Poetry on Park will be held April 20, at an event that will showcase local poets and the Park Road neighborhood.

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The public is invited to join River Bend Bookshop, the West Hartford Public Library, the West Hartford Commission on the Arts, the Park Road Association and all our fabulous neighbors on Park Road for the first ever Poetry on Park event on April 20 in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Over 20 local poets will be stationed in front of various businesses on Park Road, sharing their work and reading a few verses as you stroll along. Some of the participating poets will include Benjamin Grossberg, West Hartford Poet Laureate, and Professor of English and Modern Languages at University of Hartford and Julie Choffel, West Hartford Poet Laureate Emeritus, and Assistant Professor of English at UConn.

“We are delighted to launch an event celebrating National Poetry Month by showcasing many outstanding poets in our community,” stated Meghan Hayden, event organizer and River Bend Bookshop at 161 Park Road owner. “The enthusiastic support from the Park Road Association, West Hartford Public Library, and West Hartford Commission on the Arts, as well as our many wonderful neighboring businesses on Park Road, has been a treat, and we are already looking forward to making this an annual event.”

The event will be held on Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and the Poetry Walk will run from Effie’s Place to Playhouse on Park (91-244 Park Road). This free, family-friendly event is open to all. This is a fair-weather event, and cancellations due to weather will be announced on the Park Road social media channels.

Books are available for purchase from the poets at their booths and River Bend Bookshop will also be featuring the work of an array of local and national poets in the shop.

Poets interested in taking part can learn more and sign up to participate by visiting registration form.

Free activities during Poetry on Park include Jumbo Magnetic Poetry, Poetry Mad Libs, Blackout Poetry, A Poet-Tree Collaborative Art Project and a Poetry Walk featuring 20 poems about nature.

Free parking is available on Park Road, as well as most side streets. Make an afternoon of it, by having lunch in any one of our fabulous participating restaurants including AC Peterson, Effie’s Place, Portobello, Taqueria Grande, Plan B, Bird Code, Zaytoon’s and Smoke Public House (closed for lunch, but come back for dinner!).

Poetry on Park is made possible by our participating businesses and organizations, including Playhouse on Park, Anthony Nicole Salon & Spa, Effie’s Place, AC Peterson, West Hartford Public Library, West Hartford Commission on the Arts, Smoke Public House, Plan B, and Portobello Restaurant.

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