Upcoming Events

Poetry Month Panel: Poets vs. the Culture of Rape and the War on Women

Thursday, April 18, 2013, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Langston Hughes Room at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Streets, Washington DC
Metro: Yellow/Green Line to U Street station
Bus: DC Circulator (Adams Morgan-Woodly Park-McPherson Square) bus runs every 10 minutes ($1/each way). Stops in both directions are located near U and 14th Streets, NW. For more info, visit www.dccirculator.com
Cost: $10 suggested donation at the door. Works by participating poets will be available (cash only)

Did you know April is National Poetry Month? Join WNBA/DC for a panel discussion at the 14th and V Streets location of Busboys and Poets on Thursday, April 18, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thanks go to moderator Richard Peabody, WNBA member and Washington area resource for all things literary, for choosing our theme and contacting six poets who guarantee a lively and insightful (inciteful?) evening. Works by participating poets will be available for purchase.

The Panelists

Cynthia Atkins was born and raised in Chicago and received a BFA and an MA from the
University of Illinois and an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She
is the author of Psyche’s Weathersand the forthcoming collection, In the Event of Full
Disclosure (Wordtech, 2013), with themes of mental illness/wellness and family life.
Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and were nominated for a 2011 Pushcart
Prize. Her honors include residencies from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts,
and Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. She currently teaches English at Virginia Western
Community College. She was founder and for eight years artistic director of Writers @
Jordan House/FAIR. Atkins currently lives on the Maury River of Rockbridge County,
VA, with artist Phillip Welch.

Beth Konkoski is a writer with roots in the Adirondacks and a life with her husband and
two children in northern Virginia. Her chapbook of poetry, Noticing the Splash, was
published in 2009 by BoneWorld Press. Her poetry and fiction have been published in
numerous literary journals. She has a piece forthcoming at Smokelong Quarterly.

Maritza Rivera is a Puerto Rican poet and Army veteran who has lived in Rockville,
MD since 1994. Maritza is the creator of a short form of poetry called Blackjack and
her work appears in literary magazines, anthologies and online publications. She is the
author of About You, a collection of poetry “for women and the men they love” and A
Mother’s War, written during her son’s two tours in Iraq to make the intensity of war a
reality for everyone. Maritza participates in the Warrior Poetry Project at the Walter Reed
National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD and serves on the Board of Directors
of Split This Rock in Washington, DC.

Rose Solari is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, Difficult Weather
and Orpheus in the Park; the one-act play, Looking for Guenevere; and a novel, A
Secret Woman. She has lectured and taught writing workshops at many institutions,
including the University of Maryland; St. John’s College, Annapolis; the Jung Society of
Washington; and the Centre for Creative Writing at Kellogg College, Oxford University.
She also serves on the Centre’s Advisory Panel.

Tote bag-winning writer Riggin Waugh lives in Takoma Park. She is the editor of two
anthologies—Dykes With Baggage: The lighter side of lesbians in therapy and Ex-
Lover Weird Shit: A collection of short fiction, poetry, and cartoons by lesbians and
gay men. Her poetry, short fiction, personal essays, and interviews have appeared in a
bunch of anthologies and literary journals and on the occasional bathroom wall.

Katherine E. Young is the author of Day of the Border Guards, which is forthcoming
from the University of Arkansas Poetry Series. Her poems have appeared in Prairie
Schooner, The Iowa Review, Shenandoah, and many other literary magazines. Her
translations of Russian poet Inna Kabysh were awarded a share of the 2011 Joseph
Brodsky-Stephen Spender Prize.

More on WNBA Upcoming Events

WNBA/Washington hosts monthly events for Washington, D.C. metropolitan area professionals in publishing and allied fields. Held between September and June, our events, workshops, and programs provide opportunities for networking and professional growth. Monthly programs address topics of interest to our members, from the craft of writing and the business of publishing to professional development, freelancing, and literacy promotion. Programs are organized by members of the chapter board, specifically the program co-chairs, as well as other member volunteers. WNBA also offers small-group gatherings that meet regularly throughout the year for informal networking and socializing.

If you are interested in working on any of these programs, we would love the help! Contact any board member to get involved.

Event Archives

A full list of program titles dating back to 1998, as well as photos for select events, are available on the Event Archive page.