By DOUG OTTO
The popular Beach Bards Poetry & Prose Reading Series, sponsored by the Cape May County Library System, will return for two in-person events on Wednesday, July 31, and Wednesday, Aug. 28, both beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Sea Isle City Library.
The series, which began in 2012, presents both emerging and established poets and writers. It is coordinated by Sea Isle poet and writer Antoinette Libro, a professor emerita of writing at Rowan University.
The in-person author readings are followed by an open-mic session, where audience members are invited to read their original work. Book signings and meet-and-greet opportunities follow the readings.
“Over the years, we have welcomed a diverse group of writers to our city by the sea, and their voices have been heard in the place most sacred to writers, that of the library, where books and the written word reign supreme,” Libro said.
Maria Fama presents at an earlier Beach Bards Series.
The July 31 Beach Bards presenters include:
Maria Fama: A distinguished award-winning poet from Philadelphia, recognized nationally and internationally, with eight published books, including her latest, “Trigger.”
Marya Small Parral: The lead facilitator of the Jersey Cape Writers at the Cape May Court House library for 10 years, she is a well-known local poet and a contributor to Shore Local magazine’s new Poetry Corner.
Richard Russell: Poet and writer who teaches creative writing and literature at Atlantic County Community College and gives frequent poetry readings throughout South Jersey.
Al Tacconelli: An established Pennsylvania poet and artist with several books to his credit, most recently, “Such Things,” along with publications in leading journals and exhibits.
Poet and artist Al Tacconelli reads at a past Beach Bards event.
The Aug. 28 Beach Bards readers will be:
Erin Castaldi: Award-winning haiku poet and past Poet Laureate of Somers Point. She is widely published, a frequent reader and an active arts organizer of numerous poetry events in South Jersey.
Julia MacDonnell: Critically acclaimed author of two novels, a short story collection, and her recently published nonfiction hybrid/memoir titled, “Hidden Girls: A Birth Mother’s Story of Reunion and Reckoning.”
Meredith Trede: New York-based author of three poetry collections, most recently “Bringing Back the House,” about her old family house in Wildwood.
Gene DeGeorge: Author of three books, including a novella and two books of poetry, with another currently in production. His Facebook page has two interviews and two podcasts conducted by radio personalities.
First Wave -- A Beach Bards Anthology, a collection of the poems and prose of those who have read and contributed to the success of Beach Bards Series, was published in 2020.
“Copies of this anthology will be available at each of the upcoming programs,” Libro noted. “The first three people to arrive may receive complimentary copies.”
For more information about the Beach Bards Series, call coordinator Antoinette Libro at 609-263-5491 or visit the events calendar at the Cape May County Library website: cmclibrary.org.
The Sea Isle City branch of the county library is located at 48th Street and Central Avenue.
