Arts coordinator and director of the RCAH Center for Poetry Anita Skeen reads a poem during the Women's History Month Poetry Potluck held March 25, 2014, in Snyder and Phillips Hall. Those attending the potluck included both RCAH students and professors. Allison Brooks/ The State News
The Lansing Poetry Club is set to host a poetry reading and publication party Oct. 21 at MICA Gallery in Lansing’s Old Town. The theme of the party is “Hot Off the Presses” to celebrate new collections of poetry from two poets: Laura Apol and Isabella Mansfield.
The event will take place at 2 p.m., according to a press release.
Ruelaine Stokes, president of the Lansing Poetry Club, is a retired instructor who has taught English as a second language at MSU.
“It's an opportunity to hear new work by two very talented poets,” Stokes said of the event. “Mid-Michigan is kind of a hot spot for poetry."
Apol and Mansfield add to the poetry community in the Lansing area, Stokes said.
"We're very lucky to have a very strong and vibrant poetry community and to have really truly gifted poets and Laura and Isabella are both very talented poets and we're very proud of the work that they're doing," Stokes said.
Laura Apol is an associate professor of teacher education at MSU who has conducted multiple creative writing workshops.
As a poet, Apol is the author of several collections: "Falling into Grace," "Crossing the Ladder of Sun," "Requiem, Rwanda," "Celestial Bodies," "With a Gift for Burning" and now her latest book — "Nothing but the Blood."
The book was was published Sept. 1 by the Michigan State University Press, according to the press release.
“Apol is a highly experienced poet,” Stokes said. “She's a brilliant writer and she's a wonderful presenter of her own work and she's also a really fabulous writing teacher.”
Isabella Mansfield, the 2018 winner of the Mark Ritzenhein New Authors’ Award, is expecting her first book, "The Hollows of Bone," to be published in January 2019 by Finishing Line Press.
Mansfield recently shared her work in London at the Poets IN Fundraiser at Nambucca, according to the press release.
“Isabella Mansfield is an emerging poet,” Stokes said. “She's a wonderful spoken word poet.”
Both Mansfield and Apol will read poems from their upcoming books during the party. After both poets finish reading, community members will get a chance to have discussions with them.
People will also have the opportunity to buy books during that time.
“We'll have a very wonderful break with great food and the opportunity to talk to poets and buy books if people want to,” Stokes said.
An open mic will take place after the featured readers, according to the press release.
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