Readings from Mary Lou Buschi and Kristine Esser Slentz, followed by open mic. Coffee and light refreshments provided.

Mary Lou Buschi (she/her) is the author of 3 chapbooks and 3 full length poetry collections.  Her poems have appeared in literary journals such as Ploughshares, Glacier, Willow Springs, On the Seawall, among many others. Mary Lou is a graduate of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers and holds an MS in Urban Education from Mercy University. Currently, she is a special education teacher working with students on the spectrum in the Bronx.

Kristine Esser Slentz is a Maltese descendent, queer, cult escapee, and author of woman, depose (FlowerSong Press 2021, 2024). She grew up in both northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area—what her father calls the ‘bottom of the blue-collar.’  She is the co-founder and organizer/host of the monthly experimental artist series, Adverse Abstraction, in New York City’s East Village.