HALLOWELL — At 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, the Harlow Gallery at 100 Water St. will host poets Alice Persons of Moon Pie Press, Westbrook, and John-Michael Albert, past Portsmouth Poet Laureate.

Alice enjoys being editor and publisher of Moon Pie Press, established in 2003. The catalog is up to 102 books as of 2018 and includes poetry by poets from all over the country. Her first full-length poetry collection was “Thank Your Lucky Stars,” published in 2011; her second collection was “Fancy Meeting You Here,” published in 2015. Alice moved to Maine in 1983, and lives in Westbrook with two cats and a dog, all rescues. Alice volunteers for the nonprofit Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals and serves on the Westbrook library board. She also teaches part-time at the University of Southern Maine. 

John-Michael Albert has served in the New Hampshire and Maine poetry communities since he moved to New Hampshire in 1999. Mike is the author and editor of 10 books of poetry, including the two-volume anthology, “The Poets’ Guide to New Hampshire,” and two volumes of selected poetry, “The Bird Catcher and Cardamom Cravings,” published in celebration of his two-year appointment as the eighth Portsmouth Poet Laureate, 2011-2013. His most recent collection, “Questions You Were Too Polite to Ask,” was published by Moon Pie Press in the spring of 2018.

Brian Kavanah, vocalist and acoustic guitarist, performer and writer, will present his original work to begin the program, and will play a few tunes again to end the evening. Brian is a talented, well-known and respected singer and songwriter in central Maine.

The Harlow Gallery hosts the Bookey Readings at the Harlow, a monthly poetry series running April through November, that has offered spoken word at its best for 25 years.

For more information, contact mamabelle@gwi.net.

Alice Persons

John-Michael Albert

Brian Kavanah