A Night of Favorite Poems Read Aloud at Florida Studio Theatre
Schedule
Mon Feb 16 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Keating Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre | Sarasota, FL
About this Event
Join us for A Night of Favorite Poems, a live community reading celebrating the Favorite Poem Project founded by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.
Selected voices from our community will read aloud the poem they love most, and share why it matters to them. Each reader has been curated in advance, representing the wide range of people and experiences that poetry touches.
This evening is part of an ongoing effort to celebrate poetry as a living art, one that thrives when spoken aloud and shared among neighbors. Whether you're a lifelong poetry reader or someone who simply loves to listen, you'll leave reminded of poetry's power to connect us across time and experience.
Your ticket includes a copy of 44 Poems on Being with Each Other: A Poetry Unbound Collection by Pádraig Ó Tuama, which you'll receive upon check-in at the event.
This event will take place on the stage of Florida Studio Theatre's Keating Theatre (1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236). There will be no seat assignments (first-come, first-served). You will receive your book upon check-in at the theater.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no open mic component to this event; all readers have applied and are pre-selected. Apply by Thursday, January 15, to be considered as a potential reader: https://www.sarasotabooks.com/contact-4
ABOUT THE FAVORITE POEM PROJECT
The Favorite Poem Project began in 1997 with an open call for people across the United States to share their favorite poems. More than 18,000 Americans, from ages five to ninety-seven, representing every state and a wide range of backgrounds, responded. The project continues to this day, producing short documentary films, anthologies, and readings that give voice to poetry lovers across the world.
At its heart, the Favorite Poem Project is built on two beliefs: 1. Poetry is a vocal art that's meant to be heard, spoken, and felt. 2. The audience for poetry is vast and varied; teachers, carpenters, students, nurses, artists - each connected to a poem that matters deeply.
ABOUT THE BOOK
This celebratory anthology explores human connection through forty-four poems curated by Pádraig Ó Tuama, the host of On Being's Poetry Unbound podcast.
44 Poems on Being with Each Other is a new volume that offers immersive reflections on the human connection. With an observant eye, Pádraig Ó Tuama shares an enlightening meditation on each poem, revealing the ways we relate to each other, the world around us, and ourselves. Among the selections, Ó Tuama examines friendship and its loss through Langston Hughes’s “I Loved My Friend,” changing familial bonds in Rita Dove’s “Eurydice, Turning,” the relationship with the past in Mary Oliver’s “The Uses of Sorrow,” the power of declaration in Lucille Clifton’s “Won’t You Celebrate with Me,” and the necessity of connection to land in Joy Harjo’s “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.”
Blending humor with insight, tension with tenderness, complexity with care, 44 Poems on Being with Each Other articulates the power of poetry itself. Through careful and incisive readings, it illuminates aspects of the human condition, particularly the ways we are inextricably linked to each other, and inspires grounded self-reflection. It is an anthology that will delight readers, just as Pádraig’s podcast has done for millions around the world.
Where is it happening?
Keating Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 21.39
