of life.

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Sunday, June 9th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This of month’s reading will feature Carla Christopher, co-founder of Equality Fest, which became York Pride and the Rainbow Rose Center, is a former Poet Laureate of York and a grand prize winner (2014) of the Pennsylvania Poetry Society.

She has produced events celebrating the written word such as Jawstruck Spoken Word Competition and MasterCraft Poet’s Conference, hosted and co-produced Culture & Main, Central PA’s Cultural Showcase, on WRCT for 7 years and wrote the column “OUT & About” for the York Dispatch for 2 years. Carla also had the joy of running PoemSugar Press which uplifted marginalized voices and published more than 50 books over 5 years and included a mentorship program for young writers and creative writing classes hosted by venues such as DreamWrights, Creative York, and the Appell Center as well as YouthBuild and William Penn Senior High.

A 2-time recipient of the key to York City for her education and creative initiatives, Carla has published multiple collections of poetry and a poetic memoir, contributed to countless anthologies and periodicals and is a regular content creator/columnist on social justice issues for multiple websites. Her writing blends spoken word, rich imagery form poetry, and frequent dashes of music and theatre with audience participation surprises.

Also an ordained ELCA Lutheran/UCC pastor, Carla’s work frequently includes themes of faith, inclusion and justice.

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Sunday, July 14th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This of month’s reading will feature Noel Sloboda, York PA author of two poetry collections, seven chapbooks, and hundreds of poems that have appeared in periodicals from around the world. He likes dogs, Shakespeare, trees, classical philosophy, and monster movies, all of which regularly appear in his poetry. In addition to composing works of free verse, Sloboda also writes haiku and prose poems. Currently, he teaches at Penn State York, where he coordinates the English program.

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us for a community poetry reading in the gallery at Creative York from 3-5pm on August 24th! Pop in and sign up to read, or take a seat and listen to local writers sharing their stories. All are welcome!

Join us on Sunday, September 8th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This of month’s reading will feature Jhonny Victor, a poet and musician.

Jhonny Victor graduated from the State University of Haiti’s School of Law in Port-au-Prince and originally worked in law enforcement. After moving to the United States, he studied networking management at DeVry University and has been working as a cable technician and electrician in New York City for more than a decade. His first poetry book, The Working-Class and Its Burden, was written and published while Jhonny was on a five-year strike as a union member with the Local Union No. 3.

Jhonny is married and has two daughters. Despite some progress, the discrimination and abuses that women still face and have suffered over the years inspired him to write Woman: The Thrill of Survival, his second collection of poetry. In addition to being a poet, Jhonny is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, essayist, and public speaker. All of his creative work emphasizes fairness, equality for all, self-awareness, and humanity

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Sunday, October 13th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This of month’s feature will be Baltimore author Sam Schmidt.

Sam Schmidt’s books include Suburban Myths (Beothuk Books 2012) and Dark Bird (Galileo Press 2024). For more than a decade he edited and published WordHouse, a newsletter for Maryland writers, and hosted the reading series WordHouse at the Minás Gallery.His work has been published in such journals as Passager, Free State Review, and Gargoyle. He is a two-time recipient of the Maryland State Individual Artist Grant and has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Johns Hopkins University.

His wife Virginia Crawford, also a poet, is the author of questions for water (Apprentice House Press 2021).

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public

Join us on Sunday, November 10th from 1-3pm for a poetry reading! This of month’s feature is Ladi Glori, a Baltimore spoken word artist, actress, author and host.

Performing on stage as a poet since 2009, Ladi Glori combines dynamic performance and message-filled activism. She was published in the anthology ‘Below the Belt, received an Editor’s Choice Award For Outstanding Achievement in Poetry by the International Library of Poetry, was named a top ten poet of Central PA by Jump Street and recipient of the Never Stop Dreaming Award by the Minority Business Network.

She released her first book/anthology, Ms. Read The Plight of A Poet in 2014.  Ladi Glori was a member of the touring production ‘Becoming Human; Voices to End Rape Culture’. Ladi Glori has served as Master of Ceremonies at concerts that speak to the power and vibrance of culture, such as The Imani Concert, Equality Fest and Central Penn College Poetry Slam and SLAM at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Ladi Glori’s passion on stage is only superseded by her urgency to address fairness (in a world of seesaw imbalances) through empathy, self-love and unapologetic truth.

Following the feature, we will open the podium up to writers who would like to share their work with the crowd.

This event is free and open to the public