Michael DePaola Literary Salon & Open Mic (June 2024)

Join us for the Michael DePaola Literary Salon & Open Mic, hosted by Jessica P. Wick, for a miscellany of mythic and moving works from invited guest readers to a poetry and prose open mic featuring your creativity, and yes, musicians are welcome. The event will begin at 7 and wrap up around 8:30. Sign up in advance to ensure you have a slot and let us know what you’re interested in sharing: poetry, prose, a scene from a play, or a song from your heart.

This month’s invited guest readers are David Madden and Joy Lin (Regina Linke). 

Regina Linke is a Taiwanese American artist specializing in Chinese gongbi-style painting, an ancient form of brush painting that depicts narrative subjects in colorful high detail. She enjoys writing and illustrating stories that celebrate East Asian folklore and philosophy in a modern way. Her exhibit The Oxherd Boy showcasing prints from her debut book, completely new pieces, and behind-the-scenes material, will be on display at the Hoxie Gallery in Westerly Library in July. Learn more at oxherdboy.org.

David Madden is a resident of Westerly and a retired teacher who taught for 35 years in the Groton School System. Since his retirement he has written and published Sprung from the Soil, a book of poems for students in Grades 4-8 on Old Sturbridge Village and A Quaker Cupboard, a book he compiled on the Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Equality, Community and Service. He has written a children’s picture book Under the Stars that was beautifully illustrated by local artist Jane Susan Cole and collaborated with his friend Dane Rochelle to create a poetry chapbook, The Gentlest Touch. His books can be found at his website, also created by Dane, at www.sprungfromthesoil.com