Join us for an afternoon of poetry with Alfred Encarnacion, Peter Krok, Robert G. Evans, and James Nicola - all poets from the city and the region!
Alfred Encarnacion has taught at Temple University, published poems in Crab Orchard Review, Florida Review, Indiana Review, North American Review, and The Paterson Literary Review. His two books of poetry are The Outskirts of Karma and Ambassadors of the Silenced. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize; he’s the director of the Stratford Public Library in New Jersey.
Peter Krok is the Humanities director of the Manayunk Roxborough Art Center in Philadelphia where he has been coordinating literary programs since 1990. Also, he is the editor of the Schuylkill Valley Journal (Print) which was founded in 1990 and the Schuylkill Valley Journal Online (svjlit.com) which is issued bi-monthly. Because of his identification with row house and red brick Philadelphia, he is referred to as “the red brick poet.” His poems have appeared in the Yearbook of American Poetry, America, Mid-America Poetry Review, Midwest Quarterly, Potomac Review, Blue Unicorn, Muddy River Poetry Review and numerous other print and on-line journals. In 2005 his poem “10 PM at a Philadelphia Recreation Center” was included in Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (published by Penn State University). His book, Looking For An Eye, was published by Foothills Press in 2008.
R.G. Evans is the author of Overtipping the Ferryman (Aldrich Press Poetry Prize, 2014), The Noise of Wings, and The Holy Both. His original music was featured int he poetry documentaries All That Lies Between Us and Unburying Malcolm Miller. He teaches high school and college English and Creative Writing in southern New Jersey.
James B. Nicola’s poems have appeared in the Antioch, Southwest and Atlanta Reviews, Rattle, and Poetry East. His nonfiction book Playing the Audience won a Choice award. His two poetry collections, published by Word Poetry, are Manhattan Plaza (2014) and Stage to Page: Poems from the Theater (2016). He won a Dana Literary Award, a People's Choice award (from Storyteller) and a Willow Review award; was nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize and once for a Rhysling Award; and was featured poet at New Formalist. A Yale graduate as well as a composer, lyricist, and playwright, James has been giving both theater and poetry workshops at libraries, literary festivals, schools, and community centers all over the country. His children’s musical Chimes: A Christmas Vaudeville premiered in Fairbanks, Alaska, where Santa Claus was rumored to be in attendance on opening night.
