Poetry at this year’s Fair | 12-1PM in the Warming Shed

Hosted by Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker (he/him) is a freedom-dreaming mama’s boy, brother, husband, father, friend, educator, activist, Manchester, CT’s district Race & Equity Coordinator and Poet Laureate of Manchester Connecticut who loves to do poems and wake poems up in others! Parker’s focus as a poet is reimagining what poetry looks, sounds and feels like through a justice and hip-hop lens and inspiring folx within range of his words to feel and grow. Join Parker as he offers you a potluck of poetry comprised of performances from guest feature poets and readings of the winning poetry contest poems from the winning poets themselves!

Featured Poets

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Nadia Sims

Nadia Sims (she/her) is a Manchester based poet spreading her message of grace across CT, NY and MA. The Princeton graduate is the proud author of "A Soft Place to Land" and "We Know the Dark."

Laurel Pepin

Laurel Pepin (she/her) is a photographic artist, and life-long Windsor resident. She explores light, finds meaning and shares the gifts she receives through images and poetry.

Saturn Browne

Saturn Browne (she/they) @harrajunnku is a visual artist, a Loomis Chaffee scholar and a huge fan of sharks! Currently, Saturn Browne serves as the very first Youth Poet Laureate of Connecticut and is the author of “Bloodpaths” a book of poetry that “traces the lineage of womanhood as it moves through the veins” incorporating a blend of Saturn’s literary and visual art centered on nature with a specific focus on water.

James Black

James Black (he/him), poet and novelist, hails from the warm climes of the Caribbean. In his first publication, ‘Waldo and the Ramblings on Man’, he shares much of his experiences in his usual mix of poetry and prose. James is a trained teacher, social entrepreneur and student of life.

Xander Tyler

Xander Tyler (they/them) is a queer spoken word poet, performance artist, and activist from Manchester, CT. They began writing when they were 12, using their words to shed light on their experiences. Today, poetry and drag are their tools of choice in fighting injustice, finding community, and forging solidarity

Linda Blakesley

Linda Blakesley (she/her) is a Coventry poet who found her voice during the pandemic after joining several virtual open mics. Since then, she has become active in her local arts community by helping to bring writers and poets together through the formation of a Writers’ Circle and by sparking a new poetry open mic series last spring, which will begin again this October. Linda is also an avid runner and lives with her husband, Jay, and two cats.

Poetry Competition Winners

Dr. Gulshan Ara

Dr. Gulshan Ara (she/her), a Bangladeshi American, received PhD in Physics from Columbia University, NY. For over 40 years she was dedicated to the development of innovative biotechnological procedures for cancer treatment. She is also a social activist, a writer, a poet, and an active participant at the yearly celebration of the International Mother Language Day in CT.

Mick Theebs

Mick Theebs (he/him) is a writer of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. He is also an artist and educator and served as the Poet Laureate of Milford, CT from 2016 to 2020.

Susan Powers

Susan’s (she/her) home is in Scotland, Connecticut where she has the daily privilege of being immersed in nature. Her life’s work has been teaching at high schools and colleges, and you can find her published work in Connecticut’s Sixfold magazine. Susan is currently working on a new poetry collection.

Caitlin Breen

Caitlin Breen (she/her) is an elementary teacher in eastern Connecticut. In addition to writing, she skates with Hartford Area Roller Derby and knits hats and the occasional sweater.

Angelica Zacarola

Angelica Zacarola (she/her) is a 22 year old poet born and raised in Norwalk, CT. As well as writing poetry, she is a singer, songwriter and playwright. Her dream is to be a writer by career and not just hobby, allowing people to find home in her work.